Not all heroes wear capes - sometimes, they carry fire hoses.

Michael Amos joined the Rural Fire Service after hearing an advertisement on his local community radio in 1995.

Now the beloved Bourke man has won the Australian Fire Service Medal (AFSM) in the 2023 King's Birthday Honour list - one of just eight in NSW.

The AFSM was instituted in 1988 and recognises those who have rendered distinguished service as a member of the Australian fire service.

Mr Amos told the Western Plains App he was honored to receive the award for a role he loves.

"Part of the job of being involved is the people you meet - they come from all different walks of life, and they just volunteer their time just like me and get out there and do their best on the fireline". 

"It takes me a different side of life than I get to see in my normal job."

Amos, group captain of the Far West district, joined North Bourke Bushfire Brigade in 1995 and in 1996 was elected as Captain. Amos continued as Captain in 1997 when the Brigade was renamed Bourke Headquarters Rural Fire Brigade. In 2001 he was elected as Group Captain for the Bourke District.

During his 27 years of service to the New South Wales Rural Fire Service, he Amos has also been Brigade President for 26 years, Brigade Treasurer for four years, Brigade Secretary for one year, and Brigade Permit Officer since 2015, a position he still holds today.

One of his most memorable fires was the Payless supermarket job fire in Bourke in 1996

"I'd only joined up in 1995. I was pretty new to firefighting; back then, we didn't have enough gear," he said.

"Believe it or not, but we only had one firefighting jacket and one helmet to share with the crew. We only had a few fire-lines." 

Luckily there were supported by the formal fire service, and even luckier, his fire service has been well supported since then and now has sufficient equipment.

Image: NSW Rural Fire Service.

Amos' fire service has also progressed since then. Since the early 2000's Amos has been a committed member of the Barwon Darling Zone (Far West) Training Committee.

He has attended large fires like the Timmallallie Creek fire in the Pilliga Forest in 1997 and the first-ever Section 44 bush fire emergency in Bourke in 2013 when he was the divisional commander.

He was also deployed to major fires near Enngonia, Yantabulla, and National Parks in the Far West Team area. He continues to attend fires as a frontline responder.

"Section 44" refers to the state Rural Fires Act 1997, specifically section 44, Commissioner's responsibility. Essentially it is used to describe when the Rural Fire Service Commissioner declares a localized "State of Emergency" for a specific district suffering severe fire conditions that cannot be managed without drawing in extensive resources from other areas.

Speaking of the 2013 Section 44 fire, Amos said "I was with a crew pretty much of the younger generation of firefighters, most of whom have stayed with us. When we got to that fire, it was 2am, and there were others. We could see it was in a big floodplain. As far as you could see, you could just see fire. It burnt for significant space, and it was burning fast in grassland country. We just couldn't get a handle on it. The young fellas I was with, they were exceptional and did an exceptional job."

"It was though a very daunting sight when we got there, and I think, geese, what am I going to do with this? Then you start to get into work, and when you can eventually get some communications and meet up with other people, you get a bit of a handle on what's going on. But it certainly didn't happen over the first night. We on such a big scale and so fast running," he explained.

"Anything you volunteer in, you need to enjoy it. I just enjoy getting out there and having a go; yeah, I just enjoy the challenge of that, and it's just something different I can do."

During the COVID pandemic, Amos coordinated a small team of firefighters who delivered food and care boxes to households in Bourke and all surrounding villages in the Bourke Shire.

The 56-year-old moved to Bourke from the Hunter Valley with his family when he was seven years old.

"In a small community, you know lots of people. When you go down the street, there is always somebody to say g'day to. It's just a great place to live," he said.

In the statement, the Rural Fire Service said, "Michael Amos has demonstrated excellent leadership in his roles as a trainer, senior liaison delegate, and member of the Senior Management Teams. During the merger between the Barwon Darling Zone and the Far West Team in 2008, he stood up as a leader, showing great commitment to the volunteers involved".

"His commitment to the New South Wales Rural Fire Service is far beyond the call of duty."

Mr Amos told the Western Plains App he had no plans to retire any time soon.