NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons with NSW Rural Fire Brigade members during the launch of a program to recognise the hidden heroes of the firefighting effort ? volunteers? employers. Wednesday, 6 March 2013. Photo: Gene Ramirez
EMERGENCY service leave will now be available to Wentworthville Leagues Club employees following the courageous actions of NSW Rural Fire Service volunteer Adam Streichler.
Mr Streichler, who works part-time with the Westleigh RFS Brigade, was deployed for four days to one of the state's worst fires near Coonabarabran last December.
Risking his life in inferno-like conditions, Mr Streichler took four days of his annual leave from Wentworthville Leagues Club to help save local homes when they were threatened by a grass fire covering 50,000 hectares.
Management at Wentworth Leagues Club were unaware of Mr Streichler's other life and wrote immediately to the board asking for a new special leave policy.
The board unanimously supported the motion and has now introduced one-week's paid annual leave for emergency services.
NSW Minister for Policing and Emergency Services, Mike Gallacher, was invited to the official announcement last week and described the club's commitment to emergency service volunteers as "visionary".
"[Wentworthville Leagues has joined] 12 NSW businesses that have made an extraordinary contribution to their community by releasing NSW RFS volunteers," Mr Gallacher said. "These businesses will receive special commendations for helping volunteers perform their vital community work in times of need."
Last year NSW was hit by more than 6240 bushfires, with the majority of them requiring RFS intervention.