Did you always aspire to be in the job position you currently hold?

Yes, ever since I was a young child, I’ve always wanted to be a firefighter. I joined the NSW Rural Fire Service as a volunteer when I was 12 years old (junior member), and worked towards gaining experience and obtaining qualifications to where I am today.

What have you done since leaving CTHS?

Since leaving CTHS, I have experience and worked in a number of roles within the emergency service sector. I worked as a seasonal on-call firefighter with Forestry Corporation NSW who are employed to protect, manage and mitigate bushfire risk in state forest areas. I was deployed to a number of locations which included the Southern Highlands, Pilliga and Central Coast areas for bushfire emergencies. I then obtained a position within the NSW Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) in the Operational Communications Centre (State Operations) who are responsible for activating Rural Fire Brigades to triple zero emergencies, management of the NSW RFS Bushfire Information Line (Public Inquiry Line) and many more other functions.

In 2018, I was successful in obtaining a promotion into the Operational Officer (OpO) training program as a OpO Level 1 Officer. I completed a number of weeks of training before being offered a position at the Cumberland District Office located in Western Sydney. My roles and responsibilities while working in a district office were to, support the 19x rural fire brigades and their members with training and personal development opportunities, Fire Investigation, Membership Services, Fire Mitigation, Local and Out of area Operations. During this role, I was heavenly involved in multiple large-scale bushfire emergencies. I was deployed to Victoria in early 2019 working out of the Incident Management Team who is responsible for the management and coordination of the bushfires within their area of responsibility. During the 2019/2020 bushfire season, I was deployed to Port Macquarie (Mid Coast) area as the primary Logistics Officer. My team was responsible for the welfare, pre-staging of equipment, and accommodation of all emergency services personnel from Forster all the way to Port Macquarie. Later in the season, I was deployed to the Green Wattle Fire (Picton)  working within the Operations team, deploying trucks and resources to the required areas.

Mid last year, I was successful in being promoted to the next level of the OpO program which is OpO Level 2. My current role is assisting the local NSW RFS Districts and Bushfire Management Committees in Bushfire Risk Management. One of the projects I assist with is the development of the local Bushfire Risk Management Plans. These plans look at what bushfire mitigation methods can be undertaken do in the next five years to reduce the risk/impact of bushfire in the community.

Describe your average workday...

My normal workday consists of many different meetings, workshops, training, and operational activities. Every day is different and can change at the drop of a hat. The biggest skill I have learned and champion is to be flexible and to go with the flow.

Please share some words of wisdom for today's students…

My biggest words for people either going through or finishing school is to follow your dreams, explore your passions and do what you love to do. If you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life. Also, if life does start to get a little tough, please reach out to a friend, a trusted person or a professional to get the help you may need. There is nothing wrong with reaching out, because your health and well-being is more important than anything else in the world!

Any shoutouts to a special teacher or subject you think really helped?

Whilst I want to thank all my school teachers for giving me the foundation and skills needed to leave school, I do have a couple of teacher shout-outs. Mr J Stevenson, Mr A Kerr, Mr A Felton, Mrs T Somasundaram – these particularly gave me some awesome opportunities and made my time at school great.  

What were the greatest lessons you learned at CTHS that you have carried with you into your career?

The biggest thing I learned especially in the last 2 years at CTHS was the ability to study and prepare before a test/project was due etc. which then sets you up for success. Whilst I didn’t use those skills to the best of my ability during the HSC, I have improved and refined them to suit my career to date.

What piece of advice do you have for students today given your experience in the working world?

Take your time and don’t be in a rush to get to the end of the race as soon as you can (especially with promotion). Enjoy every moment and take any opportunity that comes your way. Respect and listen to people who have greater life experience than you. Find a good mentor who can assist and support you with your journey. And finally, make your dreams and aspirations happen!!