Shane Fitzsimmons reveals he was ready to quit before horror fire season
He has been Rural Fire Service chief for 12 years but before he moves on to his new role as NSW Resilience Commissioner, Shane Fitzsimmons takes a look back at his career, talking about last summer’s fire season, and the media storm his comments about Prime Minister Scott Morrison caused.
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Last winter, Shane Fitzsimmons was on leave and preparing to retire as NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner.
After 12 years at the helm of the world’s largest volunteering firefighting organisation, he was mindful of outstaying his welcome — but then the phone calls began.
“I was going to confirm that I was leaving ahead of the fire season which would allow them time to settle somebody in,” Mr Fitzsimmons told The Sunday Telegraph.
“But as I came back from leave, I'd already received some phone calls whilst I was away because the season was getting busy — it was getting really busy in August.
“I signalled to the minister and the premier that I just didn't feel right about leaving — it was shaping up to be a difficult season.”
History has now shown his instincts were devastatingly spot on.
“As it turns out, I'm so pleased I didn't leave because I don't think I would have coped sitting on the sidelines and I was pleased to be part of the firefighting effort in that unprecedented set of circumstances,” he said.
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In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, days after standing down from the RFS to become the state’s first commissioner of the new disaster and recovery agency, Resilience NSW, Mr Fitzsimmons reflected on the state’s worst-ever bushfire season.
He also spoke of the “inevitable” criticism the RFS will cop over hazard reduction and backburning from the inquiries into our black summer, the challenges of combating COVID-19 and the media storm his comments about Prime Minister Scott Morrison caused.
Sitting in his office at RFS headquarters — now the hub for the state’s COVID-19 operations — the father-of-two is surrounded by memories of his 35 years with the volunteer service.
The South Sydney Rabbitohs cap Russell Crowe auctioned, raising $400,000 for the RFS, is framed and leaning up against the window, with the message: “In honour of our brave firefighters, battling the blazes of 2019 across New South Wales.”
A national Royal Commission and an independent state inquiry are now examining the horrific bushfire season which killed 25 people and destroyed 2400 homes.
Mr Fitzsimmons said backburning techniques and hazard reduction will be scrutinised, admitting some back-burns “didn’t go to plan”.
“I cannot remember a time in my 30 years where prescribed burning and hazard reduction isn't a topic of discussion and debate,” he said.
“I think also there will be some analysis into backburning. Even during this season, firefighters did hundreds, thousands of back-burns — tactical and strategic back-burns — which directly attributed to the saving of life and the controlling of these fires.
“But there were a number of back-burns that didn't go to plan, that they did escape, they did breach control lines, and some of them contributed to the loss of property and the damage and the destruction that the bushfires had, so I have no doubt that they will become a focus point and there will be there will be reflections and analysis on that.”
Eleven years after 173 people were killed in Victoria’s Black Saturday fires, Mr Fitzsimmons said he hoped the inquiries would find improvements in firefighting efforts and better public warning systems had saved lives.
“This event in NSW this season could be coined our Black Saturday,” he said.
“As tragic as our death toll is of 25 people — and I don't mean to be insensitive or disrespectful — without learnings, without improvements of the last decade, we should have been counting deaths in the hundreds.”
On May 1, Mr Fitzsimmons will start his new role as NSW Resilience Commissioner — along with a new look.
“I won't be in uniform anymore,” the 51-year-old said, adding he owns suits but wasn’t sure “if they’ll go up around my waist”.
Not only will he help ensure essential infrastructure including electricity, water and the internet keep operating, Mr Fitzsimmons said mental health was also a top priority.
Part of his new duties will involve travelling to struggling communities.
“I want to make sure that I see us rebounding and recovering from the COVID crisis, from the bushfire crisis, from the drought,” he said.
“So many people in NSW are not just dealing with one disruptive event right now — they've got compounding problems.
“I also want to see how we're tracking and making sure we're getting the support and the services to people for their own health, for their own emotional and psychological wellbeing.”
Mr Fitzsimmons said when he finally decided to leave the RFS and move into his new commissioner role, his “rock” — wife Lisa — didn’t think he could “pull the pin”.
She had seen her husband grieve for the three volunteer firefighters — Geoffrey Keaton, Andrew O’Dwyer and Samuel McPaul — who died battling blazes.
“She knows it has been a very difficult decision but as we know in life, the most important decisions, the most necessary decisions are often the most difficult,” he said.
“It's like a big divorce in a way really. I've grown up in the organisation — it's been a massive part of my life.”
Looking back at the bushfire crisis, Mr Fitzsimmons acknowledged his comments about the PM weren’t helpful.
He says he was “just being honest” about finding out through media reports that the federal government had deployed army reservists to help in the recovery.
“I think in hindsight, I probably wouldn't have said some of the things I said publicly in the media which created all sorts of headlines and attention which I could have dealt with in a different way,” he said.
“You talk to any of my bosses or any of my colleagues or peers and I have always spoken candidly. I don't leave a room with people and have them wondering where my mind was at.
“I was really disappointed and upset on the way that decision was delivered.”
Mr Fitzsimmons was also oblivious to his rising popularity as he calmly guided the state — and the nation — through the tragedy.
It was only until late into the fire season when he “went out into the world” and realised things had changed.
“In the end I said to Lisa: ‘I can't go to the shops anymore’,” he said.
But his role with the RFS will never be far from his mind — especially the widows of the three firefighters.
“One of my commitments is to ring them this weekend, leading into Easter, just to let them know that just because I'm changing roles, I'm not changing phone numbers and we're still connected,” he said.
Originally published as Shane Fitzsimmons reveals he was ready to quit before horror fire season
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