Georgie Gretton with daughter Adelaide.
A paramedic, a mum and a CFA volunteer – it’s safe to say that Georgie Gretton is a hero in many eyes, in more ways than one.
Now Camperdown Fire Brigade’s 4th Lieutenant, Georgie has been a volunteer with CFA for 15 years.
“I joined CFA through a friend. They were part of the Juniors program, and they dragged me along one night and I loved it, and I’ve been a volunteer ever since,” she said.
Working in her daily life as a paramedic, Georgie said that her volunteering has provided many valuable skills that have helped her in her profession.
“My CFA journey started a long time before my career as a paramedic, but the skills that I’ve learned along the way – working with teams, working with people, working in emergency situations, a lot of the team building and personal development, as well as the hands-on skills that I’ve learnt have all helped me develop my skills as a paramedic,” she said.
Balancing work with volunteering, Georgie is also mum to 18-month-old Adelaide.
“Sometimes it’s a little bit chaotic,” Georgie laughed. “My husband is also a volunteer with CFA and sometimes we have to rock, paper, scissors whose turn it is to respond to jobs or go to training.
“We’ve been really lucky that the brigade has welcomed us with open arms, and our daughter often comes to training and meetings. We’ve had people offer to babysit her and we are really lucky to have a wonderful family support network which helps us to share our time with the CFA.”
Georgie said that being a parent shouldn’t deter people from considering volunteering.
“I’d highly recommend parents or people with children consider joining CFA. It’s a really worthwhile environment and such a beautiful second family. You’ll have endless opportunities and it’s such a lovely setting for your kids to grow up in.”
Volunteering with CFA is flexible and can work around your existing skills, Georgie said.
“Volunteering isn’t all about getting on the back of a fire truck and fighting fires. There are so many ways that you can get involved with the CFA,” she said.
“We’re always looking for people with accounting skills or IT skills to help with the day to day running of the brigade, so even if firefighting is not for you, there’s a role for you with CFA.”
Georgie said she loves giving back to the community and would encourage anyone thinking about doing so to take the leap, no matter what capacity you are able to join in.
“My goal with the CFA is to be part of making a safer and more resilient community for me and my family to live in,” she said.
“For anyone thinking about volunteering but haven’t quite taken the steps yet, I’d suggest just stepping through the front floor of your local fire brigade. They’ll tell you what your options are to join, how you might fit into the brigade and what your role might look like.
“Everyone has something different to offer the CFA.”
If you’re interested in joining CFA or learning more about volunteering, head to ‘Give Us a Hand’.
