‘Well done’ to Wiradjuri firie

AFTER six-and-a-half years on-call in the Orana region, Wiradjuri man Shaun Coyle has decided to make a career out of firefighting.

Shaun initially joined Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) while working in juvenile justice after encouragement from another brigade member and his decision to sign up saw him following in the footsteps of his father, who was an on-call firefighter in Moree in the early 1990s.

Shaun began at 284 Delroy station before transferring to 280 Dubbo in early 2016 and his crew mates reckon his contribution has been immense, helping bolster FRNSW’S connection with the local community.

He found that balancing the need to be available day and night with family and other work has been at-times challenging but always rewarding and during his time as a retained firefighter he’s attended many incidents, gaining valuable knowledge which will assist his transition to full time firefighting in Sydney.

Having applied many times to become a permanent firefighter and refusing to give up, Shaun recently took part in the Indigenous Fire and Rescue

Employment Strategy (IFARES) partnership program between TAFE NSW and FRNSW, which offers Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people a pathway into the agency, offering industry insights and skills development over a six-month period.

His participation saw him complete a Certificate 3 in Fitness, engage with firefighters and mentors within FRNSW and ultimately land his dream job.

Shaun believes this never-give-up attitude has set a positive example for his own children and extended family, showing them that they too can achieve their goals through hard work and having the right attitude and he hopes his story will inspire other Indigenous people to take up a career with FRNSW.

He will now attend the Emergency Services Academy for 14 weeks of training and after graduation he’ll be stationed in Sydney.

He’ll have opportunities to work in specialist sections of FRNSW including Rescue, HAZMAT, Fire Safety and Community Engagement before returning to Dubbo later in his career.

Congratulations and well done!