RON’S PEOPLE, By RON LANE
WHEN I asked the question, ‘was there a common virtue required for success in emergency services, Fire and Rescue, life saving and paramedics?’, he thought for a while then quietly answered, “attitude!”
Sitting across from me was one of those men we often refer to as the BP type, in other words a quite achiever. His name is Stephen Freckelton, but among his mates he is known simply as Frecko – “that bloke that used to be a Paramedic and a Firey”.
Since arriving in Noosa in 2001 he has, over the years been a dedicated member of two emergency services, paramedics and life saving. While living in Sydney, his life, apart from his family was Fire and Rescue. Thus he can now look back on a life he has dedicated to these three emergency services.
Like so many good men, the respect he receives from his clubmates in the Noosa Surf Life Saving Club was not given … it was earned.
Born and bred in Tempe Sydney NSW 60 years ago, Frecko attended the Kingsgrove North High School. On leaving at the age of 18 years he joined what was then referred to as the Fire Brigade.
“I became interested when I visited the Firies at Campsie while earning my badges as a Boy Scout. On joining I went to the Paddington Training College for 12 weeks, and was then assigned to the Newtown station as a probationary for another 12 weeks. I stayed there for two years then went to drivers school. After that I was posted to Alexandra Station where I stayed for five years.”
Like all people who have dedicated their lives to emergency services, Steve has had experiences that will stay with him forever.
“On one occasion we were called to a silo where a man suffered a bad fall breaking both his legs and was trapped some 15 metres above the ground. The only way that we could evacuate our patient was by using the hydraulic platform. It was very awkward and because of his injuries a lot of care had to be taken.”
But – when it comes to near misses – a job in Redfern was the big one.
“We were called to a fire that was in a six-storey building. On arrival we found that the fire was contained in the top floor. The best way for us to reach the top was up the external fire escape. When we reached the top an inexperienced senior officer wanted us to enter the floor, but our team leader, the station officer said, ’No – you guys wait’. Moments later the entire floor collapsed and all the floors below went with it. Had we entered we would have all been killed; but we were lucky, and we all walked away.”
For Steve, 1986 was indeed the year to remember; he not only met Tracy, the lady who was to become his wife, but also received his promotion to the rank of Station Officer.
“Tracy and I met in a night club in Sydney, started dating and in September ’87 we were married. Now we are the proud parents of a 20-year-old son Lachlan, who works in the hospitality industry and is also now a patrolman in the Noosa Surf Club. It’s not uncommon for both of us to be on patrol together, and it’s a good feeling; father and son working the beach as a team.”
Steve’s career in life saving started at Wanda club Sydney in 1994. On becoming a bronze holder he commenced beach patrols and also performed water safety for the Nippers. It was here that he got his first taste of working with the kids and he loved it.
“That was back in ’94 and now 22 years later I am still doing it. It’s the best job in the world, and I wouldn’t change it for anything.”
However it was in the mid-1990s that Steve – along with hundreds of other firefighters – became involved in an operation that has now become, not only part of Sydney, but also NSW folklaw, the Sydney Bush Fires of ’94.
“On looking back over a total of 29 years in what is now termed Fire and Rescue, I can honestly say it was the most unforgettable experience of my life.
“Everyone was involved. We had personnel from the Volunteers Bush Fire Brigade and the National Parks Fire Brigade – all called in as back up. Basically what the problem was, Sydney was completely surrounded by this massive bushfire.
“It had started in the western region, swept to the east where it virtually hit the coastal area and could go no further. In its movement it completely decimated The Royal National Park which at the time was, the oldest National Park in Australia. It took some three weeks before it could be completely contained. One big massive disaster.”
Unfortunately for Steve during these fires he was to suffer what was thought to be a minor physical injury, but years later would put finish to his career.
“While fighting these bushfires we were not carrying breathing apparatus. Police came and informed us that a whole street in Menai was alight, houses were in danger, and they had reason to believe that people were trapped inside. We went in with no apparatus and as a result of the house smoke, I received lung damage.”
This later developed into bad asthma which was to result in early retirement on medical grounds. “Needless to say when it eventually happened I was shattered.” But he added with a shrug of his shoulders, “I guess that’s life”.
In another incident in January 2000, Steve’s station was notified of a fire starting out on the M5 Highway near Beverley Hills. It was thought to be the result of a car roll over.
“As we started to move in that direction we could see, even from 5km away, big columns of smoke. From this we immediately knew it had to be a tanker. This had the potential to be really bad so we called for a six-station backup and also a foam pumper.”
What was to follow in the hours ahead was indeed a dangerous situation. As a result of their leadership and disregard for their personal safety in performing their duties, Steve as Station Officer and three others were to receive bravery commendations.
“The heat was so bad that it melted all the tar on the road and the road had to be resealed.”
Slowly, Steve’s health began to deteriorate, until it became obvious that he could not continue in his usual capacity.
“However a position was becoming available at Tweed Heads in early 2000. As this was in Queensland we shifted to Noosa, hopefully to give me a better chance; unfortunately this didn’t eventuate so I settled into retired life in Noosa.”
Then in 2003 Steve put his name in for training as a paramedic and was called up in 2006.
“In the meantime I had transferred my membership as a clubbie, to Noosa. There I became employed doing part-time surf education with school children. I also worked as a trainer in the senior club, became an assessor and also started doing patrols; sometimes with my son. At one stage Tracy also became a team manager in Noosa so it was a full on family affair.”
Steve’s health problem resurfaced in 2014, and eventually, on medical grounds, he was also retired from the paramedics.
As we discussed this, the recent assaults against paramedics came up.
“I can tell what upsets us,” Steve said. “In modern society there is no respect for uniforms, be it paramedics, nurses, firemen or coppers. Drugs and alcohol are always used as an excuse, but people must be responsible for their own actions. We have to have mandatory sentences and the courts have to come down hard. Support and respect is all we ask.”
Speaking of “attitude” as the basic requirement for a successful career in emergency services Steve added, “a certain degree of inner calmness is definitely a big plus”.
With 29 years in Fire and Rescue, 26 in surf life saving and eight as a paramedic we can proudly say that Frecko is definitely one of our people.
