Northern WA volunteers an inspiration at 2024 WAFES Awards

Emergency services stars from northern WA continue to punch above their weight at the Western Australian Fire and Emergency Services Awards (WAFES), coming up trumps in seven award categories in a high quality field of finalists.

The annual WAFES Awards celebrate the inspirational achievements of emergency services volunteers and staff who made an invaluable contribution to their community over the last year.

Fifteen awards were presented across three categories – individual, team and youth – at a gala dinner in Perth on Saturday night to recognise excellence in firefighting, emergency management, Marine Rescue, and the State Emergency Service (SES).

Volunteers and staff from the Kimberley and Pilbara came away with three awards each, while the Mid West Gascoyne was represented by one winner.

Broome Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service took home the Firefighting Team Achievement Award for turning out to an extraordinary 400 incidents since March 2023, developing a highly professional roster system to ensure efficient response times to the large volume of calls for assistance.

Commended for his leadership on several long-ranging missions off the Pilbara coast in the past year, Marine Rescue Dampier’s Cam Bell was praised for helping save four people who were clinging to an upturned vessel at Delambre Island near Karratha in pitch darkness.

Skilled rope rescuer Jack Watson, from Tom Price SES, was handed the State Emergency Service Youth Achievement Award for responding to numerous prolonged incidents at Karijini National Park, including a heart-stopping moment where his team encountered a death adder while they were carrying a woman to safety.

DFES Marine District Officer Bec Benson received the DFES Operational Individual Achievement Award, celebrated for her tireless efforts training the next generation of emergency services superstars in the Pilbara and Kimberley, highlighted by an eight-hour multi-agency search and rescue exercise at Cygnet Bay.

Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Darren Klemm AFSM said he was incredibly proud of first responders in northern WA given the extreme conditions they’ve faced over the past few years.

“Communities in the Pilbara, Kimberley and Mid West Gascoyne are very fortunate to have such a dedicated contingent of emergency services personnel responding to disasters at a moment’s notice – often travelling huge distances to help people in distress,” he said.

“Last year’s northern bushfire season was unrelenting, with firefighters responding to more than 220 bushfires which burnt an incredible 10.7 million hectares.

“Our SES volunteers were put through their paces when an ex-tropical cyclone threatened Carnarvon and continued to provide vital support to hikers who injured themselves at Karijini National Park.

“Marine Rescue volunteers set out on missions that are never simple in that part of the world, and 2024 was no exception, with groups like Dampier completing several daring sea rescues where people’s lives were on the line.”

Northern WA WINNERS

Marine Rescue Individual Achievement Award 

Cam Bell

Marine Rescue Dampier, Pilbara

The epitome of positive and active volunteering, Cam has committed his time to the role of training officer not only to the members of Marine Rescue Dampier but to members of all other Marine Rescue groups throughout the Pilbara by organising and delivering pathway training. Additionally, Cam’s work with the Youth in Emergency Services (YES) program is widely praised by the young cadets and their parents. Outside of Cam’s training commitment, his leadership role in multiple emergency response situations has led to positive outcomes during very real and sometimes unfortunate situations. Cam never goes straight home after any incident. He is always last to leave, with his priority being the welfare and debriefing of all the crew members. 

DFES Operational Staff Individual Achievement Award 

Bec Benson

District Officer Marine, Kimberley and Pilbara

As District Officer Marine, Bec supports nine groups from Exmouth to Kununurra. She spends a lot of time on the road visiting marine rescue groups and delivering training, as well as taking part in call-out operations. As a trainer assessor, Bec is known for making things easy to follow. In September, she organised an exercise at Cygnet Bay with Marine Rescue Broome and the Derby and Bardi Jawi Ranger group. Fifteen people were involved in the eight-hour exercise which saw two vessels working together to find a missing person. Skippers and crew received valuable hands-on training and plans are being made for a larger-scale exercise late in 2024. 

Firefighting Team Achievement Award 

Broome Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service, Kimberley 

Since March 2023, Broome VFRS has attended more than 400 incidents. In order to respond to such a large volume of calls, members are split into four squads of mixed capability and are rostered on call for a week at a time between 8pm and 6am. The brigade regularly visits local schools and childcare centres to conduct fire education and preparedness sessions. They also provide on-site firefighting services at high-risk events such as the Broome Races and Broome Speedway. Last year, the Kimberley region began a Youth in Emergency Services (YES) program. Despite being an already busy brigade, members have committed to run training nights each term to benefit local youth.

Firefighting Youth Achievement Award

Chais O’Dwyer

Kununurra Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service, Kimberley

Chais consistently seeks opportunities to engage and mentor younger volunteers, fostering a culture of involvement and empowerment within the ranks. Motivated by a genuine passion to serve her community, Chais demonstrates exceptional leadership skills, which naturally guides and inspires her peers. Her ability to teach with poise and confidence instils trust among fellow volunteers, laying the foundation for a cohesive and efficient team dynamic. Being active in VFRS and the Youth Emergency Services (YES) program training activities underscores Chais’ commitment to personal and professional development. She supports fellow volunteers and fosters a sense of camaraderie and mutual learning in training sessions, which she organises and leads.  

State Emergency Service Youth Achievement Award 

Jack Watson 

Tom Price State Emergency Service, Pilbara

A dedicated SES volunteer, instructor and young leader, Jack has made an outstanding contribution during the annual gorge rescue season in Karijini National Park. These rescues take a minimum of six hours to complete. Jack is part of the roping team and also assists in the carry-out using casualty handling techniques.  Jack has been instrumental in fundraising efforts for an extra trailer and has lent his IT skills to the running of equipment at the new local combined emergency services facility. Jack has been the Deputy Leader of the Tom Price SES for the past three years. His passion and drive to recruit more volunteers to the unit is exceptional. 

Volunteer Fire and Emergency Services Individual Achievement Award 

Jessica Jenkins 

Marble Bar Volunteer Fire and Emergency Services, Pilbara 

By day she is the community nurse in Marble Bar, but by night Jessica gives her time to the VFRS. After being a volunteer for 18 months, she has taken on the role of Captain. She goes above and beyond to improve the station and vehicles, replace equipment and come up with new training scenarios and opportunities. She displays fairness and diplomacy and won’t hesitate to stand up for the brigade. Her deep love for community is exemplified in the compassion and kindness she brings to an incident, alongside her practical skills. She takes every opportunity to show, share or teach the message of “being prepared” in Australia’s hottest town.   

Marine Rescue Youth Achievement Award 

Tristan Rausch 

Marine Rescue Geraldton, Mid West Gascoyne

While he might have started by following in his father’s footsteps as part of Marine Rescue Geraldton, Tristan is very much his own man. Within two years of joining the team, he completed 19 training courses up to the level of Rescue Skipper and has been endorsed to become a Rescue Skipper Restricted. Tristan is also on the Marine Rescue Geraldton executive committee, displaying a maturity and willingness to not only assist operationally but to provide support to the group’s management. The committee has been handling some significant issues in the last 12 months, including coastal erosion that has resulted in the demolishment of the group’s building at Point Moore. 

Photos and vision of the award winners are available for download here, along with vision of some major incidents from the 2023-2024 high-threat period.