September 21, 2022
A Nanango firefighter involved in a frightening swiftwater rescue at Brooklands last year has been named a finalist in this year’s QBANK Everyday Heroes awards.
Tom Mangan is an Auxiliary Lieutenant at the Nanango fire station, where he has served for almost 10 years.
Last November, Tom – along with colleagues Matt Lucas and Fiona Schitowski – was called to an emergency unfolding on Darley Crossing Road.
A 4WD carrying two people had been swamped by floodwaters.
When the trio arrived on the scene they found the water was so deep the vehicle was totally submerged.
Tom told southburnett.com.au a woman had managed to free herself and swim to safety however a man was clinging to a tree.
“I yelled out to him and the first thing he told me was that he was really tired. He didn’t think he could hold on much longer and he was really cold,” Tom said.
“He was probably about a good 20 metres from us and there were lots of trees in the way.”
Tom radioed the QFES communications centre which swung into action to summon back-up support, including a swiftwater boat from Kingaroy.
“But we didn’t have time to wait for them,” Tom said.
Both Tom and Matt had done swiftwater training so they jumped into their gear while Fiona got the rest of their equipment ready.
“Matty and I were talking about what we’d do and we just came up with a little plan.”
Tom yelled out instructions to the man to tell him what to do.
“It’s quite dangerous sometimes because once we get a rope to them they can just grab it and try to pull themselves in, but we needed to get a vest to him first,” he said.
And Tom was very worried they might not be able to get a rope out to him at all because of the distance he was away.
“I threw the rope out to him and it was a good shot! We got it to him right at the very full length. It was lucky he wasn’t another metre or two metres away.
“We tied the vest to the rope and got him to pull it out to himself with another rope attached to it. We told him to put the vest on but he couldn’t quite get it done up all the way.
“Just before we started pulling him in, he yelled out to us that he didn’t have any pants on. I just said, ‘mate, I’m looking forward to seeing it’.
“We were lucky enough to squeeze him around the trees and started pulling him in and got him to shore.
“As soon as we got him there, he was pretty relieved and gave us a little pat on the back.
“We got him up the bank and straight into QAS’s hands.”
But perhaps disappointingly for the crowd who had gathered to watch the rescue, it turned out he still had undies on …
“I don’t know what he was worried about. I’ve seen a lot worse than that!” Tom laughed.
“Everyone watching was relieved when he came in.
“The crowd came over and said ‘what a good throw’. It was a bit overwhelming really but we were just doing our job.
“We don’t get ones like that too often where we actually have the chance to save someone’s life.”
The QBANK Everyday Heroes award winners will be announced at a ceremony in Brisbane on October 12.
Each winner will receive $1000 cash deposited into a QBANK account and $1000 donated to their charity of choice
Tom said he felt bad that his colleagues weren’t also named in the awards.
“I’ll probably share that money with Matt and Fiona if we happen to have a win,” he said.
“They deserve it as much as me.”
- Related article: Man Swept Away By Flash Flood
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The QBANK Everyday Heroes awards recognise and celebrate the hard work, dedication and exceptional service of frontline, first responders and public services workers in Queensland.
“After a year that delivered once-in-100-year floods, uncertainty and State disasters, our frontline, first responders and public service workers have continued to shine in their commitment to the community,” QBANK CEO Mike Currie said.
“The sheer volume of nominations are a prime example of the number of stories of bravery and dedication that often fly under the radar and we are honoured to thank and recognise these workers for everything they do for our community.”
2022 QBANK Everyday Heroes Awards Finalists:
- Achievement: Tony Rehn (QPS), Thomas Mangan (QFES), Richard Lopes (QAS), Darren Randall (QPS)
- Dedication: Andrew Clarke (QFES), Cameron Crisp (QPS / PCYC), David Lyons (QFES), George Leon (QPS)
- Excellence: Kimberley Allen & Tracey Eekelma (QPS), Masako Gokita (Queensland Health), Linette Swales (QPS), Ben Bjarnesen (QPS)
- Ownership: Maxwell Pearce (QFES), Chantel Hersel (QAS), Monique Rashford (QCS)
- Working Together: Ellen Meagher & Darren Adams (QPS); Chris Farnan, James Lyons & Josh Piper (QPS); Brad Stokes, Joshua Lee, Prudence Snedden & Anthony Crompton (QAS); Darrin Tomkins, Mark Muddiman & Murray Lyons (QPS)
- Young Everyday Hero: Ameya Jaurigue
