Police and officers from Fire & Rescue NSW were called to a hotel in Cobar about 7.50am following reports of a fire.

The blaze was brought under control and everyone inside the premises was accounted for, though the building sustained extensive damage as a result.

More than an hour after the original fire call, at about 9am, two firefighters were at the hotel when a wall collapsed on top of them, killing one of them.

Sadly, it’s the sort of tragedy that our service personnel might face every day.

Police, firefighters and paramedics can never be sure what the shift has in store for them when they front for work.

They might be called to a horrific car crash, a volatile domestic situation or a dangerous blaze.

When everyone else is fleeing the scene of a tragedy, emergency service personnel are throwing themselves in the line of danger.

They do it, overwhelmingly, because they feel a duty to protect others.

And, sometimes, the result is a tragedy.

For every life lost on the job, there are countless more lives – spouses, children, loved ones and friends – that are irrevocably, tragically changed.

Yet our society could not function without the commitment and dedication of these men and women.

Just think of that for a moment as you go to work this morning.

Be thankful that you can be sure you will be returning home tonight to your loved ones, because there are some among us who cannot be so certain.