Triple-zero call-takers and dispatchers from the Ballarat State Emergency Communications Centre have been awarded for their work during the Black Saturday bushfires.
The Ballarat team members of the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority (ESTA)were among 362 call-takers and dispatch personnel to receive National Emergency Medals at ceremonies in Melbourne and Ballarat for their “extraordinary” services.
The prestigious national awards were given for “significant service” that assisted with the protection of lives and property in 2009.
Gordon resident Mandy Glover was proud to receive her medal at the weekend, saying it brought her closure after the tragic ordeal.
“It’s quite humbling – I’m very proud of myself and also proud of everybody else,” she said. “For me its recognition of something we did and something we did well.
“It has given me a sense that we actually did do a good job and for me it’s a sense of closure that we are finally being recognised.”
More than 10,000 calls were answered by the ESTA teams on February 7, 2009, enormously multiplying the normal daily average for fire calls in February, which was 461.
What started as a “reasonably quiet” day quickly turned for the worse about noon when the calls started flooding in, Ms Glover said.
“People were ringing, reporting where they could see smoke or fire … it was unreal, it’s really hard to explain,” Ms Glover said.
“I hope to never have to live through it again.”
Western Victoria MP Simon Ramsay commended medal recipients for their courage and commitment in difficult circumstances and thanked them for their “mighty effort” in protecting communities.
“Teams and individuals at ESTA played a central role in dealing with fires on and around Black Saturday and were very much dealing with the human scale of the disaster as it unfolded,” he said.
