Four local men have been awarded for an “extreme act of bravery” at Gunnedah Fire Station on Saturday.
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Brian Jaeger, Steve Smith, Jamie Fitzroy and Jackson Ludlow were recognised for rescuing Tina Beasley and Craig Clarke from a unit fire in Chandos Street in February last year.
All four men were driving nearby when they smelled the smoke coming from the unit and stopped to investigate.
Mr Jaeger rang triple-0 then found a garden hose and put it through the kitchen window, while Mr Smith kicked in the front door and found Ms Beasley, dragging her from the unit.
Mr Fitzroy helped Mr Clarke down the steps and Mr Ludlow called the ambulance who instructed him to try to keep the pair from losing consciousness after they were put on the front lawn. When the Gunnedah Fre and Rescue arrived, they administered oxygen to the fire victims and kept them warm.
Ms Beasley and Mr Clarke were taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation. Following her rescue, Ms Beasley said she wanted the four men to be given bravery awards.
Gunnedah Fire Station commander Rod Byrnes said the rescuers were “very humble”.
“When I first approached them, they didn’t want to be recognised, but I convinced them that it was an extreme act of bravery and they should be recognised. And all the brigade are very glad they were there because it saved us from a possible tragedy,” he said.
“The four gentlemen acted very bravely in a very hostile environment. With house fires it’s unpredictable with the heat and the smoke and they would have been forced back from the heat and the smoke a number of times.
“Brian Jaeger, he was the one who first arrived and put water on the fire and that gave a window [of time]. If he hadn’t…the situation could have been much worse.
“Without their quick actions, my belief is that the outcome would have been a lot worse. These people were heavily affected by smoke inhalation, finding it very difficult to breathe. As far as I’m concerned, they saved their lives.”
Mr Byrnes said the Gunnedah Fire Station members appreciated the actions of the four men and congratulated them on removing the residents from the burning building.
The awards ceremony was attended by friends and family of the rescuers, along with Gunnedah mayor Owen Hasler, local firefighters, Superintendent Tom Cooper, zone commander regional north three, and Inspector Wayne Zikan, duty commander regional north three.