Local volunteer fire fighters were amongst 18 recipients who were presented with NSW Rural Fire Service’s (NSW RFS) awards by NSW RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons at the annual St Florian’s Day Ceremony held at NSW RFS headquarters in Sydney last Friday.
Receiving The Commissioner’s Certificate of Commendation (Individual) was Senior Deputy Captain Stephen Bishop, Dumaresq Rural Fire Brigade, New England Zone who, on August 18, 2011 while off-duty, witnessed a horrific motor vehicle accident on the New England Highway south of Armidale. Stephen rendered assistance at the scene. Despite his best efforts and those of the Ambulance crews, two of the people died at the scene. The third was released by emergency services and transported to Armidale Hospital where she later died. This incident was all the more tragic as Stephen discovered that the people involved in the accident were off-duty members of the NSW RFS that had served with him. During the incident, Stephen displayed exemplary performance in the best traditions of the RFS.
Superintendent Steven Mepham, New England Zone, was the on-call officer who responded to the same accident on the New England Highway on August 18, 2011 and also received The Commissioner’s Certificate of Commendation (Individual). He to became aware that the deceased were off-duty members of his zone. Steven demonstrated exemplary performance in his role by quickly gaining control of the situation. From the start he provided advice and comfort to the crews attending the scene who knew the deceased. His presence and prompt actions ensured that the local crews were relieved from duty by crews from a neighbouring team.
By identifying early the stress imposed on the local crews as a result of attending the accident involving their own members, Steven ensured that additional assistance was sourced from a neighbouring team. This reduced the stress on the local crews and provided a significant morale boost when it was sorely needed. Once relieved from his duty in the field, Steven continued to check on the welfare of his crews.
Dumaresq Rural Fire Brigade and Devils Pinch Rural Fire Brigade, New England Zone members Bevan Michel, Joshua Robb, Rohan Able, Reece Fredericks, Stephen Bishop, Sean Bremner, Christopher Wilford, David Brunkhorst, Elizabeth Ferris, Michael Rooble and Neville Ferris received the Commissioner’s Unit Citation for Service also for their response to the motor vehicle accident on the New England Highway on August 18, 2011. In these difficult circumstances, both crews displayed exemplary performance in undertaking their duties to a high standard.
Receiving the Commissioner’s Commendation for Service were Deputy Captain Joshua Robb and Firefighter Petia Grear, Dumaresq Rural Fire Brigade, New England Zone who, on June 8 2010, were paged to a grassfire on Gara Road, Gara. On arrival, they found the fire had crossed Burying Ground Creek and was moving eastwards. They reported that the fire was spreading rapidly under strong westerly winds and requested further assistance. While chasing down the head of the fire, the pumper crew spotted a vehicle alight in the nearby paddock. A woman was heard screaming from an area ahead of the fire. They responded through the thick smoke and flames and found a woman uninjured but suffering from smoke inhalation and in severe shock. They led her to safety and, although Joshua and Petia were suffering from smoke inhalation and exhaustion, they continued to act in a sympathetic and professional manner while caring for the victim until an ambulance arrived.
