Noosa Heads Fire Station officer Rob Frey has this Australia Day been awarded an Australian Fire Service Medal (AFSM), an award he said he was “really humble to receive”, but firefighting was a job he couldn’t have done alone.
“It’s the ultimate team game,” he said.
“In my opinion everyone doing this job deserves an Australian Fire Service Medal.”
Rob Frey commenced service as an auxiliary firefighter with Queensland Fire and Rescue, Queensland Fire Department in 1992.
He became a permanent firefighter in 1994 and was promoted to his current role in 2001.
Since he was a little boy Rob has always wanted to be a firefighter.
As an adult he’s always had a passion for what the job represents. “It’s a community based job. Most people like firefighters, like what we do in the community,” he said.
“When the alarm goes off you don’t know what you are going to but you hope to make it better.
“Our primary aim is to keep people safe and help save people, property and the environment.”
Rob said what made the job a pleasure was the people he works with – “their wicked sense of humours, they’re great family, community people”.
His whole career he owes to his “understanding wife and beautiful children”, he said.
“You work a seven days a week 24 hours a day roster.
“You may not be home at Christmas, during birthdays, weekends.”
Through his more than 30 year career Rob has held leadership roles during various deployments including the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009, Narrabri bushfires in 2012, Hazelwood Mine fire in 2014, Tamworth bushfires in 2019, Cradle Mountain bushfires in 2018, Swan Hill floods in 2022 and many Queensland deployments from Cyclone Larry to the Childers backpacker fire in which 15 people died where he was part of the fire investigation team.
He was also an organiser for the 2017 Firefighter Memorial Day.
There have been other events that have stood out for him.
In 2010, he one of two Queenslanders in the Tour of Duty Run across the United States from Los Angeles to New York to commemorate the lives of emergency service workers lost in the September 11 attacks, and became a member of the organising committee. In teams they ran for seven days, 24 hours a day, arriving in New York on September 11.
“I felt like most of us felt. There were 343 firefighters lost in one job,” Rob said.
“3000 people were killed that day, the bulk of emergency workers were firefighters.”
The event gained the support of former Prime Minister John Howard as patron and former Labor leader Kim Beasley who was the Australian ambassador to the US, Rob said.
“There were 18 Australians and 18 American firefighters
Rob teamed up with a young guy from New York whose father had worked in Queens.
“I heard his story, met his mother, formed this friendship (that continues today),” he said.
About the same time Prime Minister Julia Gillard was about to deliver a speech at a joint sitting of Congress in Washington DC and the Australian Government was looking for a good story for US – Australian relations, Rob said. They knew about the Tour of Duty run. As Ms Gillard delivered the speech Rob represented Australia and Queensland Fire and Rescue Services at the joint sitting of Congress in 2011.
Another highlight of his career has been his 22 years as a lead instructor at the Queensland Fire and Rescue Tactical Training Unit, playing a pivotal role in the development and delivery of world-class offensive firefighting training to operational firefighters. The skills and knowledge he has imparted in his role has left a lasting legacy in enhancing firefighter safety, reducing property damage, and contributing to community safety.
As part of their recruit training is 15 days of live fire training where all types of firefighting scenarios are created, Rob said.
“I have the ability to go there and teach people to keep themselves safe and give them the skills so they can save other lives,” he said.
“They know when the bells go off, what they’re going to do. It could be a cat stuck in a tree or Armageddon.
“They have to have the confidence to take on these jobs.”
The bushfires in Peregian Beach in 2019 have also been a standout event for Rob.
“They were strange conditions. It developed quickly,” he said.
“Everybody came together to do that job.”
Rob said at one stage there were 115 fire trucks from stations from Roma Street, Brisbane to towns north of Noosa.
“Everybody was on the same page – police, ambulance, rural fire service, SES, local government.
“Without that it could have been a catastrophic fire.”
The role of a firefighter in Noosa is not just putting out fires, with about 70 per cent of their work involved in accident rescue.
As the Queensland fire and rescue liaison office to Noosa Council Rob works with Council’s Local Disaster Management Group and other emergency services to deliver services not only during a disaster but in a proactive way, preparing the community for future events through education and awareness and together they are making a difference.
The Governor-General Sam Mostyn announced the Australian Day 2026 Honours List which recognises 949 Australians.
There were 680 recipients of awards in the General Division of the Order of Australia (10 AC, 38 AO, 160 AM and 472 OAM), 22 recipients of awards in the Military Division of the Order of Australia (10 AM and 12 OAM), 187 Meritorious awards including 33 Australian Fire Service Medals, and 60 Distinguished and Conspicuous awards
Recipients will attend investiture ceremonies at the Government House in their respective state or territory in coming months to receive the insignia of their award.
