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As the Parkes Fire Station is just days away from opening its doors for its annual open day, five of its newest recruits have just marked their first 12 months on the job.
The community will have the opportunity to meet and talk to some of them at the event, as well as other firefighters, ask them questions and watch live demonstrations too.
The station in Hill Street will be open from 10am until 2pm this Saturday where Parkes Fire and Rescue NSW trucks and equipment will be on display for all to see.
There will be a range of free activities and fun for everyone, including station tours and safety presentations.
"The open day is a great time for kids, but it's an even better opportunity for the adults to learn first-hand how to keep their family and home safe from fire," firefighter Savannah-Lee Bevan said.
The public is encouraged to engage our firefighters with questions about home fire safety and smoke alarms.
"We can even help book a free Home Fire Safety Visit from the crew here at Station 417," Savannah added.
Savannah, along with James Taylor, Ben Ryan, Connor Murphy and Simon Scott, are the latest recruits to join Parkes Fire and Rescue.
The desire to help and support their community and learn new skills were the main drivers behind them wanting to sign up.
Savannah is one of two female firefighters on the brigade and said she grew up around her pop being a volunteer firefighter.
With a passion to help others, she previously started off volunteering with other services before joining Parkes Fire and Rescue.
"I wanted to be involved in meaningful work that helps the community and makes a difference," she said.
"With Fire and Rescue NSW I loved the opportunity to progress and develop further in emergency services.
Among her highlights in her first year has been learning new skills that help her outside of the brigade too, and the variety of the job.
"No two jobs are the same, every time our pager goes off it's going to be something different," Savannah said.
"And the camaraderie of the brigade I enjoy as well.
"It feels like a family.
"There's a lot of support within the brigade and there's always someone to chat to, especially people who have been through and seen the same things you have."
The camaraderie is what stands out the most for Simon too.
But he said it's also a thousand little things that all make up a worthwhile experience so far.
"There's the pride in the work ethic, I quite enjoy maintaining the truck," he added.
"One of my mates used to be a firefighter and he'd tell me about it.
"I found it all really interesting - that and the skill set involved and helping the community is why I joined."
Ben said he wanted to make a difference as one reason he became a retained firefighter.
"I already have a background in emergency services and I wanted to learn more about it in general from first-hand experience," he added.
Among the key things Ben has learnt about is the dynamics of emergency scenarios.
"You need to be adaptable and able to adjust to changing situations," he said.
Connor's interest was sparked after seeing the recruitment ads for Fire and Rescue NSW on his socials, and watching videos on what the job entailed and the recruiting process.
He attended the information day here in Parkes and he was in.
"The on-call part made it sound quite interesting," Connor said.
"I work at the mine, so I'm seven days on and seven days off. I thought this would be cool to be a part of in between, and get another skill under my belt."
Connor couldn't name a specific area that he's enjoyed or learnt about the most these past 12 months.
"It's the whole process of it," he added.
Connor said he's learnt so much and is still learning.
"Well I didn't know Fire and Rescue and the Rural Fire Service are two different services for a start," he said.
"Here we do more than just fires, we support paramedics and the police, and attend car crashes.
"It's a very different role than just going to a second job, because you don't know when it is.
"Even though it's been 12 months there's still heaps to learn, especially off those who have been here for 20-30 years.
"When the beeper goes off, there's the thrill and adrenaline rush to get to the station."
For James, he joined Fire and Rescue NSW to give back to the community and be part of a team that helps people when they need it most.
"The highlight for me has been the strong camaraderie within the crew and the opportunity to make a real difference in the community," he said.
"Every job is different, which makes the role both challenging and rewarding."