In what Robertson Rural Fire Service senior deputy captain Jon Bracht shrugs off as "a bit of a surprise", the long-time member today received a Commissioner's Certificate of Commendation in the St Florian's Day Firefighters' Awards.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The award recognises an extraordinary 24 hours in February 2020, in which Mr Bracht worked through the night during a severe rain event, then topped it off the next day with a life-saving intervention after a man - crushed by a tree - suffered a heart attack.
He said the award came out of the blue for him.
"I didn't know a thing about it," Mr Bracht said.
"I was surprised and honoured but I don't think what I did was really that big a deal - it's what you sign up for, and I was in right place at the right time."
Mr Bracht credits the man's survival to the fact that his vehicle had a defibrillator onboard.
READ ALSO: Sam Burgess pleads guilty to driving charges
"Not even all police cars have them, but I'm glad we do," he said.
"He turned up in my driveway six weeks later to say thank you, and he was pretty much right.
"It was surprising because lots of medical people there on the day thought he wouldn't make it."
The official citation for Mr Bracht's award reads:
"On February 9, 2020, the village of Robertson was subject to a severe weather event resulting in excess of 500 millimetres of rain.
"In quite hazardous conditions that saw trees down and power lines entangled, Senior Deputy Captain Jonathan Bracht worked through the night attending to many and various call-outs.
"The following day, Senior Deputy Captain Bracht revisited some of the sites of concern from the previous evening.
"At approximately midday, while travelling in Personnel Carrier East, he was flagged down and responded to a report of a person trapped while working to remove a tree that was entangled in dead power lines.
"The 37-year-old worker was in the bucket of a cherry picker and was crushed under a tree, and had gone into cardiac arrest.
"Senior Deputy Captain Bracht commenced CPR, restored and maintained life, and continued until a crew of four paramedics arrived.
"Senior Deputy Captain Bracht continued to work beside the paramedics and police while the worker was prepared to be airlifted to Liverpool Hospital.
"NSW Ambulance later commented that on their arrival they were faced with a very complex scene, with many challenges.
"The worker survived despite a poor prognosis at the time and site of the incident."
The award will be handed over in a scaled down, COVID-safe ceremony at a later date.
- Many other local firefighters were recognised in the list - we're hoping to bring all their stories to our readers in the coming days.
