Belgrave trainee aviation firefighter Anthony Wilkinson, centre, with his Silver Axe Award and fellow trainees Paul Jewell, Richard Black, Brendan Ferguson, Ryan Michel and Luke Wayth celebrate the end of their course.
By Casey Neill
A BELGRAVE South man has topped his class while pursuing an unusual career change.
Anthony Wilkinson, 43, was awarded the Silver Axe Award as the most outstanding recruit in his aviation firefighting course.
“I didn’t think I’d be in the running for it,” he said.
Four years ago he moved to Australia from the UK, where he’d served in the Greater Manchester Fire Service for 14 years.
He worked as a carpenter for two years, according to his visa conditions, before he began applying for brigades to pursue his firefighting passion.
“The more I read into aviation the more I fancied it,” he said.
Mr Wilkinson and his 24 classmates graduated from the gruelling Airservices Australia course in April. He’s now stationed at Melbourne Airport where he works two 10-hour days and two 14-hour nights each week.
He joins more than 700 firefighters stationed at the nation’s busiest airports as part of the Airservices Aviation Rescue and Fire Fighting service.
They respond to medical emergencies, aircraft and airport building fires and provide support to metropolitan and rural fire fighters and emergency services when needed.
Recruits complete a physically challenging 10-week training course at Airservices Learning Academy in Melbourne and the organisation’s fire training ground in Hobart.
They receive a theoretical and practical education in fighting aircraft and structural fires, aviation rescue techniques and dealing with the hazards of highly flammable aviation fuels.
Mr Wilkinson said there was “a hell of a lot” to learn.
“I actually thought my head was going to explode at times,” he said.
They’ll receive ongoing training in using off-road vehicles and water rescue boats.
