Firefighters recount harrowing jobs that saw them awarded
Two teenagers and their grandmother stuck in a burning home, a young man buried alive and selfless firies running into a burning home are just some of the reasons why these firefighters have been honoured.
Blacktown
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You hope to never find yourself in an emergency that requires the help of firefighters but, if you do, these heroes will put their life on the line to help.
The threatening situations these men and women endure to save those in danger doesn’t go unnoticed.
Their dedication to the emergency services took centre stage this week with the recognition of 44 firefighters on St Florian’s Day.
Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) awarded the courage and commitment to unsung heroes across our state.
Among the recipients are Leading Firefighter Adam Long, Station Officer James Downey, Retained Firefighter Darryl Goodwin and Station Commander on C Platoon, Andrew McNamarra.
Leading Firefighter Adam Long | Individual Commendations for Courageous Actions & Unit Commendations for Meritorious Service
At around 5pm on March 30 last year, two teenage boys were taking a nap at a home in Campsie. While they slept an electrical fault caused a power board to catch alight.
Flames broke out, alerting the boy’s grandmother who was also inside, and she attempted to wake the sleeping teenagers. But was overwhelmed by the smoke and had already fallen unconscious.
Campsie, Burwood, and Ashfield crews were dispatched to the burning home.
Driving the truck from Burwood was Leading Firefighter Adam Long accompanied by Station Officer David Dawes and Senior Firefighters Hugh Lloyd and Phillip Roche.
“On the way we were receiving updates that multiple persons including children were trapped behind bars”, Mr Long recalls.
“On arrival, Campsie firefighters were on the scene and attacking the fire from the front, Phil and Hugh went out the back and entered through the rear door to begin the search and rescue.”
Mr Long headed to the side of the house.
“I was looking through the windows and there was thick black smoke everywhere. Through the smoke I could see a patch of skin and came to realise it was one of the boys,” he said.
“I grabbed the rescue shears to pry the bars open — I put my feet against the wall and held onto the bars ripping them up.”
Being an engine driver Mr Long didn’t have breathing apparatus and when the team inside couldn’t locate the teen he made a snap decision.
“The smoke was too thick and the layout of the home was complicated due to the number of people living there and their possessions,” he said.
“I went in through the window — it was about chest height. The smoke with thick, black and hot — without the apparatus I couldn’t breathe.”
The firefighter was able to jump into the window and reach for the teenager who was unconscious on the bed.
“I grabbed him by his ankle and dragged him to the window and then had to work out how to get him out,” he recalls.
During the rescue, Mr Long couldn’t see the teenager through the smoke instead blindly feeling around for him on the floor.
“I had to keep taking breaths outside before putting my head back in the smoke. I managed to grab his shirt collar and drag him up by the torso through the cut bars,” he said.
Mr Long managed to pull the teenager to safety where paramedics took over.
The teen suffered burns to 40 percent of his body as well as carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide poisoning, spending a month recovering in hospital.
“Police who were onsite rescued the other teenage boy and Lloyd and Roche were able to locate and pull out the grandmother,” he said of the older lady who tragically passed away as a result of the fire.
“The two boys both spent a month in hospital recovering — the critical takeaway is the importance of smoke detectors which this home did not have.”
Station Officer James Downey | Unit Commendations for Meritorious Service
On Monday May 31 last year, severe surf and large swells sent waves crashing against Nobby’s break wall in Newcastle.
The stretch runs approximately 450 metres along Macquarie Pier and is usually a spot for locals and tourists to take in the picturesque views.
Local Jamie Franco was watching surfers take advantage of the big swell when he heard screaming. Despite dangerous conditions he followed the noise and found a man pinned to the rocks.
At the time Station Officer James Downey was the commander of Newcastle fire station.
“We got a call that there was a man distressed on Newcastle Nobby’s break wall,” he explains.
“When we arrived, the surf and swell was so severe that it was crashing up and over. We were informed that a man had been washed down the harbour side of the break wall and was trapped and getting impacted by the surf.”
Station Officer James Downey was accompanied by Senior Firefighters Tony Wade, Brent Agland, Geoff Ferguson, Matthew Russell and Jeremy Tout.
“Two of the firefighters went a long way out to see if they could find the man, SFF Brent Agland located him and positioned himself in between the waves and the man to help block impact,” Mr Downey said.
The six firefighters, accompanied by lifeguards Adam Metcalf and Adam Body, mounted a rescue mission.
“The lifeguards were watching the swell, SFF Tony Wade and I joined SFF Brent Agland on the rocks,” Mr Downey said.
“For lack of better words we dragged the man up to the top and all six of us put him in a stokes slither and hightailed it out of there — it‘s what we call a snatch and grab due to the dangerous conditions.”
The crew carried the man back to safety, battling waves every step of the way. When they back to dry land paramedics took over.
“He had six or eight broken ribs, a collapsed lung and a fractured pelvis so he was lucky to survive,” Mr Downey said.
“I do not doubt without the efforts of the firies, members of the public and other emergency services, he wouldn‘t have survived.”
Retained Firefighter Darryl Goodwin | Unit Commendations for Meritorious Service
On Easter Sunday 2021, the Wallerawang Station received a call to assist police when a 23-year-old man became trapped underground after digging a trench in his backyard.
Retained Firefighter Darryl Goodwin, who is also a police officer, happened to intercept the call while checking his shifts.
“I knew it was two streets away from me — I put my shoes on and immediately rushed over there,” he explains.
“Sergeant Colin Sheil was nearby in a patrol call and we turned up at the same time.
“The trench had collapsed while the young man was digging and he was buried alive — his father had used all of his energy trying to find him.”
Mr Goodwin, Mr Sheil and the man‘s father continued the search.
“He was completely buried, we knew he was in a two-metre area but didn’t know exactly where so we had to keep digging without harming him,” he said.
Eventually they had some luck.
“By the time we found him he was unresponsive, he was wearing big work boots and they were stuck in the trench so we couldn’t get him out properly until we dug every part of him out,” Mr Goodwin said.
“We put the defibrillator on him because he didn’t have a pulse so while digging we were also giving him CPR.”
Paramedics arrived on the scene and were able to get a pulse back.
“They would get it back and then it would go again, get it back, and then again it was gone,” Mr Goodwin recalled.
Thankfully a CareFlight helicopter was still in the area after attending to a motorcycle accident.
“Paramedics got a strong pulse and he was flown to a hospital in Sydney where he was put on life support,” he said.
The young man remained unresponsive and tragically passed away a few days later when his life support was turned off.
“The hardest part is we are all local people and good mates who want to give back to our community, we knew the young man and his family which makes it really hard,” Mr Goodwin said.
“You know you are doing as much as you can, it was a harrowing experience and one a lot of us will thank about for the rest of our lives.”
Station Commander, C Platoon, Andrew McNamara | Unit Commendations for Meritorious Service
In the early morning hours of August 26, 2020, C Platoon Station Commander Andrew McNamara and his crew were pulling into the City of Sydney Fire Station.
“We had just returned from a call when when we got the next, a house fire in Darlinghurtst”, he explains.
“We immediately pulled straight back out so we had a very quick response time. En route we received an address update, the location was tricky and truck access was difficult.”
The City of Sydney flyer truck arrived first with Station Officer, Michael Packham, Senior Firefighters Warren Whillier and Matthew Jenkins and Firefighters Chris Boyko and James Murray onboard.
“The fire was coming from a ground floor apartment that was located at the end of a tiny cul de sac.
“The first crew went in and started attacking the flames, they were able to get control of the fire really quickly,” Mr
“Boyko, Jenkins and Murray started preparing the hose and forced their way into the apartment to start attacking the flames
The City of Sydney runner truck wasn‘t far behind with McNamarra, Qualified Firefighter Clayton Kulmar and Firefighters Nelson King, Evan Lister and Bronwyn McDougall.
“We arrived at the same time as the Darlinghurst Fire Station and were told there was a missing person inside the apartment,” said Mr McNamarra.
Qualified Firefighter John Goldthorpe and Senior Firefighter Andrew Soliatis from Darlinghurst entered the building in search of the missing man.
“They had zero visibility due to the smoke, they had to feel their way around the apartment by holding onto the walls,” Mr McNamara explains.
“Very quickly they found him in the bathroom, he was semi-conscious and struggling to breathe with signs of burns.
“When we were dragging out the causality, the fourth truck (City of Sydney Rescue Pump) pulled up, we needed a medical kit urgently and radioed for someone to bring it over.”
Fire Fighter April Maciejowski’s quick response with the kit meant the crew could start aiding the injured patient.
“Maciejowski and Kulmar began resuscitation before paramedics arrived.”
A combination of quick response and bravery meant no lives were lost in the Darlinghurst fire, with 11 firie recognised for their actions.
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