With many of Bathurst's volunteer firefighters currently battling the disastrous bushfire situation across the greater Blue Mountains area, members of the community are being encouraged to provide assistance for local brigades.
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Firefighters from all across NSW have spent several weeks battling to bring some 108 fires under control, 59 of which remain uncontained.
The Eglinton Rural Fire Service [RFS], featuring a team of 35 volunteers, has played a significant role in fighting fires in the Upper Turon [Palmers Oaky] and Blue Mountains [Gospers Mountain] areas.
"We were initially called to the Ruined Castle fire near Katoomba and since then, our crews have been out every single day," Eglinton RFS captain Matt Nelson said.
"We've put in around 1650 hours across December alone."
The Eglinton RFS were one of many crews present around Lithgow on Saturday as catastrophic fire conditions threatened the town.
Mr Nelson said it was the most difficult day he has experienced as a firefighter.
"The fire came up behind a stretch of houses along Macauley Street, and the way it behaved was unlike anything I've experienced before," he said.
"We managed to save five houses but another house up the road was lost, there wasn't anything we could do."
Despite the dire fire situation, Mr Nelson said their firefighting training provides ample guidance to carry out operations in a range of situations.
"We train for the worst possible conditions and when it comes to firefighter safety and civilian protection, we prepare ourselves for anything," he said.
"While the thought of walking into danger is always in the back of our heads, it never trumps our main objective: to contain fires and save communities."
Mr Nelson said Eglinton RFS crews will continue to battle the fires across the festive period, including Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
He said volunteer fire services across the Bathurst region will appreciate any support from the community to assist with their ongoing operations.
"Anything from a pat on the back to donations of money, water and non-perishable foods will go a long way," he said.
"We're open to accepting donations at the station, however we can't guarantee someone will be there."
"Whatever we can't use will be distributed among other local brigades, as we're all in this together."
The NSW RFS has set up an online page to donate to local brigades.
To donate to the Eglinton RFS, get in contact via their Facebook page.
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Sam Bolt
"I'm not in the business of telling people what to do. I'm much more in the business of describing things, situations and stuff like that and leaving them out there, and you can make up your minds about them." -Nick Cave
"I'm not in the business of telling people what to do. I'm much more in the business of describing things, situations and stuff like that and leaving them out there, and you can make up your minds about them." -Nick Cave
