After his own daughter was rescued from floodwaters, Wollongong's Ray Merz decided he was going to dedicate his time to helping others.
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His daughter was just 16 years old when she was left stranded by floodwaters for four days at a Bendethera Valley campsite near Moruya in 2015.
She was without phone reception, and State Emergency Service crews were unable to locate her until river levels subsided.
While a terrifying experience, it inspired Mr Merz to join the orange army and provide the same level of comfort and assistance that he received.
"After three or four days, the SES managed to finally get her out," Mr Merz said.
"I literally made the decision the day she was rescued that's what I was going to do for others.
"I came home, put an application in and was wearing orange within two months."
Since then, Mr Merz has led hundreds of rescues in his role as a flood technician and is currently the Deputy Unit Commander with Shellharbour SES.
His dedication was recognised at the weekend as Mr Merz was nominated as a finalist for the Rotary NSW Emergency Services Community Awards.
The prestigious accolade recognises emergency service personnel for going "above and beyond the call of normal duty".
This year especially has been particularly busy with rescues, Mr Merz said. While assisting in his own backyard in the Illawarra, he has also been deployed to Walgett, Woronora and Maitland to assist with rescues.
He added while conducting rescues and dealing with catastrophes are the most memorable parts of his role, the most rewarding is passing on knowledge to new members coming through the ranks.
"I am really very passionate about training," Mr Merz said.
"There is an amazing sense of accomplishment when you see someone who you have mentored and invested time in, take those skills and climb on a roof for the first time, or clear a tree from a road with a chainsaw for the first time.
"It's even sweeter when that member didn't believe they could do these things only days or weeks earlier."
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