LOCAL fire brigade members in Wallan, Wandong, CFA District 12 and the Mitchell Shire Fire Brigades Group were recently recognised for their efforts in the 2020 XPT train derailment in Wallan, while two other Mitchell Shire firefighters were also awarded a Chief Officer’s Commendation.
The members who helped respond to the 2020 train accident north of Wallan train station on February 20 were all awarded a Unit Citation.
Wallan Fire Brigade’s Bek Lyons, Fiona Corfield, Shane Benetti, Captain Tim Benetti, Terry Nunn, Chris Answer and Travis Gray were all awarded, as was Wandong’s Liam Edwards, John Kendrick, Captain Heath McSolvin, Lieutenant Yorin Miller and Lieutenant James Stephens.
In that train crash, 155 passengers and six crew were onboard the New South Wales TrainLink passenger train when it derailed, in which there were sadly two fatalities and 61 injured passengers, with eight sustaining serious injuries.
The incident earned praise from the response due to the quick thinking to contact the train operator, the prevention of an environmental disaster after recognising a ruptured fuel tank in the crash and triaging the rear of the BP service station on the Hume Freeway near the crash site.
Initial crews also requested the train lines shut down to assess the scene and establish fire suppression techniques.
A Chief Officer’s Commendation was also presented to Tallarook Captain, Tim Ward, and Trawool Lieutenant, Georgia Munro, for helping save the life of a male occupant following a house fire in Tallarook last year.
