More than 100 firefighters have been honoured in statewide awards. Photo: NSW Rural Fire Service Facebook.
When Anthony ‘Coogee’ Reed thinks about his decades-long career with the NSW Rural Fire Service, some days stick out more than others.
A few of those days were in February 2024, when the phone rang with news of an unresponsive five-month-old child in Delegate.
There was one manned ambulance in the area, which was out on another call.
“I realised this was not good, at all, and we couldn’t wait for the poor ambos … I picked the baby up and there was another member of the public outside the house.
“He drove my vehicle while I was giving the baby CPR. I took [the child] straight to the Delegate Multipurpose Service.
“The staff saved that baby’s life. All I did, really, was transport.”
The next day, he was called into work again – this time to fight a vehicle fire and then a house fire at the same address. Together, the firefighters were able to get the fires under control, while the baby also recovered after being flown to Canberra in a critical condition.
“Put it this way, it wasn’t a normal day,” he said.
Just over a year later, he was one of dozens of firefighters from across NSW to be honoured during a ceremony to mark St Florian’s Day (the patron saint of firefighters).
He received the Commissioner’s Certificate of Commendation for his efforts.
“I was a bit surprised I was nominated, but very humbled as well,” he said.
“I was very proud of the others [the recipients] as well. I was also proud of the organisation [the NSW Rural Fire Service] for doing something like this and recognising people.
“There are a lot of stories out there that are untold and unrecognised.”
During the ceremony, more than 100 NSW RFS and Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) members had their bravery and courage recognised.
Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib thanked the firefighters for their work.
“Every day our firefighters demonstrate extraordinary bravery, putting others first as they carry out their firefighting duties,” he said.
“I’m so proud of these exceptional individuals and their commitment to protecting NSW.”
Also in the Snowy Monaro Region, operational officer Adrian Butters, who gave first aid to two adults at a house fire and attended two serious motor vehicle crashes, was honoured with a commendation.
Across NSW, there were several unit citations, in recognition of people’s combined efforts.
Bombowlee and Tumut rural fire brigades from the Riverina region were awarded a citation for their efforts in saving a woman in cardiac arrest. At a call-out in January 2024, each member performed at least six rounds of CPR, working until NSW Ambulance paramedics arrived.
Members of the Mulloon Rural Fire Brigade also received a unit commendation for their efforts in December 2023, after working to retrieve the body of a woman who had died while camping near the Shoalhaven River in severe weather conditions.
Shoalhaven District and Fire and Rescue NSW South 1 received a citation for its response to a smouldering grain silo at Bomaderry in May 2024, while Splitters Creek Rural Fire Brigade, near Albury, received one for its response to seven motor vehicle accidents over 15 months.
South Eastern Area Command Strike Team Alpha was recognised for its efforts during Victorian fires in February 2024.
NSW RFS Stephanie Lazzaro was another firefighter honoured during the ceremony.
The acting captain and senior deputy captain of the Bermagui brigade was one of the defenders of the historic Murrah Hall in the Bega Valley, which came under threat during the 2023 Coolagolite fire.
After thinking it was just a grassfire, Ms Lazzaro said she soon realised what they were facing.
“It was all around us – we could see it coming. It seemed to take forever … that’s where we spent the next couple of hours,” she said.
She and her team made “a big circle” and set out to fight the fire, and after their “team effort”, the crews were able to save the historic hall and head back to Bermagui.
“The fire was intense, the wind [was strong], trees were down,” she said.
“It was driving like a rally driver, dodging the trees coming down on the way home!”
Ms Lazzaro said she was honoured to receive a commendation, though she was “slightly embarrassed because I didn’t do it by myself”.
“I was lucky enough to be a leader who had a great crew along with them,” she said.
“To see the fire that was out there and know it [the hall] didn’t get touched, that was a pretty good feeling, to see it untouched.”
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