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4. Fire and Rescue NSW to honour Northern Rivers flood heroes during special awards ceremony - Ballina

Fire and Rescue NSW to honour Northern Rivers flood heroes during special awards ceremony - Ballina

Published: 14 Sep 2023 11:50am

They carried stranded elderly residents in their dressing gowns through floodwaters at night, provided shelter and vital supplies for isolated townships, responded to life and death medical emergencies and even rescued a dog trapped five metres up a tree.

Now, the heroic actions of Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) firefighters during the Northern Rivers floods of 2022 will be recognised during a special ceremony tonight at the Ballina Fire Station.

There are firefighters been nominated for their actions during what was described as a “one in 1000 year” disaster.

They include In-water rescue crews who paddled kilometres through raging floodwaters, submerged fences and even snakes to reach farmers cut off from help.

Among the nominated were the fire crews of towns, isolated by floodwaters for days with many homes and services under water, and hundreds of residents displaced and in need of FRNSW’s help.

Firefighters like Peter Hetherington, who in the lead-up to the floods, decided to make use of a rowing machine in the new Coraki fire station, working out half-an-hour after every call-out, to get fit.

Later, when the floods struck, he used his new-found fitness to ferry stranded residents and their pets to safety over several days in a row-boat.

All but two members of the Coraki crew lost their homes to floodwaters but they remained on duty, evacuating more than 150 people and saving a 60-year-old man from a heart attack.

Their fire station, on a hill, became a community hub for food, shelter and medicine.

Also being honoured is the crew at Yamba, which organised air drops of food when local supermarkets ran out of supplies, and who helped paramedics treat medical patients in the back of their fire engines on the way to hospital.

At Evans Head, the fire crew became the only emergency service locally contactable. It dealt with numerous Hazmat incidents and backed up the only two paramedics on duty.

With their station out of action, the Mullumbimby crew kept working to clear mud and debris from local infrastructure including the primary school.

Strike Team Alpha One ‘in-water specialists’ at Casino rescued more than 150 people from floodwaters, including a woman with spinal injuries.

They used an ironing board as a makeshift brace, which they placed on the back of a FRNSW 4x4 tanker for the cautious journey to hospital.

At Mullumbimby, Alpha Two carried out 60 rescues in deep, fast-flowing water over a 23-hour period.

Northern Rivers Zone Commander, Greg Lewis, admits he gets emotional and full of pride when he recalls the stories of teamwork and individual commitment by the firefighters and their supportive families.

“At Woodburn, the Evans Head Fire Captain’s house went under water twice…he lost his home, which also housed his wife’s child-minding business and his fulltime worksite, yet he remained on duty helping others,” Superintendent Lewis said.

“The Mullumbimby Deputy Captain’s home went under twice…the homes of the Coraki Captain, his deputy and many of their crew suffered similar fates…the Captain of Brunswick Heads had his home inundated and the Murwillumbah Captain’s workshop was also swamped….yet they stayed on the front line.”

At Lismore, a fire crew heard whimpers in the floodwaters and traced the sound to “Winnie” the pet Bull Mastiff, trapped five metres up a tree by receding floodwaters.

The firefighters rushed the dog to a veterinary clinic, where she was reunited with her family, which had lost everything in the floods, and then they paid the bill.

Fire crews saved children and seniors during medical emergencies amid the floodwaters and dealt with Hazmat crises caused by the deluge. Supt Lewis says the crews often relied on their training and ingenuity to get by.

“Just communicating and moving about was a major challenge…there were no emails, phone networks were down…you couldn’t get anywhere…you had to rely on the tides to go up and down as the roads opened and closed,” he said.

“I’ve been a firefighter for 34 years…no other event in my career has impacted Fire and Rescue NSW so heavily, where lots of us actually became victims of the event…and had to still continue to meet the community’s needs.”

“Whilst these awards honour many of our people, I want to acknowledge the dedication and courage of all of our people, from the firefighters to the admin staff, from our mechanics to the firefighter families who joined the relief effort, and of course the public which banded together to help.”

Acting FRNSW Commissioner, Megan Stiffler, and her entire executive staff are attending the awards ceremony to pay tribute.

“These firefighters were forced to think on their feet, often acting without orders or direction from their commanders due to the lack of communications, and their professionalism and bravery shone through.

Emergency Services Minister, Jihad Dib, said the communities of the Northern Rivers appealed to these firefighters and other first responders to stand up and be counted during the disaster, and they answered.

“Amazingly, they put their own dilemmas aside to help their neighbours when they most needed it,” Minister Dib said, “They stared extreme adversity in the face and got on with it.”

Additional awards will be presented to crews who saved Lismore’s historic St Carthage’s Cathedral from a deliberately lit fire in 2020 as well as firefighters who have earned long and diligent service awards.

NSW Ambulance will also present special awards to medically-trained Community First Responder (CPR) firefighters whose service proved invaluable during the COVID-19 pandemic.

When: 5pm TODAY - 14/9/23

Where: Ballina Fire Station.

Updated: 14 Sep 2023 11:55am

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