High-vis heroes:  father-son fire technicians keep Taree safe during the floods

When the New South Wales mid-north coast floods hit Taree in May 2025, Wormald father and son fire technicians, Mat and Jarrad, didn’t hesitate to support their community. Drawing on years of technical expertise and deep local ties, they worked tirelessly through the aftermath, checking on vulnerable sites, helping clients assess damage, and even physically assisting‑ with flood clean‑up for local businesses.

Family matters

Mat has been part of the Wormald team for nearly two decades. His son, Jarrad, joined more recently, inspired by the time he spent helping his dad during school holidays and impressed by Wormald’s strong support for upskilling and development.

“I started in this field as a multiskilled technician and am now working towards obtaining my electrical licence as a first-year apprentice. It’s been an interesting journey – I get to travel and I’m constantly learning. It’s also been good working alongside Dad. We’re not on the same jobs all the time, but when we are, we each bring our own skills and make a good team,” said Jarrad.

The pair is part of a proud Wormald tradition: family teams working side by side, supporting each other and their clients.

“There are a few of us around the business,” Mat explained. “What’s great is that Wormald doesn’t just allow families working together, it embraces it. After all, the company was founded by two brothers. There’s a mutual respect between Jarrad and me, and it’s great having someone you trust out there in the field.”

Heroes in high-‑vis

Living just minutes apart in Taree, Mat and Jarrad witnessed firsthand the region’s worst flooding in history. The Manning River surged to 6.5 metres, surpassing its previous 1929 record by half a metre. Vast areas of Taree and the surrounding coastline were inundated, cutting off roads and isolating entire neighbourhoods. When the waters receded, central Taree was left blanketed in debris, forcing residents and businesses to face an enormous clean-up.

Mat and Jarrad were quick to act. Their immediate concern wasn’t just their own homes; it was the fire safety systems protecting their clients and the well-being of their community. What followed was a week spent navigating waterlogged streets, coordinating emergency responses, and stepping in wherever they were needed, from troubleshooting system faults over the phone to clearing mud from carparks with borrowed machinery.

“We were on the phones constantly,” Jarrad recalled. “If we couldn’t physically reach a site, we’d talk clients through silencing panels or making them safe until we could get there.”

Mat explained that communication and hands-on support were essential.

“One client had almost two metres of water in their underground car park. The fire panel was destroyed. While the client scraped out mud, Jarrad jumped in with a skid steer loader and helped clear it. The mud was like a thick wave; you’d push it, but it just rolled forward. We had to keep clearing it like a tide. Then we got to work assessing and repairing what we could,” said Mat.

“Essential Energy were already working at the end of our street when they asked us for help. They needed to launch rescue boats but couldn’t get traction on the muddy road, so we scraped it back to give them a solid surface to drive on.”

And just when they thought the worst was done, power restoration introduced new challenges.

“One of the biggest issues was when the power came back on,” Jarrad explained. “Some sites still had their breakers on, and everything surged back to life, including fire panels with dead batteries. It fried a few systems. The flood didn’t get them, but the power reenergising did.”

“Wormald gave us the support and flexibility to do what needed to be done and trusted us to make the right calls on the ground,” Jarrad said.

Looking ahead

 With the worst behind them, Mat and Jarrad have refocused on the diverse tasks of daily life at Wormald, where no two days look the same, and that variability is part of what keeps them engaged.

“You could be doing panel testing one day and sprinkler maintenance the next,” Jarrad said. “It keeps you sharp. You’re not just ticking boxes; you’re solving problems and making a real difference.”

What sets Wormald apart, they agree, is the strong relationships built with clients.

“People don’t call the office anymore, they call us directly,” Mat explained. “They know we’ll be there. That trust is everything.”

Whether walking clients through an issue over the phone, responding to after-hours callouts, or helping a nursing home recover from water damage, the father-son duo approaches every task with professionalism, care, and humility.

“We don’t treat clients like numbers,” said Jarrad. “They know our names. They know we’ll show up.”