By RON LANE
WITH the hot months of summer, we once again become aware of that great Australian threat, the bushfire. Already on the evening news, we have seen several fires. Sad to relate some have been deliberately lit.
Then to make it worse on investigation the culprits are too often identified as being teenage boys.
One man who is only too familiar with this disturbing trend is former Noosa Fire Officer Phil Bowden.
“This is a serious problem that confronts the Fire and Rescue teams and we have to be fully aware of this all the time.”
Now with 34 years of distinguished service behind him Phil can, if the topic arises, speak from the most important dais of all, personal experience.
“I first became fully aware of this problem back in 1996 when one of our people said he had a job for me that he thought would be right up my alley.
“Two Noosa parents came to the station with their son who had a real problem with fires, so it was my job to sit down and talk to the young guy. I spoke about all aspects regarding certain actions and what the outcome of these actions could be; the loss of property and life.
“After this I really became involved, talking to people researching the internet and finally came up with a rough draft for a program that I thought could be something.”
At this stage Phil took his program to Melbourne for a month of suggestions, questions and research with their fire people. On returning to Noosa he continued on this path, finally writing a four-day program. “We were trying to think of a name for the program when the boss at the time, Bob Fuller, came up with the Triple F Program; Fighting Fire Fascination.”
The program proved a great success and a government budget came into being.
“Over the years I have spoken to approximately 130 families and kept in touch to check up and see how their kids were doing.”
However despite the program spreading throughout the state, when the Newman Government came into power the budget was cut and the program was dropped.
“When you take into consideration that our program was considered to be around a 96 per cent success rate, what happened was pretty disappointing.’’
After Phil was born in Melbourne some 54 years ago, his family shifted to Brisbane and it was in Queensland that his five brothers and sisters were born.
Educated at Padua College, a major Catholic school in Brisbane, he remembers it as a great school steeped in tradition; in particular with its football teams.
“We trained six days a week and it really taught us the importance of teamwork, tradition and fitness.”
Following his graduation Phil started working in a bank.
“I must be honest,” he said with a laugh.
“My father, who had been in banking for 40 years told me I wouldn’t like it. He was right. After six months I hated it but somehow stuck with it for 18 months. Then I read some articles on the Fire Department; that’s how it all started.”
In 1981 at 20 he made the move, joined and after his basic training, was stationed at HQ Branch in the Valley, Brisbane and later at Roma Street. After 13 years of service in the Metropolitan Area he was transferred to Noosa.
Following promotions he received, one of his specialties became fire investigation. It was during one of these inquiries that he was appointed to assist in the investigation of one of Queensland’s worst fatal fires; the Childers Backpackers Lodge.
“We were flown straight to Childers and on arrival at the scene the bodies of some of the victims were still where they had been found. It was beyond belief,” Phil said.
On 15 March this year after 34 years of outstanding service, Phil tendered his resignation. Now he works as a member of the Emergency Response Team employed by Chevron, the liquid natural gas people. Stationed on Barrow Island just off the West Australian Coast, he took the job because … “it was something different, a real challenge”.
Apart from his career, family of wife Madonna, two daughters and a son, Phil’s main interest has been surf life saving and rugby union. His career as a lifesaver started in 1977 when he joined and obtained his bronze medallion at the Coolangatta club on the Gold Coast.
Then as a result of his transfer, he joined the Noosa club where he was awarded the long service badge for his outstanding contribution to life saving.
His winter months saw his enthusiasm revolve around the youth of the Dolphins Rugby Union Club, an ongoing commitment that lasted 15 years.
Phil Bowden; family man, author of the Triple F Program, firefighting, surf lifesaving and rugby; proudly – One of Our People.
