NSW Bushfires: Riverina RFS member Nicolle Stanton praises family and community in bushfire battles

A volunteer with firefighting in her blood says family and the wider community have helped get her through while battling the devastating bushfires.

Ladysmith Rural Fire Service member Nicole Stanton says she has been in the firefighting community ever since she was a child. Picture: Michael Frogley

On paper, Nicolle Stanton has served with the Rural Fire Service for 12 years.

But in reality, firefighting has been in the 36-year-old’s blood since she was a child.

The Wagga resident has been a part of the RFS for as long as she can remember after following in the footsteps of her father and twin brother.

She was one of many volunteers who gave up their Christmas breaks to battle the Snowy Mountains bushfires.

The single mother, who works at the Wagga Legacy Club, spent only four of the 17 days at home with her two daughters before joining the fight against the bushfires.

She said family support had been the bedrock of her firefighting efforts.

“I haven't spent much time with my kids at all … if it wasn't for them and my mum, there's no way I would have been able to go at all,” she said.

A view of the Dunns Road bushfire at Mount Adrah on January 10. Picture: Getty Images/Sam Mooy.

After the Dunns Road fire began in early January, she spent nearly 14 days on the fire grounds on the front line, including as scribe, which involves helping other members record notes, take messages, answer the radios, answer phones and relay critical information.

“There’s so much loss, it’s devastating,” she said.

“I’ve seen burnt houses, I’ve seen damage to farmland — but not to this extent.

“Growing up close to a pine forest, I’ve experienced a lot of that (fires) before.

“But as I said, experiencing the loss when you’re driving past and seeing the devastation at these fires, that’s something I don’t think I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Riverina Rural Fire Service members Nicolle Stanton, Bradley Stewart and Peter Bye have all played significant roles in the Snowy Mountains and Greater Hume bushfires. Picture: Michael Frogley

Despite the devastation of the bushfires, she said the responses from the Wagga and Riverina communities — particularly with donations — have not been surprising.

“It's overwhelming, it’s fantastic,” she said.

“It's a sense of community that you never thought would keep on growing.”

As for receiving praises from other residents, she said she did not see herself and other volunteers as heroes.

“It's what we're trained for and we have some of the best guys who have each other’s backs,” she said.