Toowoomba firefighter Bill Brennan, 68, among 81 to receive an Australia Day award in 2025
A retired police sergeant turned volunteer firefighter, Bill Brennan has received his second national bravery award for outstanding service to the Darling Downs community. Here’s why.
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A first responder for more than four decades, Bill Brennan traded his police badge for a fire hose almost ten years ago.
After being involved in some of the region’s bushfire emergencies Mr Brennan has received his second high honour for service to the community.
The Gowrie Little Plain volunteer rural firefighter received Queensland Fire Department’s National Emergency Medal for his service during the 2019-20 black summer fires.
Mr Brennan received his first National Emergency Medal in 2012 for his outstanding service during the state’s catastrophic floods.
He was also awarded QFD’s Australia Day Achievement Award at a ceremony at The Empire Theatre on January 22.
In a humble reaction, Mr Brennan said his initial response to the news was to tell his first officer it should be awarded to another member of the brigade.
“My reaction was I didn’t want it because we go as a team and other blokes deserve the same,” he said.
Working alongside a dedicated crew is something Mr Brennan said makes the job that much smoother.
The 68-year-old was also on the front line of the 2023 Wallangarra bushfires which saw the tiny rural town given minutes to evacuate.
Mr Brennan said they’d initially received a call for assistance at a fire near Allora when they were quickly redeployed out to Wallangarra.
“They had actually ran out of trucks and I was told by another volunteer this was the first time they’d ever had to go through three fires to get to the one they needed to,” he said.
“It’s definitely something that’s stuck with me and I thank FireComm dispatchers for how they handled it all that day, they were a big help to us all.”
Not one to shy away from a challenge saw a smooth transition from policing to the Rural Fire Service for Mr Brennan.
“It still has its challenges but it’s not as high stress as policing,” he said.
Mr Brennan said while he is getting older, he’s still got a few more years to give to the service before he calls it quits.
His dedication to serving the community is one he hopes to pass down to future generations.
“They’re all quite young now but I’m hoping they’ll join in on community involvement whether it’s a club or whatever,” he said.
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Originally published as Toowoomba firefighter Bill Brennan, 68, among 81 to receive an Australia Day award in 2025
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