When he’s not serving the community as Central Coast Council’s Director for Water and Sewer, Jamie Loader is captain of Wyong Fire Station, constantly on call as a retained firefighter.
He is one of three Central Coast residents to be recognised in the 2024 Australia Day Honour List with an Australian Fire Service Medal (AFSM) for extraordinary leadership skills and dedication to duty.
Also receiving the medal were Fire and Rescue NSW senior firefighter John McGarvey of Gosford Fire Station and NSW RFS firefighter Barry Myers of Kariong.
The AFSM recognises firefighters who have regularly performed above and beyond expectations during their careers.
Captain Jamie Loader
Loader said he was “surprised more than anything” to receive the accolade.
“It was a real shock but obviously something I am proud of,” he said.
“Although it is awarded to an individual, a lot more people behind the scenes contribute.”
Loader joined Fire and Rescue 21 years ago.
“I was doing an office job at Council but I also wanted to use my hands – do some physical outdoor work to help the community,” he said.
“I lived close to the fire station and was able to give the availability and commitment needed.”
As the Captain of Wyong fire station, he is the officer in charge at an emergency incident, responsible for the safety of all crew members and determining the appropriate strategy to resolve the incident.
He ensures the safety of the community during hazardous, high pressure and time-critical environments.
During the 2019-20 bushfires he demonstrated exceptional leaderships skills, mentoring and guiding new firefighters under extreme pressure.
His decision-making during this critical period of statewide emergency contributed to the overall organisation saving countless lives and properties.
He has gained wide operational and administrative experience within FRNSW, being a long-time advocate and participant in the FRNSW Firefighter Championships.
In recent years, this has resulted in numerous State and National Firefighting Championship successes for the Wyong Fire and Rescue crew.
Loader has faced some frightening scenarios during his firefighting career.
“During the Lake Munmorah bushfires in 2013 we were at the Big Prawn service station and overrun by a fast-moving fire,” he said.
“That was pretty scary.
“I had been captain for only a couple of months and I was responsible for 10 other firefighters, making sure we all got out safe.”
Loader said seeing the station and other firefighters develop was one of his greatest pleasures.
“It’s nice seeing all the pieces coming together to form a great team; I’ve worked really hard to build that,” he said.
Senior firefighter John McGarvey
McGarvey, of East Gosford, has made a consistent, dedicated and selfless contribution to firefighting, community safety and mental health education since joining Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) in 2005.
“I always wanted to be a firie,” he said.
“I was working as a carpenter for a building company when Fire and Rescue advertised for staff and friends encouraged me to apply.
“It’s been a wonderful career and I have enjoyed every second of it.
“But I have been to a lot of different incidents – including some horrific bushfires.”
Throughout his 18-year service as an operational firefighter, he has attended numerous emergency incidents including structure fires, hazardous material incidents, bushfires including 2019-20 black summer campaign, storm and tempest events, putting the safety of community above his own.
McGarvey has provided a wide range of critical incident interventions, education sessions and one-on-one support and has played a pivotal role in providing family support.
He co-developed a peer led Good Mental Health for Fire Fighters presentation which was instrumental in promoting mental health awareness, breaking down stigma and providing firefighters with information on seeking professional and social support.
He also facilitated mental health first aid training for members of FRNSW and other external agencies in response to the 2019-20 bushfire emergency and rolled out a mindfulness and resilience program for first responders.
“It was identified at the time that a lot of first responders were struggling after prolonged exposure to scenes of people losing their houses and being confronted with vast devastation of the natural environment,” he said.
“Sometimes people forget our first responders have the normal challenges of life and then we ask them to turn up to a police, fire or ambulance station and they are often confronted with seeing people on the worst day of their lives.”
McGarvey sees supporting the mental health of first responders as vital work.
“We have a range of tactics we use to prepare people for the types of incidents they might be exposed to and programs for intervention after potentially traumatic events or critical incidents,” he said.
“I have been heavily involved in the peer support arena.
“We find people really respond well and reach out to their peers when they are struggling.
“It is very rewarding to be able to be there as a source of support and assistance and provide advice and referral options to others.”
Barry Myers, Kariong RFS
With a career spanning almost 30 years with the Rural Fire Service, Barry Myers said he felt “honoured, privileged and overwhelmed” to receive the AFSM.
“I had no idea I was going to get it and was blown away,” he said.
Myers was first introduced to the RFS when a friend invited him to think about joining in 1994.
“I started at Kariong soon afterwards,” he said.
“I joined to help the community I live in and have made many friends over the years.”
Myers has held the positions of deputy captain, senior deputy captain and captain.
In 2003, he was elected deputy group captain and he was group captain from 2008-18.
Following a short break after moving out of the area to Tamworth, he returned to a group officer position in 2020 and currently holds the rank of group captain (Central Coast District).
He also returns to Tamworth on weekends to help out and train others.
“It’s been very rewarding in one way and challenging in another but I have really enjoyed my time with RFS,” he said.
In addition to operational leadership roles, Myers has held positions of president, vice president and brigade training officer, showing exceptional leadership skills in operations, brigade management and mentoring.
He held significant operational leadership roles in the 2001, 2002 and 2019 major bush fire events on the Central Coast, the 1998 Newcastle disease outbreak and the 2007, 2015, 2021 and 2022 East Coast Low weather and flood events.
He has also travelled around NSW, and to other states, supporting communities in need and supports members through the local Group Officer Mentoring Program.
For the past three years, Myers has provided significant logistics and maintenance support to the district, often volunteering five days a week in this role.