Beaudesert firie Andrew Clarke was 'a little bit shocked' by his recent award nomination

In his spare time, Mr Clarke volunteers as the Local Cadet Coordinator for the Emergency Services Cadets Unit at Beaudesert PCYC, and said the award nomination had taken him by surprise.

"When I saw it come through I was a little bit shocked and apprehensive considering how much good work goes on around the state," he said.

"I sort of sat back and thought I'd look at it more as a recognition of the good work that the ESC program's doing not just in Beaudesert but statewide."

Beaudesert born-and-bred, the firefighter said he took on the leadership role as a way of giving back to his community.

"I've pretty much been a firie for five years in Beaudesert now," Mr Clarke said.

"I grew up in the local area and went to the local high school.

"As soon as I found out about the Emergency Services Cadet Program possibly coming up and running within Beaudesert I knew that it would be beneficial to the community straight away.

"I thought I'd definitely stick my hand up for that."

Cadets in the program have taken part in a variety of activities, including touring the Beaudesert Police Station and meeting Queensland Police Service drug detection dogs.

The cadets are also set to attain first aid and CPR certification, which Mr Clarke said was being done in conjunction with Mick Kajewski at Beaudesert Swimming Pool.

Although he downplayed his contribution, the firefighter acknowledged how much work his role with the cadets required.

"There's actually a lot more work to the coordinating side of things than I expected," Mr Clarke said.

"We've got a team of adult leaders who definitely make my job a lot easier.

"There's definitely been a lot of leadership growth for myself throughout the program, but that's just one of the side benefits. We're trying to aim towards building leadership, resilience and life skills amongst the young kids of Beaudesert."

Everyday Heroes Award winners will receive $1000 cash alongside a $1000 donation to a charity of their choice, and Mr Clarke said selecting a charity was "an easy choice".

"It's an easy choice for me, being involved in the program," he said.

"Being a charity organisation, it'll be going straight to the Emergency Services Cadets. I think that $1000 cash I'll probably donate to the cadet program as well."

Mr Clarke said the money would be a big boost for the program, which had been supported by local businesses and Beaudesert Youth and Community Centre.

Nominations for the QBANK Everyday Heroes Awards are currently open, and anyone can nominate a local hero on the QBANK website.