Carterton fire chief Wayne Robinson, who has volunteered with the brigade for 33 years, said he hoped the award would give the brigade some final closure.
"We keep saying about closure, and now that we've got something like that award, we're never going to forget about it, but we can just move on.
"It was one of those accidents that you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy."
It was by far the worst accident he had ever attended, Mr Robinson said.
"It's part of your job as a firefighter - you've got to take the good, the bad and the ugly, and that was obviously one of the ugly ones."
Several members left the brigade after the accident, finding it too distressing, he said.
Some are still receiving counselling.
Carterton fire fighters were among the first emergency workers at the scene of the crash and the Carterton station was used as a meeting place for the families of the victims in the days after the incident.
Masterton fire station officer Mike Cornford said the brigade had done their best during a difficult time.
"I'm pretty proud of the guys from the Masterton station and the job they did on the day of the action, and the subsequent days after. It was a pretty trying job that they did."
National commander and commission chief executive Paul Baxter said the brigades had demonstrated their commitment to protect lives, no matter what.
"It was a bit beyond what we expect fire fighters to deal with on a daily basis. We deal with some horrific things every day around the country, but it was a really impacting event, and some of the members have left as a result.
"We just wanted to recognise what a great service they provided for the community."
