Around 12 months ago, the Raglan Rural Fire Brigade [RFB] was one of many volunteer brigades in the thick of fighting what many experts believe to be Australia's worst bushfire season on record.
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But the images of hellish fire fronts and admirable firefighting efforts appear to have resonated locally, with the Raglan RFB reporting a significant increase in membership.
"We've welcomed 38 new members since the end of the last bushfire season, 30 of whom are new recruits without any firefighting experience," Raglan RFB captain Gareth Sutton said.
"Of that figure, 16 have completed their training and are ready to respond to callouts... some are getting a bit of exposure already, but we thankfully haven't had any major fire events as of yet this season."
New Raglan RFB recruit William Melz, who moved to the region from Sydney last year, said he was encouraged to join not only because of last summer's bushfires, but through a lifelong interest in emergency services.
"This is my first real opportunity, as I was previously in an area where there weren't any brigades nearby," Mr Melz said.
"It's always been something I wanted to do and in addition to the training, the RFB has a fantastic social and community element to it."
"The pub is often the go-to place for people to socialise but as I don't drink, this is a great avenue to meet new people and learn vital skills."
The new faces will certainly be welcome at the Raglan RFB, who will spend the next few months on standby should any fire events occur.
Despite more favourable conditions in comparison to last summer, Raglan RFB deputy captain Nathan Jackson said grassfires are still a cause for concern.
"The recent rainfall has caused grass to grow and die off earlier than predicted," Mr Jackson said.
"We're on high alert for all grassfires, especially with summer storms on the way and the potential for lightning to ignite fires."
Mr Jackson was a key player in Raglan RFB operations last summer, and said the experience has brought the brigade closer together and ready to take on anything.
"We've run our CISS [Critical Incident Support Services] program for those still feeling the effects of last summer, as it was certainly our toughest season," he said.
"The weather was unpredictable, the fire behaved abnormally, it was hell."
"We've been showing the new recruits videos from the fire fronts last summer, and have upped our training immensely."
Mr Sutton said the Raglan RFB was in the field last season for 158 days straight [September 15 to February 20], and are well prepared to answer fire events should they arise.
"With all the grass starting to cure the way it is, it's only a matter of time until grassfires start to pop up later in the summer."
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