A teenager who rescued her mother and another firefighter when their truck rolled is among those being honoured for their bravery.
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Mackenzie Scott had been a Rural Fire Service volunteer for nine months when the truck she was in rolled while responding to a grass fire in central west NSW near Bathurst in September.
The then-16-year-old Ms Scott got her mother and another crew member out of the truck, performing first aid and assisting those still trapped inside until paramedics arrived.
She is among NSW firefighters being honoured for their bravery on Saturday, International Firefighters Day, marking the feast day of the patron saint of firefighters, Saint Florian.
More than 50 RFS volunteers, staff and teams are expected to be honoured for their courage and exceptional service.
Fire and Rescue NSW will also formally recognise almost 100 firefighters who went above and beyond their duties, including an on-call firefighter who saved a semi-conscious teenager from a Blue Mountains house fire, and an off-duty member who gave first-aid and CPR to an elderly driver at the scene of a crash on the state's Mid North Coast.
Saturday provided an important opportunity to recognise firefighters, Emergency Services Minister Jihad Dib said.
"They do their work quietly and without want of praise but it is important that today they are recognised for going above and beyond in their duties," he said.
Some 22 RFS firefighters appointed incident controllers during the Black Summer 2019/20 bushfires are set to be recognised with a Commissioner's Unit Citation for Service.
Another unit citation is bound for the Bathurst, Raglan and Eglinton Rural Fire Brigades and Chifley Lithgow District staff for their response to the September crash Ms Scott was involved in.
Australian Associated Press
