Naracoorte firefighter John Probert was awarded the Australian Fire Service Medal in the Australia Day Honours.
He has served the South Australian emergency services for over 45 years, beginning with the South Australian State Emergency Service in Mount Gambier in 1981.
He was primarily involved in road crash rescue and contributed to the early development of vertical rescue along with cave rescue, areas of interest he continues to maintain.
He began his South Australian Country Fire Service (SA CFS) career in Region 5 at Naracoorte in 1999 before moving to Region 6 following the Wangary Fire to support community recovery efforts.
In 2012, he returned to Region 5, serving as a regional commander until 2022.
Mr Probert performs frontline operational roles as a Level 3 incident controller, state duty officer, regional duty commander and currently volunteers with the Naracoorte Country Fire Service Brigade.
Throughout his career, Mr Probert has led SA CFS responses to major incidents, including the 2019-2020 Fire Danger Season, the Blackford Fire, the 2022 Coles fire, and the Kangaroo Island fires.
His leadership was marked by prolonged exposure to hazardous operational environments, from coordinating large-scale firefighting efforts to personally supporting crews and communities during traumatic events.
At the Coles fire, Mr Probert provided exceptional care for his volunteers, escorting a fallen firefighter back to Adelaide.
Since 2022, Mr Probert has served as the SA CFS industry project officer, implementing legislative reforms for industry brigades and forging strong operational partnerships with the forest industry in the Lower South East.
His work has improved inter-operability, strengthened trust with industry stakeholders, and enhanced firefighter safety in a high-risk region.
Mr Probert has made a significant contribution to the safety and wellbeing of South Australians through his leadership in hazardous frontline operations, his commitment to building capability, and his enduring support for volunteers.
His distinguished service, particularly during complex and dangerous incidents, reflects the highest standards of the fire service.