When the Canberra Fire Brigade first formed, it had two volunteers, a horse-drawn cart and an officer to lead it.

Now its successor organisation – ACT Fire and Rescue (ACTF&R) – is calling on up to 32 Canberrans to step up and be part of its next generation of firefighters.

ACTF&R Commander for Recruitment Katherine Bonn moved to Canberra for a full-time firefighting role in 2001. She says there’s no other job like it.

“It’s a camaraderie that I’ve never experienced anywhere else,” Ms Bonn says.

“The old cliche, it’s a family – it really is … We do go through things together, we get to know each other’s families. It really is a special place to work.”

But first, applicants must go through recruitment.

It starts with an intense 20-week training course to teach soon-to-be firefighters the theoretical and practical skills they need.

ACTF&R firefighters are trained in all areas of firefighting, rescue and hazardous materials handling.

All applicants must be Australian citizens or have permanent residence status, have a current ACT Working With Vulnerable People card and meet specific licence requirements.

“In between all the routine things we do for the day, there’ll generally be fire calls scattered throughout that, which can be anything from motor vehicle accidents, alarm calls to buildings in the city, medical assists [with] ACT Ambulance,” Ms Bonn says.

“It might be a job at Parliament House where someone found some white powder, or a house fire. It can be different every single day.”

ACTF&R Commander for Recruitment Katherine Bonn says coming to Canberra for a full-time role was an easy decision. Photo: ACT ESA.

ACTF&R will host a series of events as part of its current recruitment call, giving Canberrans a firsthand look at what a career in firefighting involves.

Join a virtual information session from 6:3o pm on Monday (26 May) and/or one of two come-and-try days at the Emergency Services Agency Training Centre in Hume on:

• Wednesday, 28 May, from 6:30 pm to 9 pm
• Saturday, 31 May from 9:30 am to noon

ACTF&R is encouraging applicants to join a firefighting force that reflects Canberra’s diverse population.

“We want everyone to feel like we do want you, no matter what walk of life you come from, or what gender you are,” Ms Bonn says.

“We need different types of people … It all helps when we go to a job because it’s more angles we’ve got to solve problems.”

Ms Bonn says it’s important to prepare for the application process which combines physical and verbal tests as well as numerical and spatial reasoning.

“Everyone knows [fighting a] fire is a lot of physical hard work, but we need people to study hard for all parts of the recruitment process.”

She says once applicants make it through training, they’ll enjoy the kind of job where no two days are the same.

“The learning continues when you’re part of your permanent crew and you’re out on shift.

“After that learning, there are many different opportunities, whether you go into management or stay operational.”

Applications to join ACTF&R open 2 June 2025 and close 29 June 2025. Register for the events by visiting the recruitment page on ACTF&R’s website.