The brigade will hold an information session at the station this Saturday at 11am for anyone interested in becoming a retained firefighter – an on-call, fully-trained role.

Brigade captain Ken Maxwell said in the past two months, three recruits have started and left the brigade.

“We’re running this session so people to know what they’re getting into,” Captain Maxwell said.

Captain Maxwell said there was a need to recruit a strong team now and have members fully trained to face a tough fire season.

“There is a forecast predicting El Nino weather patterns bringing hot, dry periods that cause drought,” he said.

“Experts are talking about a tough summer for the Fire and Rescue Service, which means hard times for the Hunter where bushfires are concerned.

“With such a forecast, we think it is a good idea to get more people to join us.

“It is no good recruiting people when it is too late to have them properly trained.

“For a recruit to pass through the system and emerge as a fully-trained firefighter can take six months.

“We would like to get up to 20 people if we could and we do have a number presently going through the recruitment process.

“At the very least, we would like to have a list of people who are eligible for the role when vacancies come in.”

Captain Maxwell said the ferocity of bushfires in October, last year, had taken many people by surprise, burning in the Blue Mountains, in Heatherbrae and at Salt Ash.

“I think those fires taught many of us that this was serious stuff,” he said.

“We have a good team at Kurri Kurri with a high morale and we would love more people to join us doing a job that is so satisfying and makes a difference to the lives of so many.”

For more information on becoming a retained firefighter, go to the information session at Kurri on Saturday or contact Kurri Fire Station on 4937 1025.

- with The Maitland Mercury