More firefighters will be at the top of their game as Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) teams up with elite sporting organisations to deliver health and wellbeing support.
The NSW Swifts are one of six elite sporting teams providing their facilities and resources to support Fire and Rescue NSW.
Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience and Minister for Flood Recovery Steph Cooke said through the Tactical Athlete Resilience Program (TARP), firefighters will have access to the physiotherapists, health services and facilities used by some of Australia’s top sportsmen and women.
“The work undertaken by our firefighters to protect communities takes a toll, both physically and mentally, and through this program our men and women on the frontline will be able to benefit from the expertise and resources used in elite sport clubs across NSW,” Ms Cooke said.
FRNSW is partnering with the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, St George Illawarra Dragons, NSW Swifts, Giants Netball and the Central Coast Mariners to deliver TARP.
Surveys conducted following a pilot with the Rabbitohs in 2019-20 revealed more than 80 per cent of firefighters were “very satisfied” with the program and wanted to keep engaging with future activities and workshops.
FRNSW Commissioner Paul Baxter said TARP demonstrates the agency’s ongoing commitment to its workforce and expanding support networks.
“By empowering our firefighters with elite training, treatment and rehabilitation options, we are boosting their resilience and improving return to work outcomes,” Commissioner Baxter said.
“FRNSW is always looking for ways to minimise the incidence and impacts of illness and injury. By bringing on board more clubs and their medical experts across more sporting codes, TARP is now accessible to more of our firefighters and able to better cater to diverse care needs.”
In addition to the preventative readiness component – which focuses on keeping firefighters in form – TARP also includes rehabilitation services for firefighters who are injured on the job.
TARP has been supported by workplace injury insurer EML, and FRNSW hopes to extend the program to even more sporting codes and clubs soon.
