Sydney firefighter Chris Stathis reflects on career of helping people and saving lives

·

NSW Fire and Rescue Station Officer Chris Stathis has been putting out fires and saving lives since his early 20’s in Sydney, Australia. 

In an interview with The Greek Herald, the Greek Australian firefighter revealed how his journey began.

“I had a neighbour who was a firefighter, who told me all about the fire department and that I should look into becoming a firefighter if I wanted to,” Chris said.

“He took me to the fire station and showed me around. I also had a friend at school who was a few years older than me that had been to the fire station, and he showed me around the fire station as well and that’s how I got interested.”

Applying to the fire department

Chris first applied to the fire department in 1990, where he was required to do different types of tests, spanning across three years. They included both physical and mental tests, followed by many interviews.

“When we passed the exam, we then started training for 16 weeks,” he explained.

“When we passed the training, we were then each assigned to a fire station. I went to a fire station in early 1994 at the age of 23.”

In 2018, Chris was also part of the NSW Fire and Rescue team who was deployed to Greece to assist with recovery efforts following the wildfires. He was there for 15 days to help communities, alongside local fire authorities and other agencies. 

The pros and cons of the job

As someone who’s been working for NSW Fire and Rescue for more than 20 years, Chris explained that there are both positives and negatives to doing what he loves each day.

“Some of the advantages of this job are that every day is different, and you don’t know what’s going to happen when you come to work. Another advantage is working with a team and having that camaraderie,” he said.

“The downsides are when you see people getting hurt or killed and working in shifts.”

Despite this, the 51-year-old said he loves “being able to help people during their crisis and knowing that I have saved lives and their most precious possessions.”

He also addressed the misconception that firefighters only rescue people, stating they do much more than what most people think.

“People think we only go to fires, but we do rescues, car accidents, storm damage, chemical spills and hazardous materials,” he said.

“We also help educate people about the dangers around their homes, we teach children in schools about the dangers of fires, and we are also very involved within the community.”

For more information on how to stay fire safe, visit your local RFS website.

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

From crisis to compassion: Timos Roussos and his family’s mercy mission in war-torn Cyprus

When Turkish troops landed on Cyprus on 20 July 1974, six-year-old Timos Roussos was sitting on the floor of his family’s home in Lemesos.

A granddaughter returns: Georgia Georgiou retraces her yiayia’s occupied village in Cyprus

When Georgia Georgiou handed over her Cypriot ID at the border checkpoint to cross into occupied northern Cyprus, she felt an ache.

‘You never get over it’: A childhood shattered by the Turkish invasion of Cyprus

On a warm July morning in 1974, 10-year-old Anastasia Di Loreto (née Karatzia) was jolted awake by the sound of bombs falling on Kyrenia.

Cyprus: The paradox of tolerance and impunity for Turkey

The lack of a unified, systematic and practical strategy on the part of Greece has led the Cyprus crisis into national disarray.

Lost homes and lingering hope: Greek-Cypriots reflect on Turkish invasion and its aftermath

From hidden stories to haunting memories, two Greek-Cypriot men share what it means to carry the burden of Cyprus’ past.

You May Also Like

EU gives ‘green light’ to start membership talks with North Macedonia and Albania

The European Union will start membership negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia, according to a draft decision by the bloc's 27 member states.

Greece strengthens defence of Evros border with blade wire fence and 400 new guards

Greece will erect a new blade wire fence at the Evros border and station 400 additional border guards there, to protect Greece from a new wave of migrants.

Postecoglou: A-League has chance to reset and prioritise football again

Former Socceroos coach, Ange Postecoglou, said the COVID-19 crisis is the perfect time to 'reset' A-League and put football first when the season resumes.