NSW Fire and Rescue Zone Commander Tom Cooper has been chosen to represent NSW Fire and Rescue as the Commander of a crack team of hand picked NSW fire fighters that will assist Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) south of the border as the region swells with tourists and athletes alike.

“We are taking an all hazards approach – so we are prepared for anything, including all natural disasters and hoping for the best – which would be nothing,” Commander Cooper said.

“We have got specialist resources and have assembled teams of specialists, leaders in their fields – like  search and rescue, swift water rescue, and hazmat teams all of which have been deployed internationally in the past.” 

The “specialist resources” will be stationed at Ballina for the duration of the Games, and in the hopeful event that no major incidents occur all that expertise and experience will not be wasted.

“NSW Fire and Rescue are world leaders in these operations and are there to compliment and assist QFES,” he said.

“We will always be on standby but will also be using those resources to visit surrounding stations in the region to impart that knowledge and experience on other teams.” 

“Over 90 per cent of our job is planning and we are confident that we can handle anything that gets thrown at us.” 

Commander Cooper won’t be unfamiliar to the area. The Games kick off almost exactly one year since the Lismore floods, where he also served as a Commander in the Operations Centre.

He has also previously served as Deputy Task Force Commander of a 76 strong search and rescue team that entered Christchurch following the devastating earthquake, a first for NSW Fire and Rescue, while also being part of teams that assisted during the Tasmanian bush fires, the Kernel Cyclone recovery, and the 2000 Sydney Olympics.