CLAREMONT will be better equipped to deal with the coming bushfire season after the announcement of a new junior firefighter.
Tim Quinlan graduated earlier this month and joined the ranks at the western suburbs station this week
The 26-year-old Scarborough resident said he decided to make fire fighting a career after volunteering as a surf lifesaver with other career firefighters.
Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE
Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.
READ NOW“There were a lot of guys I looked up to at the surf club who were fire fighters and it really made me want to do it,” he said.
“I supposed similarly to surf lifesaving, it’s a hands on job and a natural progression of community safety and every day is different and rewarding.”
The graduate completed a 17-week course to develop skills in firefighting, road crash rescue, urban search and rescue, hazardous materials and community safety.
He said he was looking forward to what the career had in store for him and the people he would meet.
“It’s a full on course and both mentally and physically draining, but I was lucky enough to have the support of family and friends,” he said.
“The mateship and people you meet throughout the course and the job is pretty great and that’s been a great part of the experience so far.”