Uralla fire captain named in Australia Day Honours
Published: 26th January 2018
A fire captain’s 27-year commitment to protecting people and mentoring firefighters in the Uralla area has been recognised in today’s Australia Day Honours.
Captain Rodney Hargrave has been awarded the Australian Fire Service Medal (AFSM), the highest honour an Australian firefighter can receive.
Fire & Rescue NSW (FRNSW) Commissioner Paul Baxter congratulated Captain Hargrave, who is one of three FRNSW firefighters to be awarded the prestigious medal in today’s honours.
“Captain Hargrave has played a critical role in transforming Uralla Fire Station into a modern-day emergency service, leading our response to structure fires, bushfires, hazardous material incidents, road accidents and medical emergencies,” he said.
Joining FRNSW as a retained firefighter in 1991, Captain Hargrave was promoted to the position of Captain at Uralla Fire Station in 2009.
He was instrumental in establishing the station as a Community First Responder unit, which has enabled firefighters to respond 24 hours a day to medical emergencies in the local area.
“Captain Hargrave has continually gone above and beyond the call of duty, training and managing his team of firefighters to deal with difficult emergency incidents in their own community,” said Commissioner Baxter.
“He has helped recruit, develop and lead the firefighters attached to Uralla Fire Station and encouraged members of his team to take on leadership roles by creating an inclusive and diverse working environment.”
Captain Hargrave has also been actively involved with the Firefighter Championships over many years and provided mentoring to many retained firefighters who participate at these events.
He will be presented with his AFSM at a ceremony later in the year.