New honorary life members recognised

At this year’s Fire Industry Awards ceremony, held as part of the Fire Australia 2022 Conference Gala Dinner, two titans of FPA Australia were recognised for their service.

PAUL WATERHOUSE

FPA Australia

Known to most for their contributions to the organisational, political and technical fortunes of the fire protection sector, William (Bill) Lea AFSM and David Isaac have been acknowledged as Honorary Life Members of FPA Australia.

They now officially join the other life members—Peter Johnson, Barry Lee OAM, Rob Llewellyn, Chris Orr and Norm Winn—as icons of the Association.

David Isaac

Born in New Zealand, David Isaac started his career at the age of 17 with an electrical fitter mechanic apprenticeship, specialising in commercial and industrial work. Soon after, he began his long career in fire protection when he learned how to build heat detectors and to install and test fire systems.

Deemed too young to hold an electrical licence in NZ, he emigrated to Australia at the age of 20, taking up citizenship in 1979.

Over the next 50 years, Mr Isaac gained extensive experience on dry and mechanical fire protection. This expertise led to participation on FPA Australia Technical Advisory Committees (TAC) and Standards committees. He was also involved in the Australian Communications Industry Forum Cabling Advisory Group (ACIF/CAG), where he helped to write the telecommunications industry cabling standards.

He owned and operated an electrical manufacturing, consulting and contracting company for 20 years before working in private consulting and in senior management roles for major international fire detection system manufacturers.

He has been vocal in his support of FPA Australia, including serving on its Board. He has also presented frequently at seminars on technical issues, been a sought-after trainer and authored several articles. He was awarded the AV Viscogliosi award for outstanding service to the fire protection industry in 2016.

Mr Isaac was a volunteer with the NSW Rural Fire Service for many years, and worked pro bono on the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) and Youth with a Mission (YWAM) on a major water, communications and power project in the post-Pol Pot reconstruction. He also ran a national and international campaign advocating for mandatory residential smoke alarms, which led to their introduction in Queensland.

Outside of the world of fire protection, Mr Isaac has a passion for general aviation, tailwheel aircraft and aerobatics, and he can typically be found at the local airfield or on an aircraft group Facebook page.

William (Bill) Lea

Born and raised on Sydney’s Lower North Shore, Bill Lea became an apprentice fitter and turner and a plant mechanic at the age of 16. His varied career took him to foreign aid road projects in Kalimantan in Indonesia and the 1st Commando Division in the Australian Army Reserve, before making the transition to pumps and fire protection. Mr Lea started his first business in 1980, which has expanded to employ around 200 PHOTO: JAMES THOMAS people across the fire protection sector. Passionate about creating pathways for future practitioners, his company has trained almost 300 apprentices.

Outside of his businesses, he signed up with the NSW Rural Fire Service in 1979, serving as Captain and Group Captain, and receiving the Australian Fire Service Medal (AFSM) and the National Medal. During the 2019–20 Black Summer bushfires, Mr Lea juggled the roles of businessman, practitioner and FPA Australia President, while helping to fight the Gosper’s Mountain blaze—a fire larger in size than greater London.

His engagement with FPA Australia started around 2005 with TAC/4, before joining the Board in 2009 where he served as Treasurer and, ultimately, President. For his contributions, he was awarded the AV Viscogliosi award for outstanding service to the fire protection industry in 2017.

His work with the Association has helped to introduce sprinklers into nursing homes, to develop the FPAA101D residential sprinkler specifications with AFAC and

President Bob Grieve (third from right) with Honorary life members Peter Johnson, Norm Winn, Bill Lea, David Isaac and Rob Llewellyn.

FPA Australia—earning him a commendation from the Commissioner of Fire and Rescue NSW—and to develop fire safety reforms in NSW. This not only led to the mandatory accreditation of fire systems designers and fire safety assessors under the Fire Protection Accreditation Scheme, but also may soon result in the adoption of AS 1851 in that state.

When not working in fire protection, Mr Lea can be found making improvements to his farm, working on machines and equipment, sailing, and building (and flying) his own plane.