Barry Jones was awarded a bravery medal for his efforts in the early hours of November 18, 2011, when a fire deliberately lit by nurse Roger Dean tore through a nursing home, killing 11 elderly residents.

Mr Jones was part of a NSW Fire and Rescue team sent from Blacktown Station to extinguish the blaze.

Mr Jones and two colleagues entered the front lobby of the building and were immediately tasked with combating the fire and removing patients from a wing of the building. 

Dense smoke hanging down to floor level met the firefighters when they entered the wing. 

Battling intense heat, the firefighters could hear moaning and coughing, as well as a fire burning overhead in the roof. 

Mr Jones and his fellow firefighters made the decision to locate the patients by feeling their way along the walls of the wing. They then wheeled them out in their beds or by moving them along the ground. 

Mr Jones and his colleagues repeatedly entered the burning building to deliver patients to safety. 

He was one of 25 Australians to receive the bravery award, announced on August 17 and approved by Governor General Sir Peter Cosgrove.

“To the Australians being honoured today, I offer my warmest congratulations and express my sincere gratitude for your contribution to our nation,” the Governor-General said in a statement.

Mr Dean plead guilty to 11 charges of murder following the incident and was subsequently given 11 life sentences.