CFA north-west region deputy chief officer Gavin Thompson has been awarded an Australia Fire Service Medal as part of the King’s Birthday Honours.
Mr Thompson, who has been part of the CFA for more than 35 years, overseas 246 fire brigades and more than 10,000 volunteer members in an area stretching from Port Phillip Bay at Werribee to the Murray River and South Australian border.
He is also a level three incident controller and regional controller, as well as a regional agency commander and state agency commander, providing operational support and direction across all levels of emergency management including response to major fires and significant floods.
In a statement, the CFA said Mr Thompson was a respected figure who has not only shown exceptional commitment to developing the necessary technical, administrative and leadership skills needed to personally excel, but has also made it his mission to support and develop those around him.
Mr Thompson said he was humbled by the award.
“Whilst I am receiving this award, it is a testament to the great people I have had the opportunity to work with during my time in CFA,” he said.
Mr Thompson joined Bayswater Fire Brigade as a junior volunteer in 1986 and transferred to Boronia Fire Brigade as a senior member in 1990.
In 2000, he joined CFA as a recruit career firefighter and across the next eight years moved through the ranks at postings across the state including Shepparton, Chelsea, Patterson River and Dandenong.
He was promoted to officer in charge of Dandenong Fire Brigade in 2008, and in 2010 and 2011 he was seconded to Falls Creek Fire Brigade, managing firefighting response planning and capability in the alpine region during the Victorian snow seasons.
Following this he was promoted to an operations manager role at CFA’s Burwood headquarters, before becoming north-west deputy chief officer in 2016.
