Narre Warren North fire officer Rod Harris is passionate about his work and his service has been recognised with the Fire Service Medal.A horror car smash changed firefighter Rod Harris’ life as he set about helping teenagers stay alive
Rod Harris says he has seen more than his fair share of blood, guts, death and Christ knows what else.
The Narre Warren North fire officer was sitting in a gutter after pulling two teenagers from a horrific car wreck when he realised something had to change.
So the 48yearold father of two formed a new program, with the assistance of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade, called TEENS — Teaching, Enlightening, Encouraging and Nurturing Safe drivers.
Rod’s distinguished service, leadership and dedication in the community, and in particular the development of the TEENS road safety program, earned him the Fire Service Medal on Australia Day.
He said he was humbled by the honour and was looking forward to officially being presented with the medal at Government House in July.
Rod joined the Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) in 1980, and is currently station manager at Oakleigh.
After 25 years of service he readily admits attending regular car crashes has taken its toll and he was keen to get the message across to young people that road accidents could change their lives forever.
Rod is extremely passionate about his job and the TEENS program, and said young people were often left gobsmacked by his “war stories”.
He said the Australia Day honour was not the first time the TEENS program and his work had been recognised.
The program has also been awarded the Emergency Services Foundation Scholarship, and Rod has also travelled to the United States to look at similar road safety programs.
He said the TEENS program was designed to create a realistic image of a car crash and highlight the ramifications of careless driving.
Rod has been attending road accidents for the past 20 years but said over the past eight or nine years he had noticed a real rise in the number of teenage road traumas.
“I started to think whatever is out there is obviously not working and maybe there needs to be some sort of program with a different outlook,” he said.
Rod said the idea of the TEENS program was not to traumatise young adults, but instead to leave a lasting impression before they got behind the wheel.
“A guy that is wheelchairbound from an accident comes in and talks and we play out a reallife car crash with trauma makeup and actors playing parts,” he said.
“There is screaming and yelling from the actors and it is very real.
“It is just such a sad loss of life that is lost sometimes in a moment of teenage madness – changing people’s lives and their families forever.”
Rod said he also discussed the financial, legal and physical ramifications of car accidents and said at least one of these elements was involved in every crash.
“I often tell the story of two girls that committed suicide after a road accident,” he said.
“One was a model and the other a law student.
“One was driving down Punt Road and was blinded by the sun as she looked in her street directory.
“She was on her way to a job interview.
“There was a headon smash and they were both smashed up pretty badly.
“The person involved committed suicide and the person that caused the crash got depression and felt guilty about the whole thing and killed herself two weeks later.
“The whole thing was just so sad, but these things can happen and the kids need to know about it,” he said.
Rod said he also told another story of a person who was over .05 and hit a traffic control box.
“This cost $75,000 and the driver would have to work half their life to pay it back,” he said.
“We talk to kids as kids and we don’t say ‘don’t do this’ and ‘don’t do that’.
“This is about showing (teenagers) the reality.
“Most are left gobsmacked and you could hear a pin drop in there.”
Rod said he hoped the message of road safety would be instilled in his teenage sons Jackson, 17, and Connor, 14, and they in turn would pass this on to their friends.
He said his wife Linda and work colleagues had been supportive of the program and his career.
“My wife knows about it (the medal) and is pretty stoked about the whole thing,” he said.
“She is even more stoked then what I am.”
The TEENS program originally involved the MFB, police and ambulance service, but Rod said the fire brigade was now going it alone.
Rod is due to retire in fourandahalf years but said he would probably “go for longer” but move to a quieter station.
“I love working in the community and get a great buzz when I help people out,” he said.
“It gives you a good feeling, it is a real family environment, and you are working with good guys and I have made some great friends.”
