Robert Orr learnt early in his firefighting career to “switch off” his emotions at the road and train tragedies that would become a regular part of his working life.
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Only his first fatality still plays on his mind, 40 years later.
He was summoned to a job on the Princes Highway at Albion Park Rail by a set of bells installed in his house.
As he drove to the station to collect the fire truck, he passed the crash scene with his window down and heard a baby crying. He returned about three minutes later fully equipped.
“I was just getting the hoses out and realised I couldn’t hear the baby,” he said. “I asked someone: ‘how’s the baby?’. They said, ‘the baby died’.
“I learnt after that how to switch off. You get the attitude that me getting upset isn’t going to help anyone, so that’s what I’ve learnt to do.”
Captain Orr, a retained firefighter with Albion Park Fire Station, will retire later this month. He has mixed feelings about his retirement, which has been hastened by hearing loss, since hearing aids are thought to pose a health and safety risk in fire emergencies.
Like many in the “boys club” fire stations of the 1970s, he was invited to join through a friend of a friend, with no defined recruitment process.
“I actually thought it was a volunteer organisation, because we used to be called volunteers back then,” said Captain Orr, who delivered bread and later worked as a bus driver when he was not doing retained work. “The others knew [the job was paid] but they didn’t tell me.
“That was our way, back then, of sorting out the people who were genuine and wanted to help the community, and those just in it for the money.”
Captain Orr was among the area firefighters who started Albion Park Rail’s beloved Christmas lolly run, using an old firefighting rig that would drive around the suburb on December 24 with Santa Claus on board.
“While driving around we pulled into a service station to say hello to one of the owners and he came out with a box of lollies and said, ‘throw these out to the kids’.
“The kids just loved it. It’s still going to this day.”
In 2014 the retained firefighters from Albion Park Rail merged with permanent firefighters and relocated to a new building on Russell Street, Albion Park.
“We worked on making sure our relationship with the permanents was positive and a good mix, and that has happened,” he said.
“”I’ll miss the comradeship,” he said. “They’re a good bunch of guys.”
