Twisty’s hot to trot- Bound for overseas … Kalorama CFA’s Tristan Sarrell is off to Canada to

By Tania Martin
TRISTAN ‘Twisty’ Sarrell is trailing a blaze across the globe.
The 25-year-old Kalorama CFA volunteer will spend the next six months fighting fires in Canada.
He hopes the placement will help him realise his dream of becoming a career firefighter.
Mr Sarrell became interested in the job following the devastating 1997 fires which ripped through the Dandenongs, killing three people.
“The fires were just across the road from where I was living…it was pretty big for me,” Mr Sarrell said.
He decided to join the local junior fire brigade when only 13 years old and is now in the senior ranks.
It wasn’t long before he became a third lieutenant in the unit and scored a seasonal job fighting fires in the hills for Melbourne Water.
But Mr Sarrell said it was the fires of 1997 which made him want to find out more about how to deal with fires.
Before the fires he had been planning a career as a musician or star cricketer, but it changed following the blaze that ripped though Ferny Creek.
“When I was little, I played firefighter games, but always thought I was going to be a cricket star,” Mr Sarrell said.
But that all changed after he joined the brigade in 1998.
Mr Sarrell was on stand-by in the hills for the Black Saturday fires, but said it was the worst he had seen.
“It was a bit different for us as we were not directly affected up here but we had ash raining down on us…I’m still not sure how we didn’t go up,” he said.
Mr Sarrell said the fires of 12 years ago prepared him for the worst. “Back then my understanding of fires was absolutely minimal and it was terrifying.
“Black Saturday was more exhausting than anything with a constant state of readiness for months,” he said.
“I remember I didn’t actually sleep properly until we had our first decent rain.”
Mr Sarrell has spent the past few years trying to gain a position as a permanent firefighter.
He had just finished his seasonal job with Melbourne Water when the news came through about the Canada gig.
In his job with the water utility, Mr Sarrell helps clear fire tracks, does fire prevention work and protects water storages in the area in the event of a fire.
He was thrilled to be chosen to work in Canada and hopes the job will lead to a full-time career as a firefighter.