ANSTO recognises staff who, in addition to their paid roles, work in emergency response volunteer positions that make a real difference.
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| Electrical Engineer Andrew Downes is Deputy Captain for the Rural Fire Service in Gerringong. |
In this story we focus on some of the ANSTO employee's who volunteer at their local fire brigade.
When the pager goes off at two o’clock in the morning Andrew Downes jumps out of bed, pulls on his fire uniform and answers the call of duty at his local fire station.
His volunteer role as Deputy Captain for the Rural Fire Service in his town of Gerringong, means that he will lead his crew to respond to emergencies. The brigade attends incidents like structural fires, bush fires, and motor vehicle accidents.
Andrew is an Electrical Technician for Accelerator Operations at the Institute for Environmental Research. The next morning after a call out, he often needs to sleep in. Fortunately he has flexible working arrangements and he has an understanding employer. This allows Andrew to continue to work in a meaningful role that he is passionate about.
For Andrew becoming a fireman was a childhood dream.
“I always saw the fire truck driving around town when I was a kid and I’ve wanted to be a fireman ever since,” he says.
As Deputy Captain, Andrew spends about 8-10 hours a week volunteering with the brigade. He is occasionally called away from home to assist at emergencies in other towns. He helped during the 2012 Floods in Yenda (near Griffith), the 2013 Kiama/Gerringong Tornados and the 2013 Wilton Fires.
“It’s really fun work, but also rewarding. Everyone in the team gets along pretty well and I love it,” says Andrew.
He says the experience has helped build his confidence, especially when it comes to assisting people in need. This coupled with the strong sense of community keeps Andrew coming back.
“We spend many hours a week together so naturally we become friends. We know all the people in the community; the Lions Club and Rotary - you get to know a lot of different people.”
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Herma Buttner and a fellow volunteer training with the NSW Fire Brigade |
It’s that sense of community which prompted ANSTO’s Senior Advisor Herma Buttner and her husband, Senior Researcher Professor Don Kearley, who also works at ANSTO, to volunteer for the NSW Fire Brigade, which is not to be confused with the RFS.
Herma and Don signed up to be volunteers at their local Brigade when they first moved to Bundeena in 2007. One of their neighbours had suggested the idea because before arriving in Australia Herma and Don were living in The Netherlands and had no experience of Australian bushfires.
Fortunately their community has only been threatened by one bushfire in the time that they have lived there, to which they both responded as part of the NSW Fire Brigade.
Their group is prepared to respond to fires in the area during the year, thanks to their training, which begins just before the summer. The volunteers keep up to speed by practicing their procedures during the fire season.
Ultimately Herma and Don volunteer for the organisation because of the ‘community spirit’, but it’s also helped them with their own knowledge of the Australian climate.
“Now I’m prepared for any bushfire or emergency,” says Herma.
Andrew, Herma and Don are among the 50% of volunteers that are also in employment. ANSTO joins Australia in thanking volunteers around the country. Their contribution to the Australian economy is significant, about $200 billion annually, but their value to the community is priceless.
Published: 15/05/2014