Despite being the first on call for fires, horrific car accidents and other rescue missions, lieutenant Rohan Rizzoli is adamant the crew at the Werribee CFA are no superheroes.
The senior firefighter has been involved in the service for about eleven years now and is trying to fire up members of the municipality and convince them to volunteer their time.
“We are human, so we make sure that we share the load and take a real hardline approach to our mental and physical health…we’ve got to look after ourselves before we can look after anyone else,” he said.
“People say it’s about giving back to your community, but I think it’s a bit of cliche.
“You learn to challenge yourself like you haven’t before, you really get to push yourself to the limits, you never stop learning.”
Mr Rizzoli said it’s a bit of a “Clark Kent moment” going from working with customers at the Park Hotel to later that night saving a life.
“You’re on the main street just doing your own thing and then bang you’re in your gear and you’re on the truck and you’re at a scene trying to save someone’s house or their property and livelihood,” he said.
“It’s quite surreal how quickly that happens.
Volunteering often brings out the best in people, Mr Rizzoli said, and highlights what humans can do for each other.
“We aren’t just about fighting fires and attending incidents, we have a great social side to our brigade that all members and their families are a part of,” he said.
“We get involved in charity events such as stair climbs, sporting matches and raising funds for Good Friday and Movember.”
The crew is hoping to recruit people who live in Wyndham and are available during the day, between 8am-4pm.
“There might be parents that are at home, or part time workers, school leavers so year 12s,” he said.
Details: www.cfa.vic.gov.au/volunteers-careers/volunteer-with-cfa
Fatima Halloum
