Local Paper readers will know that our son-in-law, Paul Bryant (ex-Eildon and ex-Alexandra High School) is a volunteer RFS captain in NSW.

He will hate us drawing attention to his own selfless work (and that of his teams), over the past two months. But the community needs the opportunity to applaud and salute these incredible heroes who worked long hours, every day, without fail. Same story applies to local Victorian firefighters.

Their families and neighbours went through a similar hell, with no guarantees about their own personal safety on any given day. Children, particularly, will have lifelong apprehension about the brutality of fire.

Early in the Gospers Mountain fire (NSW), back in November, a number of crews were involved in a ‘burnover’. Ten crews made their way to an alleged ‘safety refuge’. Two crews initiated their burnover procedures. The video is frightening.

Many people won’t afford the nine minutes to watch the video. (The firies had no hesitation in donating two months of their time.) If you want the express option, go to the 3:10 mark, to see how one team coped.

• By Ash Long, Editor, The Local Paper