Australia Day medal for senior fire officer
Published: 26th January 2014
Fire & Rescue NSW (FRNSW) Chief Superintendent Gerry Byrne has spent the past 30 years providing fire and emergency protection to the people of NSW and today he was named in the Australia Day Honours, receiving the Australian Fire Service Medal (AFSM).
The AFSM is one of the highest honours an Australian firefighter can receive and Chief Superintendent Byrne was one of just three FRNSW firefighters awarded the prestigious medal. Fire & Rescue Commissioner Greg Mullins said Chief Superintendent Byrne, who is currently the Area Commander for south and south west Sydney and the Illawarra, was a worthy recipient of the AFSM.
“Chief Superintendent Byrne is dedicated to serving the community of NSW. He is widely respected both within FRNSW and by his emergency service colleagues across NSW and Australia,” Commissioner Mullins said.
“Chief Superintendent Byrne headed up FRNSW’s highly specialised and demanding bushfire and natural hazards team for many years before taking on the role of Assistant Director Logistics Support where he was in charge of equipment research and development, including the new state of the art firefighters’ uniforms that were recently issued statewide.
More recently he transferred to the demanding position of Area Commander Metropolitan South where he is responsible for emergency planning, response and organisational development.”
“He is a leader and innovator within the emergency services sector and I congratulate him on this well deserved award.” Chief Superintendent Byrne will be presented with his AFSM in a ceremony later in the year.