Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) is bolstering its forward pack, adding the Sharks as another elite sporting club to a partnership program supporting firefighters’ health and wellbeing.
The Sharks joined the Western Sydney Wanderers as the latest sporting clubs to sign onto the Tactical Athlete Resilience Program (TARP), a unique initiative which officially launched in August following a successful trial.
TARP gives FRNSW firefighters access to the first-class strength and conditioning coaches, physiotherapists and facilities used by some of Australia’s top sportsmen and women.
Sharks as our Elite Pathways and Physical Performance Manager Daniel Miladinski, who oversees the development of all players in our junior representative and academy system, will lend his experience and expertise to the TARP initiative.
As part of their club’s introduction to the program, Miladinski joined NRL star Blayke Brailey and Sharks young gun Blake Hosking in a ‘Firefighter for a Day’ experience at FRNSW’s Emergency Services Agency in Orchard Hills.
The NSW Swifts also participated in the immersion activity, which is aimed at deepening the sporting clubs’ understanding of the unique occupational demands and hazards firefighting presents and therefore allow them to tailor their support.
TARP will include a preventative readiness component, which keeps firefighters at the top of their game, as well as rehabilitation services for firefighters injured on the job.
The Sharks and Wanderers join the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, South Sydney Rabbitohs, St George Illawarra Dragons and NSW Swifts in supporting the program.
Their addition expands TARP’s footprint across Sydney’s southern and western suburbs, improving access for local brigades and personnel wishing to benefit from the partnerships.
FRNSW Commissioner Paul Baxter said the Sharks and Wanderers would create new training, treatment and rehabilitation options for those on the firefighting frontline.
“It is important we continually boost the resilience of our workforce by finding ways to decrease the incidence and impacts of illness and injury,” said Commissioner Baxter.
“TARP has already proven to be a game-changer in this respect, demonstrating our ongoing commitment to supporting our firefighters in innovative ways.”
TARP has the backing of workplace injury insurer EML.
FRNSW is exploring ways to expand TARP across more sporting codes and locations.
