Wayne Gliddon recognised at City of Swan's 2022 Volunteer Bushfire Brigade Awards

Today, his daughters Marquita and Kirra and son-in-law Cal have followed his footsteps, and two grandchildren are showing all the signs of heading the same way, dressing up in firefighter outfits and ever on the alert for the smell of smoke in the air.

Wayne's 45 years of service were recognised at the City of Swan's 2022 Volunteer Bushfire Brigade Awards night.

He started out in Darlington where he became captain and stayed until 1972.

"In the early days we had a knapsack of water and had to go out to the fires in our own vehicles," Wayne said.

"If there was a fire call, somebody would ring the post office in Darlington and they would hit the siren.

"The worst one I went to back then was around a quarry. It was at night, climbing around a hill with 20 kilos of water on my back.

"I fell over once in a creek bed and couldn't get up because of the weight on my back."

After a 10-year break, in 1982 Wayne moved to the East Gidgegannup Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade, where he is now lieutenant.

For the past 20 years he has done summer shifts in the fire tower at Walyunga National Park and has attended numerous deployments up north.

"The one fire where I thought my number was up was the Wooroloo fire last year. We had to go for burnt ground until the fire passed," he said.

"You have got to be on your toes but a roaring fire doesn't really phase me, you just remember your training."

Of his four children, it was daughters Marquita and Kirra who caught the fire bug, both joining the brigade when they were still in high school.

"They grew up with it; they used to see me coming and going," Wayne said.

"The kids used to be in the car with me and we would be driving along and one of them would say, 'Dad look, smoke'.

"I am guessing my wife worries, but she is used to us all vanishing when the pager goes off.

"We used to have all the stuff hanging in the hallway and there would be a bit of push and shove to get to the gear first."

Wayne's day job was lecturing in horticulture. He also ran 12 bushfire modules at TAFE, which his girls undertook.

He is proud of their skills: "Marquita is excellent; she can easily find her way out of a fireground in the bush in the middle of the night. Kirra is a pocket rocket."

Still actively volunteering, Wayne said he will keep going for as long as his fitness levels will allow him to.

"I will miss it when I can't continue because I love it," he said.

"I monitor the fires in the state to see what is happening. I have an app on my phone that tells me where they are and how hot they are."

Wayne, one of 21 award recipients, was awarded the third clasp on his National Service Medal.