In a week where bushfires continued to rage across NSW, Sydney IT engineer Jack Liu decided to work from home while he kept an eye on the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) phone app for any updates.
He was ready to jump into action to fulfil his duty by putting on the RFS orange uniform and rush to the frontline of an oncoming bushfire.
Jack is a volunteering firefighter with the RFS, which is made up of 70 per cent volunteers.
Jack Liu in Fire Safety Promotion Source: Jack Liu
On Tuesday when conditions across NSW were declared at a "catastrophic" risk level, volunteers from the Hornsby Rural Fire Brigade had just finished containing a fire in South Turramurra on Sydney's North Shore, when members of the Guru Nanak Gurudwara Turramurra Sikh Temple 
Jack is with the Hornsby brigade and has gathered a lot of knowledge and experience since joining three years ago, including battling several house fires.
Volunteer firefighters from the Hornsby Rural Fire Service enjoy a home-cooked meal courtesy of the local Sikh temple. Source: Hornsby Rural Fire Brigade
"I set my own status [on the RFS app] to 'Emergency Only' while working from home. If they notify of an emergency, I will leave at any time," he told SBS Mandarin.
According to Jack, there can never be too many volunteer firefighters.
He said that his brigade has a total of 54 registered volunteers, and about 30 firefighters are active each year.
With the fire season already reaching significantly dangerous levels across the state, Jack calls on Chinese people in Australia to participate in such volunteering activities.
"I personally feel that we Chinese still need to continue to make better efforts in this regard."
In his opinion, volunteers are an important part of the Australian culture, and he said immigrants should "do as the Romans do".
How to become a volunteer firefighter?
Perhaps many people are concerned with the high risks of firefighting, which sometimes can be life-threatening.
Jack explained that as equipment and processes get more advanced, firefighter casualties have become a very rare thing.
"My first training session at RFS was about [self] safety."
Each firefighter is trained to remain vigilant in addition to following the instructions and arrangements of the captain.
"Is there a fire coming over? A tree falling? A pole at the top? Is a stone rolling down? If danger is discovered, be sure to yell it out loud and ensure that it is communicated to each team member."
Most importantly, the captain will delineate a “deadman zone”, and firefighters will not be allowed to enter any area that may pose a threat to life.
To be a qualified volunteer firefighter, regular training is also mandatory.
For many people, the biggest difficulty is not passing the assessment, but the time they need to devote to becoming a volunteer firefighter.
Jack Liu in an operation (first from the right). Source: Hornsby Rural Fire Brigade Facebook
Jack, an office worker, laments that "family support is the key” because volunteer work takes up a lot of his time on weekends.
"I will start from myself so that the positive side of the Chinese can be seen and felt by the local community."
