A 10-year-old boy from Launceston has been recognized for his bravery by the state government after he successfully alerted his mother to a fire in their kitchen.
Ollie Brunskill has been celebrated as a hero by both his family and school for his courageous actions, which included rescuing his infant sister from danger.
His mother, Stacey Brunskill, is now urging families with young children to take precautions against house fires by investing in fire blankets and extinguishers.
During this year’s Book Week, Ollie dressed up as his favorite character, Link, from the renowned video game series The Legend of Zelda. Little did he know that within a day, he would display heroism of his own when he detected a fire in their Prospect Vale home in northern Tasmania.
The incident occurred due to a mandoline slicer that had been inadvertently left on a hot plate, causing flames to ignite and spread quickly, which Ollie noticed in the reflection of the kitchen window.
Rather than panicking, Ollie alerted his mother and took swift action to ensure his baby sister, Nora, was safely outside.
Stacey Brunskill recounted, “My son came to tell me there was a fire. When I checked, I saw flames about half a meter high on the stove. He quickly got Nora out of her therapy chair and led her outside to the neighbor’s house for safety.”
Stacey noted that she was grateful to have a fire blanket, which she used to smother the flames. “The fire brigade confirmed that it prevented the fire from spreading further. Without it, my house could have been completely destroyed,” she stated.
After calling emergency services, she grabbed a fire extinguisher from her car and managed to spray it through the kitchen window to suppress the fire until her neighbor could assist with a hose.
Although the fire was limited to the kitchen, the smoke and soot resulted in significant damage to many household items. “Every door in the house was open, and all of my son’s new bedding, along with my daughter’s playpen and car seat, were in the lounge,” Ms. Brunskill recalled.
She emphasized that if not for Ollie’s quick thinking, the situation could have turned out much worse. “If Oliver hadn’t been there, we might not even be here,” she remarked.
Ollie’s heroic actions were formally acknowledged when he received a certificate of bravery from Education Minister Jo Palmer during a ceremony at his primary school on Wednesday. In that moment, Ollie felt a connection to his fictional hero, Link.
He expressed admiration for Link, stating, “He is someone who saves people and species. Since Link’s a hero, I became a hero the next day.” Ollie also noted that his long hair helped him resemble his character.
Despite the chaos, Ollie managed to remain composed as he realized the importance of being prepared. “While I wanted to grab everything, my priority was my baby sister. I stayed calm so that my mom would too. Saving her wasn’t something I had planned,” he explained.
Ollie advised other children never to play with fire and to ensure that nothing is left on the stove unless it is being used for cooking, emphasizing the need for adult supervision.
Toby O’Connor, the acting principal of Summerdale Primary School, praised Ollie for his “heart of gold,” expressing feelings of pride among the staff and students. He highlighted the importance of fire education, which had been recently provided at the school, and credited Ollie’s actions to both his bravery and the knowledge gained from these sessions.
Stacey Brunskill reiterated the importance of fire safety equipment for families with young children and expressed her overwhelming pride in her son. “Words cannot capture how proud I am. He is truly remarkable, especially considering he has level two autism and ADHD, which often leads to him being misunderstood. Yet, he is the one who saved us from a potentially tragic outcome,” she concluded.
