National Emergency Medals and more presented to Central West firefighters

Among them were firefighters from Bathurst and the surrounds and, on January 20, their bravery and personal sacrifice was acknowledged with the presentation of the National Emergency Medal.

NSW Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) Deputy Commissioner Jeremy Fewtrell and Superintendent Anthony Hojel visited Bathurst Fire Station to present the special honour to 25 firefighters from seven different FRNSW stations.

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The medal was introduced in 2011 and is awarded for either sustained or significant service in a declared nationally-significant emergency.

Deputy Commissioner Fewtrell said the recipients should be proud of their service and their medal.

"I want you to wear them proudly," he said.

"I want you to look at that and think back and be very proud of what you've done. They've all been very well earnt."

He also acknowledged the severity of the Black Summer bushfires and the impact that they had on communities and the emergency service personnel.

"We were in the midst of the most horrible, long-lasting, very severe drought," Deputy Commissioner Fewtrell said.

"There were times where that felt as if it was never going to end and, I think, once the drought had started to bite over the year or two preceding, we knew what was always going to come at some stage, there would be significant fires.

"Inevitably that happened. We didn't have to wait til the summer, because it was in July we were having fires up around Tenterfield, Stanthorpe in southern Queensland and then also down around the mid-north coast around Port Macquarie.

"... What was really prominent about the events of that season in particular was the fact that the fires then kept going for so long."

Firefighters were deployed to respond as fires burned across the state, putting their lives at risk to save other people, animals and property.

Deputy Commissioner Fewtrell said: "There were moments there where all of us thought, 'Holy hell, what have I got myself into here and how are we going to get out of this?'"

Team work, comradery and training all came to the forefront, he said, and those things were key in responding to the situation.

"It's the nature of our work, but that doesn't mean that dealing with those situations is ever very easy, and so it was through those collective efforts that we had a successful outcome," he said.

"Although there was a significant loss of life across the state through that bushfire emergency, if it wasn't for the efforts of our firefighters and the other firefighting agencies all working together, the loss of life and the loss of property would have been much greater."

He not only thanked the firefighters themselves for their service, but also thanked their loved ones who too made sacrifices so these firefighters could leave home to battle the blazes.

He said the medal recognised families as well.

"The medal that we give to loved ones today doesn't make up for those lost moments or the extra efforts you had to put in, but it is a recognition," Deputy Commissioner Fewtrell said.

The recipients of the National Emergency Medal were:

Medal recipient Peter Kell said he was "appreciative of the award".

The retained firefighter, who has served for almost 15 years, said the Black Summer bushfires "would be up there" as some the worst things he's seen on the job.

He was deployed all over the state and remembers the situation clearly.

"Long days, lots of devastation, and lots of community rallying," he said.

In addition to the National Emergency Medal, the ceremony on January 20 included the presentation of the National Medal.

This medal is awarded for 15 years of service to the community under the Australian Honours System.

The recipients were Retained Firefighter Henry Francis, Leading Firefighter Peter Hunt and Senior Firefighter Peter Worrad.

Finally, there were three firefighters - Station Officer Andrew Henderson, Senior Firefighter Phillip Pedley and retired Station Officer Chris Sanders - received either their National Medal 1^st Clasp or National Medal 2^nd Clasp.

These are awarded for additional long service, with each clasp representing another 10 years beyond the original 15 years of service.

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