Kellyville fire officer named in Queen's Birthday Honours
Published: 12th June 2017
A Kellyville fire officer’s commitment to firefighter development and responding to emergency events, including the devastating earthquake in Christchurch, has been recognised in today’s Queen’s Birthday Honours List.
Chief Superintendent Kenneth Murphy, who has served as a firefighter and officer with Fire & Rescue NSW (FRNSW) for over 30 years, has been awarded the Australian Fire Service Medal (AFSM).
The AFSM is the highest honour an Australian firefighter can receive and Chief Superintendent Murphy is one of four FRNSW firefighters to be awarded the medal in today’s honours.
FRNSW Commissioner Paul Baxter congratulated Chief Superintendent Murphy on the much-deserved recognition.
“For more than a decade, Chief Superintendent Murphy has been leading and managing our capability in emergency response to ensure the safety of communities across NSW. He is admired by his peers for his professionalism and commitment to improving fire service operations through leadership development courses, as well as his deployment to Christchurch following the damaging earthquake in 2011,” he said.
Chief Superintendent Murphy’s career has seen him serve in a range of key positions at many Sydney stations, including a communication centre operator answering emergency calls, supporting the Executive as Staff Officer to the Deputy Commissioner and leading Regional South Operations for NSW.
In his current position of Chief Superintendent Education and Training, he has continued his commitment to the development of fellow firefighters and helped create the Retained Firefighter leadership program.
Chief Superintendent Murphy is also a key member of the NSW Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Task Force and was deployed to New Zealand following the earthquake in Christchurch in March 2011.
Commissioner Baxter said Chief Superintendent Murphy’s professional approach has contributed significantly to the development of FRNSW emergency services and is a most deserving recipient of the Queen’s Birthday Honour.
Chief Superintendent Murphy will be presented with his AFSM at a ceremony at Government House in Sydney later this year.