Fire and Rescue NSW firefighters recognised in King’s Birthday honour roll -
Published: 12 Jun 2023 06:03am
Four Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) firefighters have each been awarded an Australian Fire Service Medal (AFSM) for their commitments to service delivery and training, capability in rural communities, high-rise fire safety, and the mentoring of new female firefighters.
The recipients of the top industry honour are Chief Superintendent Graham Kingsland, Superintendent Greg Lewis, Captain Greg Mcilwaine and Station Officer Zena Mehanna.
The AFSM was established in 1988 to recognise the distinguished service of firefighters – permanent or volunteer – to their organisations.
The medals are awarded on the Kings Birthday each year by the Governor-General, on recommendation of Commonwealth and State ministers.
FRNSW Commissioner Paul Baxter congratulated each of the AFSM recipients on their firefighting careers and outstanding contributions.
“These four firefighters each bring different experiences, skills and perspectives to our workplace, but what they have in common is their determination to go above and beyond the call of duty,” said Commissioner Baxter.
“These talented recipients don’t seek accolades, but it’s terrific to see them nationally recognised for the outstanding ways in which they approach their work each and every day.” AFSM recipient profiles:
Chief Superintendent Graham Kingsland
Graham Kingsland joined Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) on 13 March 1992, and was promoted to the rank of Inspector in 2009, to Superintendent in 2017, and to Chief Superintendent in 2022.
Mr Kingsland has rendered distinguished service to the people of New South Wales and FRNSW for more than 30 years, and during this time has been actively involved and influential in relation to FRNSW’s capabilities, service delivery, training and community engagement.
Most recently Chief Supt Kingsland was deployed to Türkiye to carry out Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) operations following the devastating earthquake.
He was the FRNSW incident controller for the organisation's longest-running Incident Management Team (IMT) as part of the COVID-19 response.
Notably, Chief Supt Kingsland provided leadership, incident expertise and guidance through an unprecedented health pandemic that threatened communities, and the ability of emergency services to assist them.
As part of his role, he resolved all current and emerging issues and risks as they happened. This included operational staffing, IT capability, fleet operations, COVID-19 contamination advice, and logistics.
Importantly, he ensured the COVID-19 IMT was FRNSWs single point of reference throughout the crisis, providing the organisation with a 24/7 capability.
Superintendent Greg Lewis
In his 34 years at Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW), Greg Lewis has played a major role in leading service delivery and capability across the organisation. Specifically, over the past 18 years, he has had a significant impact within Region West (Dubbo), and the Northern Rivers Command (Ballina).
Mr Lewis has given tirelessly to these areas ensuring the FRNSW On Call Retained and Permanent Firefighter system has the best possible depth of capability to ensure regional communities of New South Wales have a reliable, capable and professional emergency service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Mr Lewis has led his team of more than 350 emergency services staff through numerous emergencies, working countless hours to ensure the communities of the Northern Rivers are safe and prepared for any situation, including the 2019/20 bushfires, and the 2017 and 2022 floods.
During the most recent floods, although his own home was impacted, Supt Lewis’s focus of effort ensured he could coordinate and lead rescue and recovery missions to the communities of the Northern Rivers.
Mr Lewis's knowledge of the area and tireless efforts to develop a sustainable emergency service capability in the Northern Rivers with skilled and ready firefighters over the last nine years, has ensured these communities are in the best possible position to be safe and resilient in response to emergency events.
Captain Greg Mcilwaine
Appointed to the New South Wales Fire Brigade on 15 June 1966, Greg Mcilwaine has notched up 56 years' service.
In his time with FRNSW, Mr Mcilwaine has maintained an exemplary level of commitment and professionalism.
He has been Captain at 66 Station Rhodes for the last 39 years, and has actively worked with council, community groups, building managers, and organisations to provide fire safety education and information. This has included an emphasis on high-rise fire safety.
Captain Mcilwaine has been recognised for his focus on addressing fire risks and challenges and his outstanding character in engaging the community he serves.
Station Officer Zena Mehanna
Zena Mehanna has been an operational firefighter for 25 years with Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW).
Upon completing her recruit training, she worked in several fire stations in the Sydney CBD and inner west. She has been a station officer at Leichhardt Fire Station since 2016.
Ms Mehanna is responsible for a crew of firefighters and leads their operational response activities, as well as their training, preparedness, and prevention activities.
As a station officer, she is often the incident commander at a wide range of incidents. She is responsible for safe and effective emergency responses, making tactical decisions about operational actions and the deployment of firefighters to rescue people and protect property.
Throughout her career, Station Officer Mehanna has built a reputation as a very capable firefighter, working in a number of busy fire stations.
She has also developed an operational speciality as an aerial appliance operator.
Station Officer Mehanna promotes a positive and inclusive culture, sets clear expectations for all, and motivates staff to perform to their best.
She is a role model for many, particularly through actively seeking out and supporting young female firefighters, and providing them with insight, guidance and support to assist their careers. She regularly speaks to classes of new recruit firefighters, outlining to them expectations and providing career advice.
In 2020, Ms Mehanna was diagnosed with a workplace related cancer. Despite this significant challenge, she has used it as an opportunity to share her story through diagnosis, treatment and recovery with other firefighters.
Updated: 12 Jun 2023 06:08am
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