Plymouth Brethren Christian Church's Rapid Relief Team provided prepared meals and 576,000 litres of water to help during Hill End fire

The Rapid Relief Team (RRT) - established by the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church in 2013 - says it used its bulk water carrier to move 576,000 litres of water from Lithgow, Ben Bullen and Lake Windamere to Hill End during the battle against the blaze.

RRT director Lester Sharples says the team also supported 60 firefighters by day and 30 by night over nine nights during the fight against the fire.

Mr Sharples said the RRT provided more than 3000 prepared meals, creating packs and transporting them into several locations daily as a practical way to deal with the rugged terrain and difficult access.

"As the RFS had warned for some time, after the floods and then the late summer heat there was a lot of undergrowth there to help spread the flames," he said.

"It's the sort of fire we usually expect to see at the other end of summer, but it's probably a sign of what we are going to have to get used to - and that is to be prepared to jump in and help these frontline volunteer heroes in floods, fires and other emergencies.

"We were delighted with the success of the bulk water carrier, which continues to help fight fires in areas where there are not abundant sources of water at hand."

The Hill End fire was only declared out last week after burning for 27 days.

Mr Sharples said RRT also uses its Rapid Water System - a mobile water pump and tank with a Bathurst connection - to give fire trucks on the frontline access to hard-to-reach water.

He said RRT's volunteers from the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church hope to serve their local community with Christian values of care and compassion.

"These men and women, these volunteers, they are brave people putting themselves out there to protect people and property," he said.

"The volunteers of RRT strive to support these frontline champions and we will continue to look for new ways to help them as they help the community."

According to the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, the RRT has more than 14,500 volunteers around the world and operates in countries including Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, France, the United States, Canada and Germany.

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