With fire in his blood, this week’s Griffith Grows ‘em Good profile is with Stephen Kada, who is now calling Griffith home.
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Rural Fire Service (RFS) Operational Officer for the MIA District Stephen Kada is a third generation fireman, coming after his Deputy Captain father and grandfather.
Despite these familial connections, he was inspired to join after the brigade came to his home and he witnessed them in action.
“The brigade came to my place for a reduction burn, and I had a look and thought, oh that’s pretty cool,” he said.
He went down and spoke to the captain at the time and said he wanted to join, but being a bit shy of 14 years old, he went back after his birthday and filled out the paperwork and “that was that.”
Steve has been in Griffith for six months now, and says he hasn’t looked back.
“They try to get you to move around every few years, so I got my letter and had a couple of different offers, Griffith was one of them.”
“I love Griffith. My girlfriend and I both moved down, and she got a job as well which is handy. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming, not to mention, as everyone here knows, the food is great.”
The comradery within the RFS is amazing, because you are working with a crew and you get to know them all very well.
- Operational Officer for the MIA District Stephen Kada.
Before moving here, Steve volunteered in Hawkesbury for a few years, before rising to the senior Deputy Captain, the second in command of the brigade.
He worked in the Blue Mountains after that for another few years, leaning the ropes of fighting fires int he mountains, which he jokingly describes as “fun and games.”
“They try to get you to move around every few years of so, so I got my letter, and I had a couple of different offers and Griffith was one of them.”
The most rewarding part of working for the RFS is giving back to the community, and making a difference in people’s lives without being chained to a desk.
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“You are frequently out and about talking to people, and next to the volunteers, you are pretty much the front line that people see.”
The direct contact with the community gives his a great deal of job satisfaction.
“You can rock up to a place that looks totally abandoned and demolished, and at the end of the day you’ve cleaned it up,” he said.
“Essentially you have saved someones house, and possibly their life.”
The comradery within the RFS is also something he values about his job.
“It’s also great because you are working with a crew and you get to know them all really well, it’s an awesome team environment.”