Brad Harrison, FRNSW inspector retires after 43 years in the game

Brad Harrison has seen hundreds of life and death moments in his 43 years with NSW Fire Rescue but on the day of his retirement, he reveals the most unforgettable moments:

Brad Harrison hangs his gear up for the last time at Ballina Fire Station after 43 years as a firefighter. Picture: Tessa Flemming

As he bid farewells on an impressive career of 43 years, FRNSW inspector Brad Harrison says he’s been to “literally hundreds” of life and death moments.

Joining NSW Fire and Rescue in 1978, the Ballina firefighter worked his way up to Inspector status, working in Sydney for many years before moving up to the north coast in 2012.

Whether it was manning the Fire and Rescue response at the 2004 Redfern Riots, saving historical relics during the St Carthage Cathedral fire in 2020, or countless lives during our region’s countless bushfires, floods or storms – Insp Harrison has been there.

However, there was one moment in his career that still haunts him.

“I know it’s a long time ago now but 9/11 was a time of very high exposure for the emergency services,” he said.

“People forget no one knew what was going to happen after those buildings went down in New York, we didn’t know if we were going to be next.

“There was a lot of incidents we went to where we thought it would go down that path.”

More locally, Insp Harrison would be remiss to not remember the toll of responding to some unforgettable horrors.

“The biggest tragedy for anyone in emergency services is when there are children involved and those sad times you go to incidents, whether it’s a fire or an accident, where children are involved - it really impacts hard on all emergency services,” he said.

“Each one takes that little bit out of you, bit by bit.”

Brad Harrison hangs his gear up for the last time at Ballina Fire Station after 43 years as a firefighter. Picture: Tessa Flemming

It was compassion for those he helped which could characterise much of Insp Harrison’s career.

“To know that you’re helping people when they’re at their most vulnerable is a very satisfying feeling,” he said.

“I know absolutely that a lot of the incidents I went to, I was in charge of, if Fire Rescue wasn’t where it was, many people would have lost their lives.”

He also wished to thank those many colleagues and crew members he had seen battle an especially tough few years.

“I think we’ve done some really good work helping the people of NSW,” he said.

“There’s an old saying in the fire brigade, ‘if you didn’t come from a big family before, you do now’.”

As for how he’d spend his retirement, Insp Harrison revealed he would use it wisely, cattle farming with his son.

“It’s a nice way after such a long career to do something completely different.”