Citation - May 2010

For meritorious service to the Jerrabomberra Creek Rural Fire Brigade and the New South Wales Rural Fire Service Mr Stephen Gibbs is nominated for Life Membership of the Jerrabomberra Creek Rural Fire Brigade.

Steve has been an active member of the NSW RFS since 1 January 1978 and has remained an active member of the Brigade under is various names, including Burra, Williamsdale, and currently Jerrabomberra Creek, during that time. As well as sharing his time with our Brigade, Steve has also been active in the State Emergency Service from 1977 till 1990, and continues his employment in the Australian Capital Territory Fire Brigade were he currently serves as a District Officer after 28 years service.

Steve is an accomplished firefighter having attended over 62 major incidents with the Brigade, including the 1985 and 2003 Canberra fires which impacted within the Brigade area, and more recently the 2010 Michelago fires. Steve also attended major fires at Bungendore, Hoskinstown, Gundaroo, Tinderry, Queanbeyan and within the surrounding areas of the ACT.

Steve is a dedicated volunteer who has given his time completing Crew Leader, Group Leader, and Training Coordinator training courses so that he can better lead and train those volunteers that join the NSW Rural Fire Service. During the 1980s and early 1990s Steve provided training in Crew Leader and Village Fire Fighter qualifications to many of the Zone field officers and brigade members.

As a leader within the Brigade Steve has been a Deputy Captain (1988- 1996, 2004 – 2010), Senior Deputy Captain (2001 – 2004), Captain (1996-2001), President (2003-2005) and Training Officer (1986 -1996). Steve also had the foresight to see the changes that the local area would experience during the late nineties, steering the Brigade to accept new members and provide proper training. The Brigade still benefits from these efforts today. In 2007 at the official opening of the fire shed and training room Steve was awarded a Long Service Award from the NSW Rural Fire Service for 29 years service to the community presented to him by NSW Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons.

Today Steve continues to be a tireless advocate for the Brigade, working with council and local State members to achieve the best outcomes for our Brigade. The land, on which today’s fire shed at Old Cooma Rd stands, has been donated by the Gibbs family. This initial 120 square metres donation for the Brigade’s first fire shed was later extended to include the land that today’s Training/Community Room stands.