Firefighters from across Orange have answered the call for help from five-ravaged communities in the Southern Highlands.
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A task force of 12 firefighters from across the Central West has been deployed south for the week to assist communities as they struggle through the bushfire crisis.
The Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews, who have given up their days off to help out, are Orange's Michael Mastronardi, Paul Chester, Chris Dickerson and Darren MacDonald along with four from both Bathurst and Dubbo.
Superintendent Gary Barber said these crews would bring years of experience to firegrounds in the Southern Highlands, where the fire crisis has been out of control.
"They'll be based at Goulburn Police Academy and they'll be fighting fires in Nowra, Batemans Bay and areas east of Canberra," he said.
They'll be protecting people, property as well as assets.
- Superintendent Gary Barber
"They'll mainly be doing property protection along urban interface areas and going to villages to assist there.
"They'll be protecting people, property as well as assets."
While conditions in the Southern Highlands have eased since the weekend's extreme fire danger risk, Supt Barber said the region was still at risk.
"There's still a lot of active fires in this region," he said.
Supt Barber said the firefighters would also staff the Cobar-based bulk water tanker, which has also been deployed to the Southern Highlands.
This tanker brings much-needed bulk water supplies to firefighters in remote areas or in locations where there might be no mains water.
Many other FRNSW firefighters from across the Central West have also been on deployment to fire-affected areas of the state during the past month.
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