Twenty new fire officers boost Sydney's firefighting ranks

Published: 25th May 2006

NSW Fire Brigades (NSWFB) Commissioner Greg Mullins today congratulated 20 new fire officers who graduated from the NSWFB's recruit firefighter program.

Commissioner Mullins, the first firefighter to rise through the ranks to CEO and Chief Fire Officer, welcomed the fire officers at a graduation ceremony held at the NSWFB Training College in Alexandria.

"These fire officers have completed four months of intense training as recruits and will be based at fire stations across Sydney," Commissioner Mullins said.

"I commend them on their dedication and achievement over the past four months. They will experience many personal and professional highlights during their careers," he said.

Commissioner Mullins said the graduates were some of the most qualified new fire officers in Australia.

"They have attained Certificate 3 in Public Safety (Firefighting and Emergency Operations), which is a nationally recognised qualification.

"The new fire officers are trained to protect the community from fires, conduct rescues at road and industrial accidents, deal with hazardous material spills, contribute to fire investigations and educate the community on fire safety," he said.

Commissioner Mullins said the NSWFB, through its recruit firefighter and professional development programs, was making a substantial investment in community protection.

"During 2006 we will train over 100 new recruit fire officers and increase the number of station commanders and inspectors at fire stations by 118.

"By investing in people, we are ensuring the community has a world-class fire and rescue service trained and prepared to come to their assistance 24 hours a day, seven days a week," Commissioner Mullins said.

The fire officers listed below will take up positions at fire stations shortly.

  • Paul Doswell - Rockdale
  • Matthew Graves - Guildford
  • Brendan Zyp - Concord
  • Alexander Tye - Neutral Bay
  • Brett Martin - Botany
  • Geremy Blake - Balmain
  • Steven Brook - Silverwater
  • Ross Kohlhagen - Ryde
  • Graeme Spencer - Parramatta
  • Jason Zabielo - Parramatta
  • Steve Houghton Redfern
  • Christian Miles - City of Sydney
  • Cameron Dowsett - City of Sydney
  • Rowan Williams - City of Sydney
  • Nicolas Pepper - City of Sydney
  • Timothy Nelson - City of Sydney
  • Luke Loseby - City of Sydney
  • Shanhan Carnegie - City of Sydney
  • Tim Doherty - City of Sydney
  • Mark Stewart - City of Sydney

To photograph or interview a firefighter, please call:
Steve Norris 9265 2613 or 0417 671 372
Cubby Fox 9265 2802 or 0408 962 957
Ben Apple 9265 2631 or 0408 877 479