By JESSE GRAHAM
FIREFIGHTERS who risked their lives fighting the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009 have been given prestigious bravery awards for their work in protecting their community.
On 14 November, 14 firefighters from the Marysville Fire Brigade received a Group Bravery Citation under the Australian Bravery Decorations Awards at Melbourne’s Government House.
The awards honoured the group’s commitment to protecting their community during the devastating Black Saturday bushfires in 2009.
According to the bravery citation, the firefighters were deployed on 7 February to fight the extreme bushfires bearing down on the area – some maintained communications at their station, while others joined the Alexandra Group Strike Team to fight the Murrindindi Mill and later at Granton and Marysville.
Once the fires began to hit the town, the group retreated the Gallipoli Park and protected 250 people who had evacuated to the sports grounds, and continued to protect residents and buildings in the town after the fire-front passed.
Glen and Kellan Fiske, Patrick Flannagan, Christopher, Susan and Travis Gleeson, Christopher Haden, Mark Hamdorf, Pauline Harrow, John Malcolm, Roger Martin, Stewart Potter, John Ratcliffe and Richard Uden were all named as recipients of the Group Bravery Citation.
The group bravery award is the latest honour for members of the brigade, with National Emergency Medals presented to Marysville Fire Brigade members earlier this year.
The Medal of the Order of Australia recognises outstanding achievement and contribution in the Australian honours system, and the bravery awards are given to people who demonstrate bravery in putting themselves in danger in order to help another.
