More firefighters will be at the top of their game as Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) teams up with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and other elite sporting organisations to deliver health and wellbeing support.
The Tactical Athlete Resilience Program (TARP) gives firefighters access to the same high performance staff, specialist services and facilities as some of Australia’s top athletes.
Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience and Minister for Flood Recovery Steph Cooke today announced the program has been significantly expanded beyond the trial phase.
“The government recognises that the incredible work undertaken by our firefighters takes a toll both mentally and physically,” Minister Cooke said.
“It’s important that the men and women on the frontline have as much access to support as possible, and this unique program is helping secure that.”
FRNSW has now partnered with the NRL’s Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and St George Illawarra Dragons, Netball NSW, and the A-League’s Central Coast Mariners to deliver TARP.
This builds on the continued involvement of the South Sydney Rabbitohs, who helped steer the program through a successful trial run in 2019-2020.
Surveys conducted following the pilot revealed more than 80 per cent of participants were “very satisfied” with the program and wanted to keep engaging with future activities and workshops.
FRNSW Commissioner Paul Baxter said TARP demonstrates the agency’s ongoing commitment to its workforce and expanding support networks.
“By empowering our firefighters with elite training, treatment and rehabilitation options, we are boosting their resilience and improving return to work outcomes,” Commissioner Baxter said.
“FRNSW is always looking for ways to minimise the incidence and impacts of illness and injury.
“By bringing onboard more clubs and their medical experts across more sporting codes, TARP is now accessible to more of our firefighters and able to better cater to diverse care needs.”
In addition to the preventative readiness component – which focuses on keeping firefighters in form – the sporting partnerships also include the provision of rehabilitation services to firefighters who are injured on the job.
The alliances are also being supported by insurer, EML, which has been helping people recover from workplace injuries and get their lives back for more than 100 years.
FRNSW hopes to extend the program to even more sporting codes and clubs soon.
