Community
6 August, 2026
Hitting the ground running
TERANG Urban Fire Brigade’s new captain Josh Williamson is eyeing a revamp of training models and a recruitment boost to ensure the dedicated efforts of volunteers can continue to protect the wider south west.
Mr Williamson was voted in as captain this year after the departure of long-time brigade leader Ash Miller.
“I’ve been the 1st Lieutenant for a few years and at our last meeting the brigade decided it was best to vote me in,” he said.
“In a way I’ve sort of grown into the position, but also fell into it a little bit as well.
“I’ve been with Terang Urban Fire Brigade for the past four years, but I’ve been a member of the Country Fire Authority (CFA) for 10 years.
“I started further up north at a rural shed before moving off the land and into town, where I gained a better understanding of urban firefighting.”
Mr Williamson said he felt well prepared for the role with the support of those in the management team.
“As a captain you oversee everything from an administration side of things, and also from an operational side of things,” he said.
“While I wear the red hat, there’s a lot of other people wearing hats who, if it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be able to do my job.
“I technically oversee everything to make sure everyone is doing their job, but without them I can’t do my job anyway.
“It’s a large responsibility but it’s also a rewarding responsibility.”
Leading a brigade can extend far beyond the typical callouts associated with rural living, with the Terang Urban Fire Brigade among the crews launching united efforts to contain large-scale bushfires in recent years.
Terang members were among the hundreds of firefighters who supported containment efforts during the January bushfires at Larralea and Skipton.
Brigades from across the region worked to contain the blaze to 2322 hectares despite battling soaring temperatures and wind.
The brigade also had a presence at the Otway complex fires in January which burned around 11,000 hectares, with a five-person team making the trip to offer support on seven different occasions.
The efforts followed the brigade also having a presence at the 2024 Grampians bushfires, which burned 76,000 hectares.
Mr Williamson said a vital aspect of the CFA’s operational capacity was for brigades to be able to respond to incidents both at home and beyond.
“We’ll look after our own patch but if Noorat gets a call, we’re off to Noorat in support,” he said.
“We support brigades across the area including Dixie and Garvoc, but we’re also fortunate because Fire Rescue Victoria support us with a lot of our structure calls.
“It’s not just one brigade looking after a little patch, we’re all supporting a larger area.
“It can be a challenge in and of itself and, as a captain, it’s one of those things where you want to support other communities but also know where the best place is to put other members.
“You have to make sure you’re covered at home and away.”
Concerns of dangerous fire conditions throughout the spring and summer months later this year have been growing with a strong El Nino underway in Australia, bringing drier and warmer conditions.
The Bureau of Meteorology has warned the weather event could be one of the strongest on record, with a high likelihood of lower than average rainfall in the latter half of the year and beyond.
With the dangerous conditions looming, CFA brigades across the state have eyed expanded numbers to ensure rapid containment efforts should fires spark.
Mr Williamson said he believes a robust training program could encourage people to join up and heighten visibility within the community.
“It’s always important to have new members coming in, while also retaining older members who have dropped off a little,” he said.
“One of the things we’re doing at the moment is getting more in-depth with our training programs to help bolster reinforcements.
“Through COVID we saw training drop off but now that we’re back to normal, we’re slowly trying to rebuild the program which I think will help us be seen in the community.
“It’s all good and well saying we’ve got active members, which we do, but your members get tired and we need to be able to rest them if work or personal commitments come up.
“Any amount someone can do is fantastic, but someone might have a bit more spare time.”
Mr Williamson said there was a place for everyone at the CFA, regardless of what they felt their limitations may be.
“My biggest thing is telling people not to think the CFA isn’t a place for them,” he said.
“There is absolutely a place for everyone, whether that’s operational or non-operational.
“At the end of the day we need someone to help us maintain our gardens versus run into a burning building.
“To stand there all night at a shed fire watching it burn because it’ll be a terrible day tomorrow, but we also need someone to sit down in the station and hope we don’t get a call.
“Whether you want to be operational or non-operational, there is room for everyone at the CFA and there’s lifelong friendships to be made.”
For Mr Williamson himself, the decision to join the ranks is one he’s never regretted.
“It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done,” he said.
“Especially being new to the area because I didn’t have a lot of friendships, but I’ve managed to make a lot of friends who I wouldn’t have met otherwise.”
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