Hundreds of new firefighters have joined the ranks of Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) with a graduation ceremony held today at the Emergency Services Academy in Western Sydney.
Of the new recruits, 60 have qualified to become permanent firefighters, with an additional 167 becoming on-call firefighters
Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience Steph Cooke said the 161 men and 66 women will be deployed all over NSW as they begin their new careers.
"Each firefighter has spent up to 14 weeks learning their trade, studying various techniques to deal with different emergencies, how to apply first aid, search and rescue skills, heavy vehicle driving and HAZMAT response know-how," Ms Cooke said.
"It's heartening that the overwhelming motive of people joining Fire and Rescue NSW is to make a positive difference to their community and protect the irreplaceable: our loved ones, pets and homes.
"The 227 graduating firefighters come from all walks of life and I congratulate them on the decision to join one of the most professional emergency service organisations in the world."
Among the graduates is a leading Sydney Swans AFLW player, Rebecca Privitelli, and a former Winter Olympics Skeleton racer, Emma Lincoln-Smith.
FRNSW Commissioner Paul Baxter said today's graduation ceremony represents the beginning of a challenging and rewarding career for NSW's newest firefighters.
"A career at Fire and Rescue NSW involves more than fire. Our firefighters are ready to support our community at their time of greatest need in all sorts of ways," Commissioner Baxter said.
"They will conduct important prevention and education activities, as well as respond to a wide range of incidents across all our capabilities including technical rescue and road crashes, fire and hazardous material incidents, natural disasters like floods and bush fire and so much more.
"The firefighters graduating today have shown great determination, from the competitive application process to the demanding physical training, and they will go out into our communities armed with specialist skills to be prepared for anything."
Some of the graduates have already started at their new fire stations, while others will join their new platoons from Monday.
