As Christchurch shuddered under the power of a 6.3-magnitude earthquake on February 22, 2011, its 380,000 residents raced to evacuate amid shaking ground and crumbling buildings.
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Less than 24 hours later, a clutch of Illawarra firefighters were among a specialist brigade rushing towards the ruined city.
On Sunday, at least 12 were awarded Humanitarian Overseas Service Medals for their work in the aftermath of the quake which left 185 people dead.
Part of a United Nations-accredited urban search and rescue (USAR) team, the group of firefighters, paramedics and engineers scrambled on to planes and headed across the Tasman to search for survivors.
"We immediately deployed to an office block that had collapsed, where they suspected people were still trapped," Shellharbour station officer Garry Lawler said.
The USAR team worked in 12-hour shifts, finding and rescuing a woman within the first day of arriving on the scene. Sadly, they did not find any more alive.
"There were a lot of deceased in the building," Mr Lawler said.
Other firefighters recognised in the Christchurch effort were Illawarra inspectors Jay Bland and Greg Houston; station officers Dean Adam, David Gill, Robert Killham, Brett Pittman and Chris Sykes; and senior firefighters Scott Carlson, Andrew Gordon, John Kite and Jonathan Meakin.
Inspector Bland told the Mercury the team's training and methods were world class, with accreditations from the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Co-ordination division.
"Our team rescued the last survivor from the earthquake. It was a pretty intricate operation; when using our gear, there's a lot of technology that is both robust and intricate," he said.
Sunday's ceremony recognised 68 firefighters for their roles in Christchurch, as well as several other awards for similar valorous work back home.
Firefighters Rhett Davis, of Bulli, Brian Deans, of Unanderra, and Catherine Douglas, of Port Kembla, received Commendations for Meritorious Services.
Firefighter Justin Taylor, and sister-in-law Raelene Morris received commendations for their role in resuscitating an unconscious baby at Kanahooka.
Robert Love, of Nowra, also received a commendation for rescuing a girl from a house fire.
