WHEN Alan Selman talks about his firefighting colleagues, it almost sounds like he's talking about his children.
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There is praise for a job well done and he also speaks proudly about the young, up-and-coming firefighters who are successfully learning their craft.
There is also that underlying worried tone where he's hoping that everyone will be alright and make it home safely.
For the past 44 years, Mr Selman has been a volunteer firefighter with the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS), for the past 20 of those years he has been a Group Captain in the Cudgegong District.
His role is to look at the big picture of fighting a fire - what the weather's doing, crew numbers, equipment capabilities, support services, the fire's direction of travel and what buildings and communities will be at risk.
Far from being stuck behind a deck, Mr Selman is on the fireground right along side his crews.
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"They're 12 hour shifts, it's extremely hard work and you're glad to get home by the end of it," he said.
"If I'm not prepared to do it [a task] myself I won't ask a crew member to do it. Crew safety is paramount.
"To get respect you've got to earn that respect."
READ ALSO: Heat, wind, lightning add to NSW fire fear
Recently, he and his crew were surrounded by a fire storm at Running Stream at the Palmers Oaky fire.
"It was a wall of flames. A lot of embers come first and then the wind and then the noise [of the fire], it's just a roar," he said.
Mr Selman, along with this wife and their two sons, are all volunteer firefighters who stand side-by-side to protect their communities.
"It is a very proud moment seeing the boys and the wife out there doing what they do," he said.
When asked why he and his family continue to stand face-to-face with a raging bushfire, his answer was very simple.
"The RFS has a team spirit, it is a family and it doesn't matter what brigade you're from there's so much camaraderie," he said.
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Nadine Morton
Nadine Morton covers emergency services and breaking news for the Illawarra Mercury. She takes pride in regional journalism which she believes is crucial to informing our towns and cities. Have a story? Email her at nadine.morton@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Nadine Morton covers emergency services and breaking news for the Illawarra Mercury. She takes pride in regional journalism which she believes is crucial to informing our towns and cities. Have a story? Email her at nadine.morton@austcommunitymedia.com.au
