Dawnie+Current+Affair

The Journal

Hero Grappling with horror 3/8/10 Tuesday

A Bayswater father has emerged as the unsung hero in last week's incident at a Mountain Highway petrol station. Hypnotherapist Dean Filmer was driving past the Safeway Caltex in Bayswater at 8:25am last Tuesday when he noticed flames engulfing the station. He stopped and took off his jumper to use it to put out the flames, before he realised that the situation was a lot more serious! "I could hear screams and I thought it was the man who had set the fire alight, but as I got closer... I realised it wasn't him screaming," Mr Filmer said. "It was the ball of flames on the ground, the woman. The whole car was engulfed and was exploding. She was burnt all over, but I was just trying to do things as safetly as possible," he said. Mr Filmer, 45, said once he was within 4 metres of the scene, he noticed a 4WD vehicle charging at the man, who then fled onto Mountain Hwy. Meanwhile, Mr Filmer helped move the woman, who had suffered 100 per cent burn to her body and a wound to her neck. Mr Filmer said the horror of the scene had seriously affected him, but he would seek counselling and encouraged others who were traumatised to do the same thing. "I was shaking for a couple of hours and I'm still grappling with it", he said. He does not see himself as a hero - he said he was just trying to help. Love Commercial real estate manager, Derek McLaughlan, was was 50m away from the station in View Road and also saw the incident. "I just could't believe it and as I walked closer I saw the woman rolling on the concrete," Mr Mclaughlan said. (There is a separate article also linked with this incident. I have used it as part of the sequence)

As you already know, this courage hero is Dean Filmer.

This article was set at Safeway Caltex petrol station, at 8:25am, with the station engulfing in flames. **Main** sequence:
 * 1) 42 year old man alledgedly set alight a car that was parked next to the petrol browser
 * 2) The car burnt completely, spreading flames around the petrol station. (Luckily the quick work from the firefighters extinguished the flames before explding the station's petrol tanks!)
 * 3) Dean passed the station, which was engulfing in flames. Once he was within 4 metres of the scene, he noticed a 4WD charging at a man.The man then fled to the Bayswater Church before being pursued by police, dog squad and detectives*
 * 4) ﻿ He took off his jacket to help reduce flames, but it wasn't that easy!
 * 5) Dean heard screams, and realised it was the woman. She was suffering burns to 100 per cent of her body. Dean dragged her out as safetly as possible, with the risk of suffering burns himself.
 * 6) At 11:20am, police, CFA, media and 50 more onlookers watched the woman shirtless and with minor injuries (thanks to Dean) was wheeled into an ambulance and taken to hospital
 * 7) Unfortunately, the woman died later that night after suffering burns to 100% of her body

I think Dean shows courage because, say if you drove pass your nextdoor neighbour and their house was on fire. Would you stand back and just watch it burn, or run inside and help bring the family members into safety, with the risk of being burnt yourself? But isn't you next door neighbour someone you would've already known and met or even had conversations with? The woman whom Dean was rescuing was a stranger to him, yet he didn't hesitate. I also think this would've been quite a big move, since petrol is an extremly dangerous fuel for fire and if Dean had not acted quick I really can't imagine what would happen to the woman.

Inspector Kane said that the __police__ had solved the situation as peacefully as possibe. But what do you think? The police gets paid for this work and recieve special training- they simply do it for the sake of doing it. So do think it's the police who has shown courage or Dean? The police only called for the ambulance-they did not do anything to the woman *If you passed a petrol fire station, wouldn't you just try avoid the fire and continue faster?

Questions