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Lukasz Lipnicki
Whether they become staff members first then join a brigade, or vice versa, these dedicated CFA members live and breathe CFA – and love it.
Lukasz Lipnicki, South East Region
With CFA volunteers at the heart of what he does as both a firefighter and staff member, Lukasz Lipnicki well and truly embodies the spirit of CFA and community service.
Working as a regional brigade administrative support officer for the past five years, Lukasz coordinates volunteer sustainability projects in the region, such as the District 9 and District 27 Women’s Network, Women’s Challenge Camp, and Diversity and Inclusion Working Group.
On the other side of the hose, Lukasz reflects fondly on his near four years as a Cockatoo Fire Brigade member, particularly enjoying the regular contact he gets with volunteers as it reminds him of why they do the work they do.
“Overall, being a CFA volunteer is fun. I enjoy the camaraderie of the brigade, the nature of the work, the callouts and more broadly being a part of our organisation for our community,” Lukasz said.
“I’m currently the brigade’s health and safety officer. My job has helped me understand the dynamics and the nuances of how CFA systems and processes work.
“Every day I travel across the south-east interacting with members in Districts 9, 10 or 27, even as far out as 11. Having the language and understanding of what firefighters face on the ground is invaluable.
“Having completed the General Firefighter course and attended incidents, working alongside other emergency services and being deployed to major fires has allowed for relatable conversations and the opportunity to build rapport.”
Lukasz said whether they are rolling out region-wide strategies, delivering supplies, or considering where to park when visiting stations, they are mindful of making each other’s lives a little easier.
“Our staff and volunteers lead busy lives and give CFA so much while asking for so little,” Lukasz said. “I think it’s important that, wherever we can, we all consider how best to support each other in the decisions we make.”
Given Lukasz’s nature to assist in times of need, when Cockatoo was hit by a severe storm in February 2024, he was able to lend a hand to his brigade members behind the scenes.
“I decided to head to IGA to grab a few roast chooks, bread rolls, and a slab of soft drink for when they came back to refuel and swap crews,” Lukasz said. “Pulling up to a hot meal and something to drink brought a lot of smiles out.”
Tegan Kearney, South West Region
Tegan Kearney can be found tackling spreadsheets and helping managers and executives manage their budgets in her day job at CFA as the Senior Finance Business Partner in the Financial Planning and Analysis Team. But her work with CFA extends beyond the dollars and cents.
As a volunteer for Grovedale Fire Brigade in Geelong, Tegan doesn’t hesitate to roll up her sleeves and help her local community.
After getting a job at CFA in 2019 shortly before the Black Summer fires, Tegan said she was overwhelmed with the camaraderie she saw in CFA, even from people working from a desk.
“It was like nothing I had ever experienced in my career before, having come from a banking background,” Tegan said. “Everyone was focused on the fires no matter what their role. They put aside their usual tasks and turned their attention to how they could help.
“Whether it was working in an incident management team in a finance or logistics capacity, backfilling someone else with specific skills so they could be freed up to help, driving people or resources to where they need to be, everyone just did what they could.”
Seeing how well everyone worked together towards a common goal encouraged Tegan to think about how she could contribute even more and that led her to knock on the door of Grovedale Fire Brigade.
Being a volunteer in the same location as your work is a unique experience, but Tegan said it is one she loves.
“My roles are completely different but they both ultimately work towards the same outcome of supporting CFA to protect lives and property,” Tegan said.
Tegan is grateful CFA encourages her passion for volunteering as well as working.
“My work colleagues are really good and understanding of my role as a volunteer. They support me to attend callouts or deployments wherever possible.”
Tegan said she loved CFA and felt lucky to be able to work and volunteer with such an organisation.
“CFA is an organisation you can be proud to be a part of, whether you are working at HQ, supporting the brigades on the ground or jumping on a truck,” Tegan said. “It’s all important work and it’s a good feeling knowing you are contributing to that.”
Will Hodgson, West Region
In 1991, 14-year-old Will Hodgson boarded a bus home from Fiskville after a CFA training session, unaware that over the next 34 years the organisation would become a central part of his life.
What began as a way to help his community following the Warrandyte bushfires that year has grown into a lifelong commitment to fire and emergency services.
“During the fires in ’91, I remember feeling helpless watching the helicopters and fire trucks as smoke filled the air. I made a phone call to North Warrandyte brigade and haven’t looked back since,” Will recalled.
“I’ve been turning out since I was 14 years of age – the rules were a bit different back then.”
Will’s volunteer CFA journey has been marked by steady progression.
“I spent more than 16 years at North Warrandyte, then transferred to Christmas Hills and then onto Warrandyte, moving through the officer ranks in all three brigades.”
His professional career with CFA began in 2008 as a pad operator at Bangholme training ground working on volunteer and promotional courses. Over the years, he has taken on numerous roles, including working on the Road Crash Rescue Support Project.
Today, Will is the captain of Warrandyte brigade and a full-time employee with Fire Rescue Victoria seconded to CFA as the pad supervisor at Central Highlands training ground in Ballan.
“Balancing the dual roles has its challenges, but ultimately it’s been rewarding,” he said. “The bonus of playing in both worlds is gaining a holistic understanding of what the organisation is trying to achieve. I’ve also become a bit of a conduit for other volunteers looking for guidance.”
Will has been deployed to some of Victoria’s most significant incidents and travelled interstate.
Reflecting on his journey, Will said, “I didn’t think this would be a career path, but CFA showed me you can learn new skills and be given opportunities. I was lucky enough to turn a hobby into a career and a passion.
“I’d never have dreamed that the 14-year-old on a bus to Fiskville would one day be responsible for a CFA training facility. Set yourself a dream; you never know what’s possible.”
Tanya Lumley, North East Region
Seeing her dad volunteering with CFA during the Ash Wednesday fires started a long-lasting love of CFA within Tanya. She is a member of Strathbogie brigade and works in the Volunteer Sustainability Team (VST).
Originally a volunteer with Boneo brigade, Tanya recently transferred to Strathbogie brigade, where she said she is incredibly lucky to have an amazing mentor.
“I was sad to leave an awesome brigade, and joining a new brigade felt a little like starting again,” Tanya said. “But seeing my new team in action on the fireground and how willing they were to share their skills and knowledge, made me happy about my new brigade home.”
Tanya said she loved both her VST role and being a volunteer at CFA and she was lucky the roles complemented each other.
“Although I’m only new to the role in VST, I can see that it allows for a great understanding of the diverse experiences and needs of brigades and volunteers,” she said.
“On the other hand, learning from the experienced and skilled members of my brigade equips me with valuable knowledge that I can take to my day job. Working on projects that help to empower brigades, having experienced what it’s like in a brigade, is incredibly rewarding. It’s a bit of a symbiotic experience.”
Tanya has a strong connection to the community and she’s happy that CFA embodies this value and gives her a place where she can uphold it in both her personal and professional life.
“Being a member of a CFA brigade embodies community for me – a bunch of people working together to do good. At my brigade and office I’m surrounded by dedicated people who are passionate about making a difference. That’s such a wonderful place to be.”
Tanya said balancing work and volunteering for her is no different from all the other volunteers who give up their time.
“Just like all members who have a job and volunteer for CFA, we do what we can and what we have time for. We all have families and hobbies and interests outside of these roles and they’re just as valuable and important,” she said.
Despite being a new staff member, Tanya said she was already feeling good about taking her passion for CFA and making it her day job, and she’s pleased to be working with fantastic people.
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