WA's newest firefighters ready to protect the community

Western Australia's fire-fighting capacity has been boosted by 24 new graduates being welcomed today into the career Fire and Rescue Service. 

Emergency Services Minister Rob Johnson said the firefighters were very much needed, particularly as the State was facing one of its worst bushfire seasons in history after an extremely dry winter.

Mr Johnson said the State Government had provided $26.6million in this year's Budget for an additional 102 firefighters to significantly boost FESA's response capability.

"These new graduates come from a variety of backgrounds, but what they all have in common is a strong desire and willingness to help others," he said.

"This commitment will be tested many times as they bravely face one of the driest and hottest summers on record and attend bushfires and structure fires, vehicle rescues and other emergency incidents.

"They have undergone a comprehensive 14-week training course to prepare them for a range of emergencies from fire-fighting to natural disasters.

"They should be very proud of their achievement in reaching the first of many career milestones and will be a great asset to WA's Fire and Rescue Service, particularly as this year's bushfire season has begun earlier than expected."

The graduate's training at FESA's Forrestfield Training Centre involved practical and theory assessments, including urban search and rescue, hazardous materials, special risks and managing injuries at an incident.

The Minister said the recruits were joining a professional team of dedicated firefighters helping to keep WA safe.

"With a combination of a well-prepared community and the efforts of our dedicated career firefighters, WA is in good shape to deal with major fire emergencies," he said. 

"The Western Australian community thanks them for their valuable contribution."

Today's graduation followed last week's announcement that the State Government had secured the return of two Type 1 water bombing helicopters to support WA's firefighters this summer.

The Type 1 helicopters had been brought back earlier than last year to significantly enhance the aerial fleet, which also included four Helitacs, eight fixed-wing water bombing aircraft and an aerial intelligence helicopter.

Today's graduates: