03/05/2026
May 4 is both International Firefighters Day and Saint Florian’s Day, the patron Saint of Firefighters. The day recognises the bravery, sacrifice, and dedication of firefighters across the globe who risk their lives to protect communities, property and the environment from fires, disasters and emergencies.
International Firefighters Day is traced to the bushfires in Linton, Victoria, on 2 December 1998 when five volunteer firefighters lost their lives battling flames under dangerous and unpredictable conditions.
Saint Florian was a Roman military officer in charge of firefighting brigades. He became a symbol of courage and selfless public service.
A service in Hobart will pay tribute to Neil Brooksbank who died last October. He began his firefighting journey in 1995 as a volunteer with the Huonville Fire Brigade, becoming a career firefighter four years later.
He rose through the ranks to Assistant Director and represented Tasmania on international deployments, including the Christchurch earthquake in 2011 and the British Columbia wildfires in 2017.
His legacy includes strengthening remote area firefighting capability by helping to establish the TFS Aviation Wing, and advocating to increase the number of cancers recognised for workers compensation without having to prove its cause.
