1 Jan 1987
Motto: Security through training
The RAAF Security and Fire School, formerly known as the Defence and Security Training School, is a vital part of the Ground Academy of the Air Force Training Group.
The school was renamed on 1 January 1987 under the Command of SQNLDR Clive A. Nelson. The school originally consisted of five flights in Queensland and Victoria. It offers training in various functions and roles such as dog handling, fire-fighting, police and ground defence training, and security guard training. In its early years, the school graduated 413 personnel from forty-four courses. Demand for more labour intensive courses then grew with the need for airfield defence guards, security police, military working dog handlers, and firefighters.
The school evolved over the years, and by 2007, it had five training flights and two support flights, with approximately 102 permanent staff and forty-eight reservists. In 2008, the school received its first two Rosenbauer Panther fire tenders, and in 2011, it was honoured to receive the Governor General's Banner by the Governor of Queensland, the Honourable Penelope Wensley AC.
In recent years, the Air Force Gap Year program has placed a new demand on the school, and in 2018, the school introduced virtual reality training aids to the program. The school continues to strive for excellence and proficiency, as evidenced by the awarding of Markowski Cup in 2001. On 30 November 2007, the school paraded with the Air Force Band accompaniment in recognition of its 25th anniversary and twenty years as the RAAF Security and Fire School.
To learn more, see this extract from Units of the Royal Australian Air Force by Despina Tramoundanis