Our bushfire volunteers: Paul Davison

Paul Davison, Safety, Environment and Quality Regulation (SEQR)

An SEQR Safety Professional for Engineering & Maintenance, Paul was up near the Central Coast working on the Mangrove Mountain fires in early December.

“We were lucky in the fact that most of the work we conducted was back burning to contain the main fire fronts and assisting with protection of properties in that area,” says Paul, who has been an RFS member for just over three years.

“There were plenty of concerned locals we interacted with during our time there.”

The hardest part of the work has been seeing a completely blacked, barren landscape left behind after the fires have torn through, as well as damaged or lost property, he says.

Paul’s RFS volunteering shifts in December were typically long days. They usually began with around one to two hours travel time to the staging area, before 12 hours on the fire ground.

After that, there was the travel back, plus the time taken to clean up the vehicle and equipment so it was ready to go for the next day.

“I know for my wife and family it is very tough as most of the time we don’t have phone service and can be gone for up to 16 hours at a time,” says Paul, who is a member of the Beacon Hill Brigade.