Our bushfire volunteers: Jon Giffney

Jon Giffney, Engineering & Maintenance

He says he learns a lot from volunteering with the SES, and that it helps him in his management role at Sydney Trains. But he says it works both ways, and his management experience at Sydney Trains has also helped him to become a valuable volunteer leader.

Track and Structures Team Manager based at Wyong, Jon Giffney has been volunteering with the State Emergency Services (SES) for 15 years.

So far this fire season, Jon has taken Christmas Day off, but otherwise has been working or helping to fight fires nearly every day since early November.

His SES role involves helping to clear fallen trees from isolated roads so people can evacuate, as well as cutting down roadside trees that have been damaged by fire, making them a hazard for road users and other emergency services including the NSW RFS.

“Some of these trees are up to 100 years old. The fire can burn the inside of the trunk – so it’s not obvious from the outside – but it makes it them very dangerous. We call them ‘candles’.

“Our job is to clear roads so people in isolated areas can get out if and when they need to.”

Much of his SES work this season has centred on the Central Coast, most recently around the Mangrove Mountain area, but over the last three months he’s also travelled to Bobin, north of Taree and down to Ku-ring-gai chase area to help.

It’s dangerous work, but he knows he’s playing an important role and he says his manager understands the commitment and makes arrangements so he can have Special Leave. “It’s much more difficult for volunteers who are running their own businesses.”

He says the length of this season and its intensity has meant there’s been a special need for him to set aside time to spend with his family, including his two children aged 10 and 13.

And as is the case for so many who’ve been helping to fight the fires, he says the last two weeks have seen fatigue begin to kick in.