Dedication nets Wollongong firefighter medal

Cathryn Dorahy got into firefighting "by accident," but her dedication to the job and fire safety awareness has netted her an Australian Fire Service Medal.

Ms Dorahy, of Wollongong, has clocked 19 years of service to Fire and Rescue NSW, after beginning her fire career in Western Australia. Born in the Illawarra, she moved back to the area and said she became the first female firefighter in the area, stationed at Unanderra.

"It was only by accident that I became involved with the fire brigade in WA," she said, joining the service after a chance meeting with a female fire captain.

Full list of Illawarra awardees

"It was never a career I envisaged as a female."

It was this idea that sparked a major part of her career, of promoting the fire service as a viable career path for women. Becoming a foundation member of Women and Firefighting Australia in 2005, then serving as the body's national secretary, Ms Dorahy has worked as a mentor to dozens of female firefighters, recommended changes to improve retention and recruitment practices, and worked to improve links between the fire service and Islamic women who were not receiving traditional fire safety messages.

"It's about developing networks in the community to get the message out, letting them know we have these services," she said.

"We developed a network of community ambassadors from those different ethnic communities to work as a community liaison, providing a conduit to those communities."

Ms Dorahy has also given time to the NSW Spokeswomen's Program, and the University of Wollongong's Girls' Career Week, to promote firefighting to women.

"It's important for us to educate the community, to diversify the organisation."