WA firefighting career attracts recruits from overseas and interstate

Twenty-nine firefighters have today graduated from the Department of Fire and Emergency Services’ 90th Trainee Firefighter School, with some travelling from as far as the United Kingdom to join Western Australia’s frontline.

The graduates were selected from more than 1200 applicants and their diverse professional backgrounds will bring a unique set of skills and experience to the State’s emergency services.

Among the cohort joining the Career Fire and Rescue Service is a former nurse, a teacher, an electrician and six emergency services volunteers.

The school also featured several people who have emigrated to WA including a female firefighter from the United Kingdom, a television producer from Victoria and former Defence Force personnel from the Northern Territory.

The 26 men and three women were put through their paces in a gruelling practical and theoretical training program designed to prepare them for responding to fires, HAZMAT incidents and road crash rescues.

The trainees are now equipped with skills to perform heavy rescues, respond to structure fires requiring breathing apparatus, manage injuries at an incident and provide marine fire support.

Each of the recruits will begin their service at various locations across the State including Perth, Geraldton, Kalgoorlie and Albany.

For more information on a firefighting career visit www.dfes.wa.gov.au/careers-and-volunteering

Emergency Services Commissioner Darren Klemm AFSM wished the graduates all the best as they embark on their new careers in the coming weeks.

“Working in emergency services is an opportunity to make a real difference in your community and it’s wonderful to see such a diverse range of skills and experience among the latest trainee firefighter school.

“With the bushfire season just over two months away, the 29 new firefighters will make a fantastic contribution towards a safer Western Australia."