A young man with autism has used his unique talent to help the South Morang CFA brigade.
Adam Bain has had a passion to be a firefighter since he was young, but he said his autism and a rare kidney condition prevented him from realising his dream.
Despite the obstacles, the South Morang brigade has taken him on board as a non-operational support member in charge of inventory.
“I have mild to moderate autism and a photographic memory, which is great in my role supporting the firefighters,” the 22-year-old said.
He said he could memorise all the equipment in the trucks and knew if anything was missing or out of place before the brigade attended a call-out, and the water and fire retardant foam capacity of each vehicle.
He also knew the registration numbers of all the South Morang and other CFA brigade trucks.
Mr Bain came to the attention of South Morang CFA first lieutenant Nathan Shell through his exacting computer artwork after he posted a drawing of the brigade’s pumper on the CFA Facebook page.
“Adam now trains with us but his real value is his memory, where he knows exactly what is in every locker and compartment of our two trucks and two cars,” Mr Shell said.
Mr Bain uses a computer program to draw fire trucks and other vehicles, and has won praise from emergency services around the globe.
An American fire brigade in Martins Ferry, Ohio, made him an honorary captain, while the Modena Fire Company in Pennsylvania featured a story on his artwork of one of its vehicles.
The BBC Twitter feed has also shown pictures of his drawings of London fire trucks and ambulances.
The South Morang brigade needs members available during business hours. For information, call 9436 6429.
