Ewen and Skye Jones: First father-daughter duo in NSW Fire and Rescue

Not only can a rural town in western NSW claim the first father and daughter duo in NSW Fire and Rescue, it is also shaking up the traditionally-male dominated service.

Skye and Ewen Jones at Narromine Fire Station 401.

Narromine Fire and Rescue Station 401 captain Ewen Jones has been serving the community with his fire and rescue services for more than three decades.

Now his daughter Skye Jones is following in his footsteps.

Established in 1929, Narromine Fire and Rescue has a history of family bonds, but the father-daughter duo is a first for the station and NSW.

At age 15, Skye joined the NSW Rural Fire Service with hopes of advancing to the NSW Fire and Rescue in the future.

Skye and Ewen Jones at the Narromine Station 401.

“She wanted to follow in my footsteps and is still very much a part of NSW Rural Fire Service,” Mr Jones said.

Mr Jones said Skye was also a nurse at Dubbo Base Hospital which helped her with rescue work.

Even though they have a strong father and daughter relationship, Mr Jones is “very conscious” of favouritism and ensures Skye gets the “same treatment” as every crew member.

“We’ve been to house fires together before and I obviously worry that she is okay, like any member of the crew, but when it’s your child, it is a bit more intense,” he said.

Mr Jones ensured the rest of the crew was supportive of their relationship and he was not a part of her application process as it was a “conflict of interest”.

“It’s a bit hard to get into NSW Fire and Rescue, it took me three goes to get in and it took her three or four as well,” he said.

Mr Jones said the “highlight” of his career was when Skye was invited to have her NSW Fire and Rescue training graduation in Sydney alongside higher ranking members.

Skye Jones receiving her Rural Fire Service 10 year medal in November 2022

“Fire and Rescue is traditionally a male role, but we had our first woman in the 90s and we have had eight since then, with three currently serving,” he said.

“They’ve all been very good, and we show no favouritism towards them.

“The crew is very accepting of equal opportunity because they can do the job as well as anyone else.

“It’s good to have that mix.”

Mr Jones said the Narromine crew had members from various backgrounds, including First Nations people, Samoans and Filipinos.

“When the bell goes off, everybody is on the same level playing field and we all have each other’s back,” he said.

“Everybody is well trained and we are all in tune with one another.

“We have 16 firefighters in Narromine and you can put any two together and know that they work well together and trust each other.”