She is believed to be only the second woman to take on a captaincy role in the Mid Murray Zone.
While not her first time in a leadership role with the NSW RFS, Capt Hyde said she was honoured to be taking such a large step for greater gender diversity in the local area.
‘‘I was nominated as captain to lead a change in direction for the brigade, and to hopefully encourage more women to join,’’ Capt Hyde said.
‘‘I’ve been part of the Deniliquin brigade for five years now, and I’m excited about taking on this role.
‘‘As captain I will be responsible for brigade management, making sure we’re keeping up with operational readiness, managing incidents and training for brigade members.’’
Capt Hyde joined the RFS in the Cudejegong region in 2007, and was also previously based on the Central Coast.
The enrolled nurse came to the local area when a job became available at Deniliquin Hospital.
Capt Hyde has served as an RFS deputy captain for the last 10 years, in three different brigades.
Mid Murray Zone Superintendent Tony Whitehorn said she has a wealth of qualifications and experiences in the RFS that made her suitable for the top job.
‘‘Mandy has a Certificate II in Public Safety Firefighting Operations, and holds crew leader qualifications in advanced fire.
‘‘She is also a veteran of a number of fires, including the 2019/2020 fires.’’
Capt Hyde said she was also actively involved in providing assistance during flood events.
The Deniliquin RFS brigade is one of about 50 in the Mid Murray Zone and operated out of sheds at Deniliquin Airport.
Capt Hyde, who was previously deputy captain of the brigades, replaces Kane Barnes in the lead role.
She said one key focus in the lead up to bush fire season will be recruitment.
‘‘We have 30 members that we can call on if there is an incident, but we would certainly welcome more.
‘‘We need more active members in Deniliquin, but the Rural Fire Service does offer numerous roles on and off the fire ground.
‘‘Anyone interested in volunteering can jump on the website — www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/volunteer — or they can call the Deniliquin Fire Control Centre on 5898 4100.
For those who want to assist the RFS but don’t necessarily want to be on the front line, the Mid Murray Support Brigade is another volunteer pathway to explore.
The Support Brigade takes on roles in communications, logistics/catering, bulk water and Airbase operations for the zone.
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