Bridgetown’s Phil Brandrett recognised on the King’s Birthday list for his dedication to firefighting

Bridgetown’s Phil Brandrett featured on the King’s Birthday Honours List this year and has been awarded the Australian Fire Services Medal for his dedication to firefighting. As the Department of Fire and Emergency Service’s Lower South West superintendent, he has had a substantial career firefighting and keeping the community safe. It was something Supt Brandrett set his sights on from the age of 12. Also DFES’s Acting Country South Chief Superintendent, Supt Brandrett said he was “incredibly honoured” to have earned a firefighter’s highest honour. “It was an unexpected surprise and it’s really nice to be recognised,” he said. However he said he would be sharing the award with the countless people who had supported him across his career. “The entire team that I’ve been privileged to work alongside, the strength of partnerships with local governments, emergency service agencies, and certainly, above all, the volunteers — particularly in the region where I work, who give us so much of their time to protect our communities — I certainly share this award with them,” he said. Supt Brandrett also gave special recognition to his family for their continued commitment. “It’s the support they’ve provided me over my 32 years that allows me to do what I do,” he said. Supt Brandrett said he knew from an early age he wanted to be a firefighter and spent his next nine years preparing for the time he was old enough to apply. “I‘m just very grateful I’ve had plenty of opportunities, got in the job, and am still able to continue to do what I do,” he said. “Every day I’m able to turn up a work and make a difference.” Supt Brandrett transferred to the South West in 2013 from Perth, and was later promoted to superintendent in 2018. Even with such a packed resume, Supt Brandrett is still out on the fire grounds regularly assisting in bushfires. Earlier this year he was preparing to assist emergency services in Karratha as Cyclone Zelia approached the region. Before the storm could touch ground however, Supt Brandrett was on the first flight back to Manjimup ready to assist in coordinating the response to the massive Chesapeake fires. Over the next six weeks the bushfire raged through 40,000ha of bushland and Supt Brandrett worked tirelessly to ensure the response was decisive. “Our role was to coordinate and support the incident, to work with other local governments outside Manjimup, who are already fully committed with their own volunteers daily,” he said. “But, it was great to be a part of it again and to know that the relationships stood strong — that you’re able to lean on people in times of need and reach out for help. “I don’t take that for granted in any way, shape or form, and I am certainly not a believer that I can do anything on my own.”