On March 10, 2019, 16 Rural Fire Service fire fighters set off from Goulburn to help respond to a bushfire in the Victorian Alps.
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They were not long out of Cooma when they came upon a situation that called for all of their collective expertise, wisdom and bravery.
"We departed from the Hume and stopped for lunch at Cooma; half an hour out of Cooma, a motor vehicle accident unfolded in front of us," said RFS Southern Tablelands operations officer Lachlan Gilchrist, who was the only salaried member of what was known as Southern Tablelands Zone Strike Team Echo 1. It was made up of combined crews that had for the most part never worked with each other before.
What happened next saw the unit today - as part of the annual St Florian's Day awards for exceptional service and bravery - honoured with a Commissioner's Certificate of Commendation.
A male driver had suffered a medical episode and rolled his car into a culvert by the side of the road. The driver suffered a serious fracture to the leg, facial injuries and most importantly, was being crushed by his own weight against the seatbelt from which he was being suspended.
The unit pulled over and immediately snapped into action.
"It was extraordinary - with no more than 20 words uttered, the strike team essentially took control, called for backup, and started to stabilise the patient," said Mr Gilchrist.
"A number of fire fighters supported vehicle with own bodies so it wouldn't roll over. It was a remarkable effort, and I'm certainly very proud of the team that did it."
A member of the unit, Richard Forshaw, is a qualified paramedic, and he climbed into the vehicle to attend to the 78 year-old man.
Other members extinguished a potentially disastrous electrical fire, while still others directed traffic around the danger zone and came up with a method to lift the man's weight from his seatbelt.
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"The firefighting team, led superbly by Deputy Group Captain Neil Shepherd, rallied to assist by retrieving lengths of 38mm hose to wrap around the patient, to spread the load of his weight, which was causing immense pain to his left side chest area," continued a report on the RFS website, which details the dramatic events here.
Minister for Police and Emergency Services David Elliott and NSW RFS Commissioner Rog Rogers this morning honoured all of the individuals and units who would otherwise be presented with their bravery awards today.
Usually held on May 4 each year, the award ceremony coincides with the Feast Day of St Florian, Patron Saint of Firefighters and International Firefighters' Day.
Mr Elliott said that while members could not gather together to acknowledge the worthy recipients in person due to current COVID-19 restrictions, a formal ceremony would be held at a later date.
"The threat of COVID-19 may keep us from gathering together but today is still a day to acknowledge the indefatigable hard work and professionalism of our 75,000 RFS volunteers," Mr Elliott said.
"First responders, including our volunteer firefighters, are the bedrock of the community. The men and women of the RFS put their lives on the line without asking for praise or accolades, but after the year they've had, I can't think of anyone more deserving."
"The past 12 months have been an incredibly difficult and testing time for many of our members, working through drought, the fire season, and now the COVID-19 outbreak," Mr Rogers said.
"It's important that we stop to recognise the extraordinary efforts and sacrifices our volunteers make each and every day to serve their communities."