He needs to be a little bit frightened but keep a level head in a time of crisis and he needs to trust his mates.

Fire fighting is not everyone’s cup of tea but for three Victorian firies they couldn’t think of anything better than helping out.

CFA strike team leader Col Stockdale, deputy group officer Neil Hamilton and Leigh Dodds teamed up to help out with the fires threatening the Wingecarribee Shire.

It’s been a 6.30am start for a 12-hour shift for these men who have put their lives on the line and on hold to protect the district’s homes.

It is described as dirty work, unglamorous and unsung but none of that matters when it comes to saving lives.

They forget about the stinging eyes, sore feet, blisters and dehydration just to get the job done.

Deputy group officer Neil Hamilton said the hardest thing about fire fighting was feeling the frustration.

“Not being able to suppress the fire or save a property or someone’s life is the most frustrating thing,” he said.

Mr Hamilton said the only way to fight Mother Nature was by using it against her and the only way to do that was back burning.

“You have to fight fire with fire,” he said.

“And fighting fire is similar to fighting in a war.

“You have the same front lines and when the enemy or fire in this case attacks you fall behind the lines.

“And when the wind changes in our favour we go on the attack.”

The fire fighters are all volunteers and from all walks of life and Mr Hamilton said it did not matter when they put on their orange uniform.

“When we put on our gear we are one unit.

If we are either NSW or Victoria or RFS and CFA we are all here to do the same job,” he said.

“Even though we don’t know each other we feel part of a team.

“We rely on each other for our lives and we trust each other when things turn nasty.

“But the day I stop being frightened when going into a fire is the day I stop fire fighting.”

The men and women would like to thank the community that has been supportive during this time.

“We are proud to be here and we thank everyone for their kind words and support,” Mr Hamilton said.