Meet firefighter Peta Miller

Firefighter Peta Miller is committed to helping people Firefighter and Manly Station Officer Peta Miller was recently awarded the Australian Fire Service Medal in honour of her distinguished service to Fire and Rescue NSW and the community. For Peta, the honour extends to the people she has worked alongside, and she considers herself 'very fortunate to be recognised for something that has simply been a rewarding part of my life and career.' 'While I hope my contribution has been positive, I have gained just as much from the people and communities I have worked with,' she says. Peta has been based at Manly Fire Station since 2019. Her path to becoming a firefighter started back in 2005, when an opportunity to apply came up. 'Growing up as a kid, I wanted to be a nurse or join the military and then the opportunity came up and I jumped at it and loved it,' she says. Peta's day-to-day work involves turning up to incidents in the area as Manly Station Officer, alongside training and instructing new team members. Her expertise also lies in strengthening earthquake response capability, both across NSW and globally. 'I work with lots of teams around the world to help them in their capacity for earthquake response,' she says. 'We go out and visit the vulnerable members of our community to make sure they are safe.' Peta Miller, Firefighter and Manly Station Officer As part of this, Peta has been involved in Urban Search and Rescue (USAR), classified to provide both national and international assistance. Having been deployed internationally, Peta has played key roles in disaster response, including as a part of a USAR taskforce addressing Tonga's Tropical Cyclone Gita in 2018. Peta gets significant joy from working alongside her hard-working crew and being able to help the community in various ways. 'We go out and visit the vulnerable members of our community to make sure they are safe,' she says. 'We often describe the workplace as a family, and for me that reflects the genuine care, trust and belonging that exists within our teams and the communities we serve.' It is this idea of working together and serving the community as a team that drives Peta. 'We don't work alone, and the way we show up each day, our attitude, willingness to learn, and how we treat others, can make a real difference to our colleagues and the people we are there to help,' she says. 'Small actions and positive interactions often have a bigger impact than we realise.' A further highlight of Peta's career has been meeting her husband, Brent, through the profession. 'We are both station officers at Manly… and our careers have travelled a very similar path,' she says. The pair have two children and take turns being deployed when there is a disaster incident. Peta's eagerness to help others extends beyond her firefighting duties. Serving as vice president of Allambie Jets Rugby Cub and secretary of Manly Nippers, she makes a difference in the community both in and out of the fire station. 'The reason that I sign up to help at my kids' school, the rugby club and nippers is because I want to help people,' she says. 'Being able to do our job in our community and help people just brings so much satisfaction.'