Bushfires: RFS chief Shane Fitzsimmons is living the pain felt by so many

Months of devastating bushfires has taken a toll on NSW’s fire chief Shane Fitzsimmons.

Rural Fire Service commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons on the fire ground at Kurri Kurri. Picture: Peter Lorimer

Months of devastating bushfires that have claimed the lives of 26 people — including firefighters — have taken their toll on Shane Fitzsimmons.

The NSW Rural Fire Services commissioner has barely taken a day off since September when his 70,000-volunteer team suddenly found itself confronting fires across the country.

“People are grieving enormously, suffering the loss of loved ones,” says the 50-year-old ­firefighting veteran, his voice ­breaking.

Fitzsimmons was 37 when he first took on the job, adopting a modest, team-focused approach.

It’s a management style that has won him fierce loyalty among his troops, galvanised further last week when he took an uncharacteristic swipe at Scott Morrison after he was blindsided by the Prime Minister’s announcement that he’d ordered in military ­reinforcements.

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Faith in the fire chief remains rock solid. “We’d follow him anywhere,” an exhausted Bundanoon firefighter said.

Fitzsimmons says his pride in the firefighters has kept him going through his punishing 16-hour days as the level of danger for his troops has continued to escalate.

But he says it is the three NSW volunteer firefighters who have been killed — Geoffrey Keaton, 32, Andrew O’Dwyer, 36, and Samuel McPaul, 28 — who made the “ultimate sacrifice”, protecting their fellow citizens.

“Look at our firefighters, two of them with lovely young wives and toddlers only 19 months old with their whole life ahead of them and they have lost the most important person in their life,” he said.

“More recently with Sam, he had a lovely young wife and young marriage ... she is due to have their first baby in May of this year.

“It is truly tragic and heartbreaking to comprehend that loss,” he said.

Nominated for Australian of the Year, Fitzsimmons seems ­almost embarrassed by the attention he has received, saying it’s the price of having his “ugly mug” on television every day.

“The accolades are lovely and I find it really difficult to comprehend them, to be truthful,” he said.

“At the end of the day, I’ve got a job to do. I take my job very seriously but I don’t take myself too seriously.”

He says the generosity of Australians has been deeply gratifying, buoying his exhausted troops, many of whom have been left homeless by the fires.

“Those who have the capacity to give, oh boy, aren’t they giving generously,” Fitzsimmons said. “It restores your faith in humanity.”

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