By Sharon Webb

WHEN MEANDER Valley’s firefighters headed for the mainland to help out, they didn’t feel like heroes. Some felt scared and a bit nervous. Many were newly-trained level one firefighters, so it was their first real fireground experience. But when they arrived at the small towns in NSW, towns where local firefighters were sick with exhaustion and the rest sick with worry, the locals treated them like heroes. ‘No matter where you went, people came up and hugged you and said thanks for coming to help,’ said 24 year old Shannon Ager, who works as a cheese packer at Ashgrove Cheese and went to NSW from the Chudleigh and Caveside Brigade.

Bob Muller, 60, of Deloraine, was located at the National Trust town of Braidwood, on the NSW Kings Highway between Canberra and Bateman’s Bay. ‘When we travelled out to the firegrounds in truck convoys each day, people came out onto the road clapping and taking photos,’ he said. ‘Their fire fighters had been out for weeks and were exhausted so they were pleased to see us. It was very emotional.’ Kerryn Harris, 38, from the Golden Valley Brigade, was with Shannon and based at Kempsey on their December deployment and at Nowra in early January

‘We were on night shift and at midnight people in Kangaroo Valley were bringing out coffee and Christmas cake, offering us everything,’ she said. All three firefighters are level one, having learnt the basics of fighting vegetation fires, how to use pumps and other equipment and how to stay safe. Kerryn, a full-time mum, left her four children at home with her husband Simon, whose employer kindly let him work from home to take care of their three year-old. ‘Being away from the family is a bit of a worry – and they don’t know where you are and if you’re all right,’ she said.

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Meander Valley’s firefighters head for the mainland

‘It’s completely different from

what you see on the news. ‘People panic when they know you’re going to fight fires but I had really good training, and at the fires I had a good team and a good team leader. ‘When we get there we’re allocated to a leader and a truck. We patrol looking for hotspots and putting them out, doing house protection and backburning.’ Bob Muller, also at level one, has jumped out of the surf and into the fire – literally. He spent 12 years in surf lifesaving on the mainland. Now that he lives in Deloraine, he’s visiting NSW as a firefighter.

‘My first job with the Deloraine Brigade was as Santa, distributing lollies from the fire truck to Deloraine kids,’ he said. ‘But in NSW I was working with a team to help prevent a megafire happening if the Charleys Forest and Currowan Forest fires joined. ‘I remember a day when I stopped to fill up the truck with fuel and a woman drove past. I guess she was 70. ‘She stopped her car, turned around and parked at the servo, then came in and hugged me and said, “Thanks for what you’re doing”.’ Shannon, whose dad Paul Ager is also fighting fires, was nervous of what faced her as she took the flight to NSW.

‘But it gets easier when you get to know your team,’ she said. ‘We have guidance all the way through. You trust that crew with your life and the experience means you have a bond that will last forever.’ Shannon’s poignant moment came one night at singer Slim Dusty’s original homestead at Nulla Nulla, an hour upriver from Kempsey. After five hours at the fire, it was 5am and everyone was exhausted, some sleeping on the ground ‘There was a sign explaining the home’s history and the words from a song, “When the rain tumbles down in July”,’ Shannon said. ‘It mentions his favourite applegum tree – and the worst part was that we were sitting there watching that tree burn down. We just couldn’t save it.’

The fire season isn’t over in Australia, so if you’re thinking of contacting a Meander Valley fire fighter to toast their safe return with a beer or a champers, take a raincheck. Most of our local heroes have already gone on their next deployment.

Meander Valley firefighters who are helping out interstate

Carrick Fire Brigade:

Nathan Walker Chudleigh Fire Brigade: Shannon Ager, Paul Ager Deloraine Fire Brigade: Bob Muller Golden Valley Fire Brigade: Kerryn Harris Hadspen Fire Brigade: Ian Gabityes, Peter Hynes Prospect Fire Brigade: Trent Nicholls, Dwayne Leonard, Matt Buck Westbury Fire Brigade: Craig Johnston, Rodney Brewer, Jonathan Jarman