BRIMBANK firefighter Geoff Audsley received an Australian Fire Service Medal in the Queens Birthday honours list for his service to the community.

Mr Audsley has been a firefighter with the Metropolitan Fire Brigade for 30 years, 15 of which have been at Brimbank. He receieved the honour for his outstanding service and leadership to the MFB.

Mr Audsley said he was honoured to have received the award.

“I was humbled and wondered whether I was worthy of the award but the person who nominated me must have, I suppose,” he said.

Mr Audsley will be presented with his award by the Governor General at a ceremony in September.

A senior rescue operator, Mr Audsley said he dealt with a lot of road rescues and heavy vehicle accidents in the industrial areas in the West.

“It is confronting and not a lot of people could handle the sort of work that we do, but we have special programs and peer support for that to help us get through,” he said.

While his job was hard at times, the opportunity to help others was enjoyable, he said.

“That’s the thrill of the job. No two days are the same. There’s always something different happening,” he said. “Some people call them challenges but I don’t. I see them as opportunities to excel.”

Mr Audsley said that educating people about fire safety could also be rewarding.

“Most certainly education is what it’s all about even with the small kids teaching them to stop, drop and roll - they are life skills,” he said.

“Fires have been around for-ever and it evolves with people and with technology.”