Mount Gambier man Bradley Flew has been awarded an Emergency Services medal as part of the Australia Day Honours.
Mr Flew joined the South Australia State Emergency Service (SASES) Eastern Suburbs Unit in 2010 and quickly moved through the ranks, from deputy team leader to unit operations coordinator and on to unit manager.
He was appointed to a staff role as district officer for the South East in 2016.
His knowledge, expertise and ability to lead and effectively train members at all levels has been described as admirable.
Mr Flew is endorsed to deliver and assess 14 separate units of competency and delivers over 20 courses a year to hundreds of volunteers, his peers and members of other emergency services agencies.
He has been a highly skilled and dedicated first responder for over 12 years and has attended more than 140 emergency incidents in the past two years.
He has also been a significant contributor to some of the largest incidents where he has deployed interstate and intrastate on several occasions such as the 2015 storm event in New South Wales, the 2020/21 Kangaroo Island bushfires, Tropical Cyclone Seroja in Western Australia in 2021 and most recently to the New South Wales flood event in 2022.
Mr Flew has been a guiding force in several initiatives within the SASES including the implementation of Microsoft Teams and SharePoint within the volunteer cohort which allowed volunteers to communicate effectively throughout the global pandemic.
This initiative significantly reduced the negative impact COVID-19 had on hundreds of volunteers and peers during periods when SASES training was suspended.
He is a driving force, bringing together other emergency services organisations within the local community, and has successfully managed to break down many barriers that have been in place for decades.
Mr Flew has had a positive impact on every volunteer he has trained or worked alongside, and his respectful relationships with the community and other emergency services personnel is a testament to his commitment to the organisation and the South Australian community.
He is an incredible asset to the State Emergency Service and the emergency services sector as a whole.
