AUSTRALIAN FIRE SERVICE MEDAL

 

CITATION

 

Andrew James SKELLY

 

Andrew has been a Tasmania Fire Service (TFS) member for over 40 years. His career began as a volunteer firefighter with the Bridgewater Volunteer Fire Brigade in 1982 before joining the Hobart Fire Brigade (HFB) as a recruit firefighter in 1984. Andrew has worked his way through the ranks to become a highly regarded Senior Station Officer within TFS. Throughout this time, he has worked in many TFS business units including operations, training and field works, he has also acted as a District Officer in HFB Operations, Training Division and the East Coast District. Regardless of the role he has been in he has always maintained the highest level of professionalism.

With extensive operational experience in both the urban and bushfire contexts across Tasmania he has significantly contributed to major fire events including but not limited to the Hobart CBD Myer fire in 2007 and the Dunalley fire in 2013. His leadership at these two incidents was exemplary and he significantly contributed to safe outcomes for both firefighters and impacted communities. Nationally he deployed to the NSW Blue Mountains in 2001, leading the TFS contingent and in 2006 he deployed to the Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria.

Andrew has always shown outstanding leadership in developing others. Over several decades he has mentored and assessed firefighters and officers at all ranks of the organisation both career and volunteer and across urban and bushfire operations. He has a passion for passing on his experience and knowledge to the next generation of firefighters, many of whom now hold senior leadership positions within the TFS.

Andrew showed outstanding leadership when establishing the first Remote Area Team (RAT) capability for the TFS. He grew the capability from a small team to a statewide capability integrated with our fire management partners at the Parks and Wildlife Service (PWS). The capability initiated by Andrew has now grown to a 150 strong capability across career and volunteer firefighters that is nationally recognised.

Andrew has a long history as a highly regarded firefighter and leader in the TFS, this enduring service has assisted greatly in the TFS being able to build and maintain its operational leadership capability.

His service has been recognised with the National Medal, plus 25- and 35-year clasps and the 40-year TFS Long Service Medal.