More than 3,400 Victorians have put their hand up to join CFA since the devasting January bushfires, hoping they too can lend a hand in the next fire season to protect their communities.
There are a number of reasons why people volunteer for their local town, whether it is to make a difference when they jump on the fire truck, make new friends, give back or try something new.
However, when disaster strikes, it is CFA volunteers - made up of tens of thousands of community members - who accept the call for help, and for most, like we have seen this summer, the opportunity to play a role in defending their hometown is their main motivation.
CFA's annual Give us a Hand recruitment campaign has officially kicked off, and the encouraging number of expressions of interest to join CFA so far is a testament to the spirit of our local community members which instills us with great comfort in the integrity of our future firefighters.
For Echuca Fire Brigade member Kaylea Blake, it was a much-loved CFA activity that piqued her initial interest, and one that saw her become part of a brigade running team.
"My cousin persuaded me to join, and I never really knew what the running part was until I went to a CFA/VFBV State Firefighter Championships and had a look," Kaylea said.
"As I grew older, all my teammates were becoming firefighters, and I knew that was something that I wanted to do too. I ran for three years before becoming a firefighter."
This year will be Kaylea's first time running in just the Senior competition, which will take place across 28-29 March this weekend in Stawell, following a competitive junior's event last week.
"The senior events are much harder, and more related to firefighting, but the junior events give you a good start. The seniors give you an opportunity to polish your skills," Kaylea said.
"My favourite event is the one man because I've grown so much from that. I wasn't very good at it, but now I win it sometimes."
Kaylea said the skills she has gained through the Championships has translated well into her firefighting – particularly during her first strike team deployment this summer to Ravenswood.
"Because I have run for quite a while, when I was ready to do my course, I think it was much easier for me, I knew a lot more than others," Kaylea said.
"When it was time for me to go to a fire, while a lot of people still helped me, I felt confident and happy with my skills because of that running experience.
"The fires this year really opened my eyes. We've got a lot of smaller fires and vehicle incidents here, whereas that fire was going for days and weeks and it was good to be a part of helping something bigger."
The Give us a Hand recruitment campaign encourages Victorians to join their local CFA brigade in an operational firefighting capacity, or within community education and support roles.
"You don't have to be a CFA addict, or here every day. There's something for everyone," Kaylea said.
"I love the community, and all the connections - we have a big community in Echuca and in CFA, and I've made some really good friends from when I was a junior runner. It is just a happy place."
The buzz around Stawell remains as a new batch of participants look to hit the track for the final weekend of the Championships, with their families and supporters in tow.
Kaylea and her teammates will join the other 152 Senior Urban and Senior and Junior Rural teams at Stawell's North Park Recreation Reserve this Saturday from 10am.
