Members of The Hills and Hawkesbury District will be among more than 200 volunteer firefighters and catering crews competing in the 26th NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) State Championships at Albury Wodonga Equestrian Centre, running from Friday, 13 to Sunday, 15 September 2024.
RFS Commissioner Rob Rogers said RFS volunteers compete against their fellow members every two years in a range of challenging, real-life scenarios. The biennial competition involves various challenging scenarios ranging from simulated motor vehicle accidents to bush, grass, and structure fires.
“The RFS State Championships bring together crews from across the state to put their emergency skills to the test in friendly competition,” Commissioner Rogers said.
“An entire Incident Management Team will be set up to coordinate, run and adapt as the event takes place.”
Hawkesbury District Manager Inspector Ethan Parker said that teams will be proudly representing the Hawkesbury.
“Oakville Brigade will be attending the championships this year again as the returning champions. We also have a new team from East Kurrajong Brigade joining the challenge.” Inspector Parker said.
The Oakville Brigade have been the State Championship winners for the last three Championships in a row and are eager to hold this title after the weekend. Overall, they have won six State Championships in the past.
Inspector Parker said the repeated wins are a testament to their consistent training culture: “Both teams have trained consistently over the past few months and are prepared for the challenge ahead.
“Firefighters will be tested on leadership, teamwork, adaptation and decision-making through a range of different challenging scenarios,” he said.
Oakville Senior Deputy Captain Brandon Beneke said that the Brigade has a long history of competing in the State Championships and is looking forward to defending their streak.
“The championships are a great way to test our skills in a variety of events and scenarios as well as having the chance to meet new people and Brigades from all around the state,” Senior Deputy Captain Beneke said.
The Oakville Team consists of the following crew members: Senior Deputy Captain Brandon Beneke, Deputy Captain Cameron Panton, Deputy Captain Mitchell Dalley, and Firefighters Kurtis Ripper and Nathan Jessop.
The team from East Kurrajong will have Deputy Captain Adam Henson, Operational Officer Aiden Hippensteel, and Firefighters Cameron Luck, Kale Chesworth, and Claudia Virzi.
On the other hand, catering teams from the Hills and Hawkesbury will compete in the Rural Fire Service Association (RFSA) “Eat Street” Catering Challenge.
Angela Bateson, David Putland, and Les Jenkins will represent the Hawkesbury District Catering Team, while The Hills District Catering Team will have Karen Madafiglio, Cathy Seymour, and Steph Charter.
Each group will have to prepare and serve 85 portions of an assigned breakfast, lunch, and snack item according to various food items set by the RFSA. Teams will have their own hawker-style booths and be judged on their recipes, budget adherence, and taste.
“Our Catering Brigade will also participate in catering style events as part of the Eat Street Challenge, showcasing their culinary skills at the state level,” Inspector Ethan Parker mentioned.
“We wish our teams from Hawkesbury the best of luck and know they’ll do us proud! I would like to thank the local Albury community, Council and Southern Border District members for helping to host the event.”
Championships manager Paul Fowler said the ‘Eat Street Challenge’ recognizes that the Catering Teams, like the RFS, depend on their members fulfilling different vital roles.
“One of our aims is to highlight that diversity and provide a platform where we can publicly acknowledge their importance and allow them to showcase their talents to their fellow members as well as the broader community,” Manager Paul Fowler said.
There will also be 28 exhibitors during the NSW RFS State Championships, allowing the crews to see the latest technology being rolled out to improve how the RFS tackles emergencies.
The Championship Principal Partners, Gilbert & Roach Huntingwood and Isuzu Trucks are now in their fourth decade as supporters of the event, alongside major sponsors NSW RFSA and Bullex Australia.
