Grand Kids' Day at the PCYC, Waitara
In 2004, Shane Fitzsimmons became the inaugural visiting fellow of the Australasian Fire Authorities Council to the Australian Institute of Police Management. He held this role for 12 months.
After serving as Executive Director Operations and Regional Management, Fitzsimmons was appointed Acting Commissioner in mid-2007 and endorsed as NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner on 18 September.
Fitzsimmons received widespread and varied comments for his leadership during the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season after he commented that NSW Rural Fire Service volunteers wouldn't want to be paid.[2] He has been praised for his high level of empathy, solemnity and calmness in an extremely difficult time. [3]
In April 2020, Fitzsimmons accepted an appointment to be the Head of Resilience NSW,
He was named the NSW Australian of the Year in 2020 and is a contender for the Australian of the Year in 2021.[6]