Fireys rescue woman from unit fire in Moe after receiving ‘strange-sounding’ call
Despite the callout sounding like a “hoax”, swift action from fireys likely saved a young woman’s life in a Moe blaze. It’s just one of the reasons they’ve been given national medals.
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A woman is lucky to be alive after fireys pulled her from her burning Moe home, despite initially believing the callout to be a “hoax”.
William Sexton was one of the firefighters on shift in Gippsland on Saturday when the blaze broke out in the Marshall Ave unit at 7.15pm.
The initial callout was “strange-sounding” he said, remarking it sounded like a “hoax call”.
“We were all a bit uncertain about what was going on, but it was one small apartment fully engulfed by flames,” Mr Sexton said at an event honouring the service of those who put their lives on the line to save others.
“They (the crews) made a real quick attack on the fire and found the woman (inside) who suffered from heavy smoke inhalation.”
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Luckily the crew was able to pull the woman in her 30s from the burning home and stabilise her before she was flown to The Alfred in a critical condition with upper and lower body injuries.
On Friday, the hospital confirmed the woman remained in a critical but stable condition.
Crews are hoping she makes a “good recovery”.
“But that was just the start of our night — there were more callouts that night and we’re just really proud of the team effort,” Mr Sexton said.
“We don’t see it as personal recognition, we see it as recognition of the team.”
Speaking to the Herald Sun at Fire Rescue Victoria’s (FRV) Long and Good Service Awards Ceremony in Traralgon this week, Mr Sexton was one of at least 74 fireys across the state to be presented with awards including the National Medal and the National Emergency Medal.
Ceremonies were also held at Burnley in Melbourne and Wangaratta, with the final ceremony of the year to be held in Warrnambool next week.
FRV commissioner Gavin Freeman said it was important to recognise the incredible commitment, dedication and hard work crews contributed each day.
“That includes all 4500 members across the state — whether they be frontline firefighters or corporate staff that help those frontline fighters do what they do every day,” he said.
Most emergency responders, he said, encountered members of the public on what was likely the “worst day of their life”.
“It’s really important for our firefighters — they’ve got to be well-trained, well-skilled but I think the most critical thing is compassion,” Mr Freeman said.
Another firefighter honoured was Commander Jamie Wilkie, a dedicated firey who has served on the frontline for 15 years.
For him, the highlight of the job is “making someone’s bad day better”.
“It’s always been a great achievement,” he said.
But while the awards are honouring the FRV members, Commander Wilkie said families of fireys also needed to be recognised since those serving could spend up to 48 hours a week away from home.
“Or more — depending on where there’s gaps and what needs to be filled,” Mr Wilkie said.
The awards came as a new map was released by a national council of firefighters and emergency services showing vast portions of the nation are at heightened risk of significant bushfires this summer.
AFAC’s 2024 summer bushfire outlook, released on Thursday, suggests the central Northern Territory, portions of regional NSW, most of southern and western Victoria, the bushland around Adelaide and vast stretches of Western Australia are at increased risk of bushfires.
The term “increased risk” refers to the likelihood of an increased number of significant bushfires occurring in the outlook period compared to average.
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