Fighting fire in Redwood Valley physical and 'insanely hot', says Nelson volunteer

Tuesday, 12 February 2019

Volunteer fire fighter Steve Hussey works as a photographer. However, he's always listening out for the call to fight fires.

Fighting house fires is 'intense', but the blaze that sent fire crews out into rural Tasman was another experience altogether, says Steve Hussey.

With two years' experience and plenty of training under his belt, the volunteer firefighter is pretty much ready for anything. So when sirens called Hussey and the rest of the Stoke crew to the fire station last Tuesday they were keen to pitch in and help with what they knew would be a big one.

'We all knew it was coming, we were ready.'

On Wednesday morning they sprung into action, relieving crews who had battled the blaze through the night.

Hussey and his crew struggled up hills carrying heavy equipment to fight the fire.

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There's nothing quite like the camaraderie of a fire crew, Hussey says.

At first, Hussey spent a while dampening down hot spots. Then, he joined the rural fire unit.

'Then it was full on,' he said.

Hussey and the rest of the team worked to establish a fire line, working their way along the Redwood Valley. They concentrated on areas that had already been dampened down by helicopters emptying monsoon buckets.

The work was physical, and 'insanely hot', as he battled his way uphill, carrying hoses and pumps.

Looking down from his vantage point across Redwood Valley, Hussey felt 'overwhelmed.'

'The damage was awe inspiring.'

He also felt an 'immense respect' for the fire crews that had worked overnight to save the homes dotted throughout the valley.

'There were several buildings that could have been lost and you could see where the fire had come right to the property's perimeter.'

Hussey credited his fellow volunteers for keeping up spirits and camaraderie.

'Everything you do is a team effort, everyone has each other's back.'

It was heartening to have a helpful community behind him, too.

'Whenever you needed a break or water, you'd get down to the bottom of the hill and there were trays of food people had dropped off.'

Like the other volunteers, Hussey has a day job, working as a commercial photographer. But he's always listening out for the bleep of a pager, alerting him to a fire.

'It becomes a big part of your life,' he said.