Enlisting to serve was as simple as the nearest brigades captain coming to your house and handing you some papers.

And that was the official procedure: he can recall steering an RFS truck through a fire-lit paddock as a 12 year old while his two brothers, father and uncle fought the nearby flames.

Mr Selwood has clocked up 50 years in the RFS, and was recognised at the opening of the new Clifton Grove-Ophir stations building on Saturday.

He was given life membership of that brigade, a milestone it seemed everyone in attendance was keen to talk up except the honouree himself.

As everyone tells you whos been around for 50 years, you say youre not there for that, Mr Selwood said.

Its a good milestone [but] its just another year.

Mr Selwood who is also group captain of five brigades: Clifton Grove-Ophir, Lucknow, Byng, Orange and the Canobolas Zone Support Brigade reflected on the many changes hed seen in the nature of RFS service over half a century.

Back then it was smoke signals and shouting out to each other, he said, citing the critical communication role played by the amateur radio club during the 1985 fire on Mount Canobolas, the first major blaze he fought.

In that regard, dealing with Februarys fire on the same mountain, which burned in excess of 1670 hectares of bushland, was like chalk and cheese.

Back in the day, it was very much theres the fire, go put it out, compared to the amount of information we get about a fire now, he explained.

Theres no way even 10 years ago youd get that information. Previously it was a matter of trying to talk to people around the fire ground and its like Chinese whispers.

Mr Selwoods daughter and sister are now involved in the RFSs efforts, something that would have been unthinkable when he first donned the services uniform.

There was sex discrimination back then. The women would do the calling and the food and the men would be out there chasing fires, he said.

Its fantastic having women in the game in regards to their ideas or how things should be done.

Mr Selwood said the new building at the Clifton Grove-Ophir facility, which boasts a three-bay station and kitchen-come-training area, was a great addition, one which would aid firefighting efforts in the region for years to come.

Well be able to do training and that sort of stuff in there, he said.