Western Australians are being urged to reward emergency services volunteers and staff throughout the State by nominating them in the 2025 Western Australian Fire and Emergency Services (WAFES) Awards.

The annual WAFES Awards celebrate the achievements of emergency services personnel who have made a significant contribution and demonstrated a high level of commitment in the past 12 months.

Fifteen awards are up for grabs in three categories; individual, team and young person. These cover Marine Rescue, State Emergency Service, Volunteer Fire and Emergency Services, Volunteer Fire and Rescue Services, Bush Fire Brigade, career firefighters and Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) corporate staff and operational personnel.

Eligibility for the Young Person Awards, previously known as the Youth Awards, has changed to volunteers aged 18 to 28.

Last year’s winners included gongs for successful ocean rescues in pitch darkness and after a boat was damaged by a shark, strenuous outback rescues at Karijini National Park navigating cliffs and a death adder, and volunteers responding to life-threatening bushfires.

DFES volunteer and career personnel responded to 33,949 incidents in 2024 including 5,489 bushfires, 1,344 structure fires, 3,000 road crashes, 1,112 hazardous materials incidents, 2,371 rescues and 296 searches.

Emergency Services Minister, Stephen Dawson’s statement

Stephen Dawson, Emergency Services Minister said: “Over the past year our volunteers, career firefighters and DFES staff have once again faced incredible challenges, responding day and night to a range of incidents including bushfires, storms, cyclones, floods and land and sea search rescue operations.

“They do this without hesitation, selflessly putting themselves at risk to serve their community. These awards are about bringing their stories to light.

“These are the people who help us prepare for and withstand disasters and they are the people we turn to when rebuilding our communities.

“Nominating a local emergency services superstar in your area is another way to say thanks to the 26,000 volunteers and around 1,800 DFES staff who consistently step up when they’re needed most.”

Western Australians urged to nominate emergency service heroes: Summary

Nominations have opened for the 2025 Western Australian Fire and Emergency Services Awards. Emergency Services Minister, Stephen Dawson said that by nomination a local emergency services worker in your area you are saying thank you to the staff who consistently step up when they’re needed.