Brigades awarded for fire bravery

When the call comes through to the fire station asking the team to fight another blaze, not one person puts on that yellow suit to gain any kind of glory.

Most firefighters are people we know around town, volunteers humble and friendly, who we hope we never have the misfortune to meet at a fire ground.

The 2016 Waroona-Yarloop bushfires changed the lives of people who lived in those towns, but also the firefighters who battled for more than two weeks to extinguish the blaze.

Earlier this month members of the Yarloop Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade, Waroona Volunteer Fire and Emergency Services unit and Cookernup Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade were recognised by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services for their hard work and bravery during those horror two weeks.

The brigades received certificates of commendation, the department’s highest honour, at a ceremony in Bunbury.

They were among more than 130 volunteer and career firefighters recognised for their outstanding courage and dedication.

Yarloop Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade member Peter O’Brien has fought countless fires over the past 10 years, yet he remembers the events from January 2016 clearly.

He had spent Wednesday, January 6, fighting the fire in Wagerup and Hamel and went home in the evening for a break.

When he got the call to start fighting the fire moving towards Yarloop, it was 40 hours before he would return home again.

“After that we were everywhere. It was two weeks non-stop.”

Cookernup Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade captain Bryan Crook said his brigade members went “above and beyond”.

“It was 15 days straight of organised chaos,” Mr Crook said.

“They all deserve certificates of commendation, every single one of them.”

He believes many others put in extraordinary efforts, even if these were not recognised with a formal award.

“The way people pulled together is something we’ve never seen before and hopefully won’t ever need to see again,” Mr Crook said.

Emergency Services Minister Francis Logan said the firefighters had shown dedication and bravery in perilous conditions.

“More than three years have passed, but their efforts are still in the minds of the people who worked alongside them and the individuals they helped protect,” he said.