Port Pirie Fire Station names young boy an honorary firefighter

Beau Dienelt, 10, has both cystic fibrosis and cerebral palsy, and is cared for by his mother, Michelle Dienelt, full time.

When the crew heard about Beau through the community, station officer Ian Sulley made contact with the family and organised a special surprise.

The crew dubbed Beau an honorary firefighter and got him to respond to a mock drill behind the station.

Ms Dienelt said she was incredibly grateful to all involved for giving Beau "the experience of a lifetime".

"We have had a lot of challenges through his life and during the COVID pandemic, and we have been in lockdown to keep him safe," she said.

"I cannot thank Ian and the boys enough for what they did with Beau, his little face says it all."

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Firefighter Jonathan "Jonno" Edwards said they absolutely love doing this sort of thing for the community.

"It was brilliant, you couldn't take the smile off [Beau's] face," he said.

Mr Edwards said the act was extra special for the family given the Dienelts had recently had Beau's NDIS funding cut and he wanted to highlight the issue.

"As members of the emergency services, we help people in their time of need and it would be really important to see the NDIS is restored to their family," he said.

"Michelle cares for him 24 hours a day, pretty much.

"I'd rather pay $3 worth of petrol if it meant people like Beau can get the appropriate care."

Mr Edwards also said the crew in Port Pirie would love to have further community involvement.

"[Ian Sulley] is the one that really pushes the community engagement and works hard to be a part of the community," he said.

"If there's any other kids out there that are interested in this, then we're more than happy to be a part of the community and help them out."

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