After six months of training, weekend courses and physical fitness tests, 15 new volunteer firefighting recruits were officially given the tick of approval at a graduation in Roleystone last weekend.
Roleystone Volunteer Fire Brigade hosted the graduation ceremony at the station on Jarrah Road last Saturday, which saw family and friends turn out in large numbers to come and support the newest members of the brigade.
Lieutenant and training officer Mark Thompson said the new recruits were aged between 18 and 55, with one female and 14 males coming on board.
“We started recruiting formally in about February or March and we took applications for about four weeks,” he said.
“We had a few applicants who weren’t in the area and a few other people who dropped out because they couldn’t commit to the training.”
Mr Thompson said both he and the rest of the brigade were incredibly proud of the achievements of the new recruits and were happy to have them as part of the volunteer team.
“They will be turning out to bushfires and controlled burns in the very near future,” he said.
“Other tasks such as hydrant marking, along with further physical fitness tests and community engagement exercises like helping out with the local markets are also part of the role.”
Photographs — Richard Polden.
