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12 DECEMBER 2025
Offenders on Community Service Work Orders played a critical role in saving homes and lives during the recent Redhead bushfires, thanks to their work maintaining vital fire trails.
Fire and Rescue NSW visited Lake Macquarie Community Corrections to present certificates of appreciation to the crew who have been working tirelessly to keep fire trails and residential buffer zones clear in the Redhead region.
Lake Macquarie Manager Susan Walton said the efforts by offenders and Corrective Services NSW staff allowed fire crews safe and rapid access to protect homes and residents during intense bushfires over the weekend.
“This work crew have been working tirelessly in partnership with Bahtabah Local Aboriginal Land council to maintain these essential corridors to keep them mown and free of overgrowth or leaf litter that could fuel spot-fires,” Ms Walton said.
“They should be extremely proud of this contribution to the community and deserve recognition for this valuable work.”
On Saturday 6 December, the Cardiff FRNSW team was deployed to a severe wildfire at Redhead that threatened numerous properties, including a local nursing home.
Although earlier containment efforts had been successful, high winds pushed the fire toward additional homes.
Deputy Captain of Cardiff FRNSW, Hamish Collins, said the standard of maintenance carried out by community service workers meant fire crews could safely reach at-risk properties and minimise the risk of spot fires.
“Other captains commented on how well maintained the trail was, and I took great pride in explaining that the track was maintained by offenders serving Community Corrections Orders as a way to give back to the community.”
Thanks to those efforts, all properties were successfully defended.
“Our crews agreed that without the work completed by the community corrections team, the outcome may have been very different for both firefighters and residents,” Mr Collins said.
Community service work provides an opportunity for offenders to repay the community for their crimes through unpaid work, with tasks ranging from maintaining public spaces to preparing meals for community events.
Community Corrections partners with community, government and non-government organisations to provide these opportunities, which often includes work that enables vital projects that might otherwise go unfinished. Such partnerships provide access to essential labour that makes critical community projects possible.
