With 21 years of experience and more than 1250 incident responses under her belt, Gill Metz has been recognised for her trailblazing achievements within the Country Fire Authority (CFA).
Ms Getz was awarded the Australian Fire Service Medal as part of the Australia Day Honours, for her efforts to champion diversity and providing leadership as a member of the Riddells Creek Fire Brigade.
After starting out in the Hillside CFA in 2001, still unsure if a life in the service was for her, Ms Getz quickly became enamoured with the environment.
“I thought I could go down and help out, but when I volunteered I didn’t expect I’d get on a truck or be a firefighter,” she said.
“But I did, and I felt it was something that was interesting, and so it became a career.”
She has since been deployed to respond to a number of crucial incidents, such as the Sydney Christmas Day fires, the Black Saturday bushfires and the Northeast campaign fires.
As she moved through different positions within the CFA north-west region, to the point of becoming the first woman to hold a regional manager position in the CFA, she wanted to do her bit to create a more efficient and inclusive organisational structure.
“What I first saw… was a fairly one dimensional organisation with a biased traditional view of firefighters and an organisation that struggled to adequately reflect the changing communities,” Ms Getz said.
“Increased diversity is the key to an efficient and effective organisation.”
Ms Getz said she was proud that the Riddells Creek Fire Brigade has grown into a place with a diverse leadership group that has strengthened its capability to support the community and surrounding areas.
Oliver Lees
