By Callum Ludwig
A firefighter from the Hoddles Creek CFA has been recognised for her efforts as part of a strike team sent up to assist with the 2019/20 Black Summer bushfires.
Firefighter and Secretary-elect at the Hoddles Creek Fire Brigade Jessica Jacobs (who was with Upwey Fire Brigade at the time) was one of 158 Dandenong and Knox volunteer firefighters to receive a National Emergency Medal.
Ms Jacobs said she got deployed with Strike Team 1304 up to Jackadgery, about an hour west of Grafton in New South Wales.
“The local crews up there were absolutely exhausted, having been fighting fires for months and already dealing with the drought up there as well, their water supply was really scarce, so we were able to come up and help them out,” she said.
“We were protecting a macadamia farm and various houses and properties near the Kaloe Mountain Trail fire when our divisional commander, John Kennedy, went into cardiac arrest at the fire.”
The five truck-strike team was spread out across a cattle station and Mr Kennedy, a local firefighter and the Grafton National Parks and Wildlife Divisional Commander had travelling between the trucks. He and Ms Jacobs had been extinguishing a fire, causing it to become particularly smoky ad to the point that neither of them could breathe properly and each took turns to get some fresh air.
Ms Jacobs said Mr Kennedy stepped out to get some fresh air, but he kept walking a bit further.
“All of a sudden I thought, ‘Where is he?’ so I turned around and I saw him drop. I knew it was a worst-case scenario, so I just threw the hose and took off all my gear because I felt I needed to be in the best position to help him,” she said.
“I noticed he wasn’t breathing, he had no pulse and he was in cardiac arrest so I ripped open his shirt, started doing compressions and yelled out to the guys to get me a defib and to do a mayday call.”
Ms Jacobs was part of a crew of four who, alongside Mr Kennedy’s coworker, immediately rushed to the commander’s aid. Miraculously, there was phone reception in the area and Triple 0 was called, while they divided their attention between Mr Kennedy and the live fire still burning alongside them.
CPR and two defibrillators were desperately used to keep Mr Kennedy alive as he went into cardiac arrest three separate times before a rescue helicopter winched down a doctor nearby and ambulance crews arrived.
Ms Jacobs said there were lots of things that happened that day that shouldn’t have happened, but did because it obviously wasn’t John’s time to go.
“I wasn’t even supposed to be on that fire truck that day, I was supposed to be on my own brigade’s truck and it was about ten minutes between crews on dozer tracks with no street signs or anything to direct yourself, so if it happened while he was between crews his coworker might not have the manpower to help out,” she said.
“Before this day, we had not met John before, but in the fire service, you’re a family, so we were not going to give up on him at all.”
Ms Jacobs and other crew members estimated that Mr Kennedy was in cardiac arrest for between 15 to 20 minutes when it struck the third time.
In November 2020 Ms Jacobs, Wonga Park Lieutenant Luke Summerscales and First Deputy Group Officer for the Dandenong Ranges Group Alan Potts were awarded a Chief Officer Commendation.
Ms Jacobs, who also fought the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009, said it was a really different way of fighting the fire because they had been in drought for so long prior.
“Down here we’ve been blessed to have water but we had to really focus on fighting fire with fire and keeping water for those times where really needed it and for our safety as well,” she said.
“I’m proud to get the medal and I’m really glad and excited that the rest of the Strike Team is getting acknowledged for all their efforts as well, what we all did that day was honestly a miracle.”
