Thomas Broaders: Wingello firefighter caught urinating in public

A drunk volunteer firefighter was out watching for embers during the Black Summer bushfires when he was stopped by police in the main street of Wingello.

A volunteer firefighter with the Wingello bushfire brigade had to be hospitalised after police caught him urinating in the town’s main street.

Thomas Xavier Broaders, 37, faced Moss Vale Local Court on Monday after pleading guilty to behaving in an offensive manner in public and resisting a police officer.

The court heard Broaders had joined the Wingello bushfire brigade in January 2020 to battle the fires and was out patrolling for potential bushfires sparked by embers on the night of January 11, 2020, when he was spotted by police in the main street of Wingello.

Thomas Xavier Broaders pleaded guilty to resisting arrest and public urination.

Court documents reveal the Wingello resident was “well affected by alcohol” when police approached him and asked him to identify himself. Although he told them his name, court documents show he didn’t provide further details about his identity.

“I’ve given you my name,” he told police.

“I was inside the fence on private property.”

When the police told him he was under arrest to confirm his identity, he shrugged off the policeman’s hand and tried to walk away.

In an attempt to complete the arrest, the police officer pushed him into the wall of the Wingello Village Store and then onto the ground, according to court documents.

Broaders kept resisting, so the police officer drew his extendable baton, which the firefighter then grabbed. Fearing Broaders would take the baton, the officer hit him three times with the weapon and sprayed him with capsicum spray.

Thomas Xavier Broaders joined the Wingello bushfire brigade during the 2019/20 summer.

Broaders then stopped resisting and was taken in the paddy wagon to the police station, where the ambulance was called for his injuries. He was taken to hospital after he told the paramedic he had blacked out at one point.

Broaders’s lawyer, Brian Hanrahan, said his client had been under a great deal of stress due to the extreme threat of the bushfires.

“He was frequently on the alert waiting for an amber attack,” he said.

“There was a great deal of tension in the air at the time.”

However, Magistrate Mark Douglas noted Broaders was under the influence of alcohol at the time he was supposed to be patrolling for fires.

“It sounds like you had a few beers while you were out checking for ember attacks,” he said.

“I don’t know how effective you would have been.”

Thomas Xavier Broaders is currently employed driving heavy vehicles.

Magistrate Douglass acknowledged the regret expressed by Broaders but criticised his behaviour, calling public urination “terrible” for the community.

“It’s a dirty rotten habit,” he said.

Despite having two assault charges on his record, Broaders was found to have behaved well in previous interactions with police.

Magistrate Douglass also said the injuries Broaders sustained had an impact on the weight of his sentence.

He fined Broaders $1000.