Firies perform with great professionalism at horrible crash

FRASER Coast firefighters have been recognised for their work at a fatal traffic crash which claimed the lives of five people on the Bruce Hwy near Howard earlier this year.

Three officers were awarded the Assistant Commissioner Unit Commendation award for their work at the crash scene, which was deemed to be one of the most confronting crashes to take place in Queensland this year.

The awards were presented to the officers at the Maryborough Station on Tuesday morning as part of the QFRS award ceremony to recognise the work, professionalism and long-serving efforts of Queensland Fire and Rescue staff in the region.

More than 20 officers received awards and medals as part of the service, with officers from Maryborough, Hervey Bay and Tin Can Bay receiving medals for diligent and ethical service along with one national medal.

North Coast Region Assistant Commissioner John Watson said three Fraser Coast officers were given awards for their hard work and professionalism when faced with a devastating fatal crash a few months ago.

"The crash near Howard was a particularly difficult scene for emergency crews as it claimed the lives of five people, and took several hours to clear," he said.

"We do get a lot of crashes in this region unfortunately, and this one was quite traumatic.

"But our officers were able to perform their jobs with great professionalism despite being confronted with such a horrible crash."

Asst Comm Watson said the ceremony also took the time to recognize several long-serving firefighters and staff members for their service.

"Holding these awards is one of the good things I get to do," he said.

"It's great to be able to award people for their hard work in what can be a very difficult job."

Award recipients

National Medal

Michael McIntyre.

1st and 2nd Clasp to National Medal

Jeff Wright.

Diligent and Ethical Service Medal

Shane Allwood.

Jason Bellert.

Darren Bosel.

David Crisp.

Paul Kelly.

Jodie Lynch.

Craig Magick.

Peter Mapson.

Michael McIntyre.

Tracey Scheffler.

Shane Charman.

Graham Carr.

Shane Goodall.

Ricky Hassall.

Adrian Massingham.

Cameron Riggs.

Paul Sanders.

Paul Toohey.

Jeffrey Warfield.

Justin Williams.

Diligent and Ethical Service Medal 1st clasp

Wayne Ackerly.

Allen Birch.

James Gill.

Leonard Gleeson.

Desley Goldsworthy.

Malcolm McKay.

Diligent and Ethical Service Medal 2nd clasp

Neil Lesmond.

Assistant Commissioner Unit Commendation

Michael Corser.

Shaun Murphy.

Peter Mapson.