Now, his tireless volunteering with the Pipers Brook fire service has been recognised once again- with an Australian Fire Service Medal.

Having lived in Pipers Brook since the 1980s, Mr Sauer has been a long-serving and committed volunteer firefighter with the Tasmania Fire Service in his local community.

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After moving to the region in his 20s, Mr Sauer said he became a volunteer firefighter to become more involved in his new community.

"Being involved in the community was the first thing, places like Pipers Brook and Pipers River there aren't too much things that bring people together," he said.

"Larger towns have football teams and badminton teams and the rest of it, but smaller towns don't have that.

"So the local fire brigade is a way for the community to get together, and the added bonus is that you're helping your neighbours and people in surrounding districts in sometimes times of dire need."

"In many rural areas, your friend base would be much narrower without the rural fire brigade. Those rural fire brigades are one of the glues that holds the community together."

Mr Sauer was the Brigade Chief of Pipers Brook Brigade from June 1983 until December 1998, and remains an active member today.

Since 2014, Mr Sauer has been the Chair of the State Fire Management Council and a member of the Fuel Reduction Program Steering Committee, overseeing a strategic risk based program, aimed at reducing bushfire risk across public and private land in Tasmania.

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Mr Sauer provides independent advice to the Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Management and the State Fire Commission on vegetation fire management in Tasmania and he has successfully implemented numerous programs to improve fire safety in rural and farming areas of Tasmania.

Mr Sauer said he had been "shocked" to learn of his latest honour, but reflected on his years with the Pipers Brook Brigade with fondness.

"I still get the biggest kick out of seeing some change," he said.

"If that's having input with other brigade members at a large fire and contributing to that, and then things like the Red Hot Tips prgram or developing guidelines.

"That's not just an Ian Sauer developing them up, we've made a very strong effort to involve others in the process.

"It's very much a bottom-up process, not a top-down process."

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