BY HELEN COLLIER
CAM Mackay has lived in some interesting parts of the world and, wherever he has lived, he has volunteered in some capacity, using his time to help people in need.
Like many young boys, Cam grew up loving fire trucks. He was an avid fan of the TV show ‘Emergency’ and even had an ‘Emergency’ lunch box in primary school!
A family move to America when he was 17 gave him his first real opportunity and experience to be a firefighter, when he joined his local Fire Department in Connecticut as a volunteer.
The knowledge, skills and experience during his time in America came straight back to him 20 years later when he joined the Ferntree Gully Fire Brigade back home.
In 1997, Cam moved to Russia where he lived for five years. Working for The Salvation Army he saw a different side of Russia than most people.
Part of his role involved working on a soup line serving food to homeless people, in temperatures below -20 degrees C, making for a chilly working environment.
He also visited prisoners in Russian jails which was an eye opener as their prisons were far harsher than those here in Australia.
Prior to moving to Russia, Cam joined his local SES Unit in Whitehorse, providing emergency response to rescue, storm and flood events as well as support to other emergency services such as the fire services, police and ambulance.
He continued his service with the SES when he returned from Russia and has been with them for almost 20 years.
It was a move to the Ferntree Gully area that enabled him to join his local CFA Brigade and again become a fire fighter.
He describes it as feeling like he’d come home.
“It feels great to be a firefighter,” he said.
“All the training I’d done so many years ago in the US came straight back to me, so it wasn’t hard to get back up to date.”
When asked how he manages to make his four-minute response time – getting to the fire station and on the truck, just four minutes after his pager sounds – Cam explains “Where you live has everything to do with it.
“If you’re a CFA firefighter, you want to be on that truck when your pager goes.
“For many CFA members, it will be an influencing factor on the house they choose to buy or rent.”
He laughs as he describes his strategy.
“My clothes are laid out ready to jump straight into,” he said.
“I have slip on shoes by the door and the car is reversed into the driveway ready to go.
“Ask any CFA volunteer firefighter and you’re likely to get a similar response,” he said.
Cam gets an enormous sense of satisfaction from helping people – seeing that sense of relief in people’s eyes when they see the fire truck arrive, a look that says “thank goodness they’re here“.
“I love having my day job that I am passionate about, but I also love being able to do something that not many other people get to do,” he said.
“I’m lucky because I feel I get the best of both worlds.”
