When Rebecca Cole joined the SES at 18, she never imagined she'd be helping to run a fire control centre within a couple of years.

During the recent bushfires in NSW, Rebecca went on food drops and volunteered at the Queanbeyan fire control centre, operating the radios overnight and logging information for firefighters.

She says being able to volunteer with the bushfire relief effort stopped her from feeling helpless in the wake of the natural disaster.

"It's so important to be a part of something bigger than yourself."

For Rebecca, joining NSW's State Emergency Service (SES) was more than a passing idea.

Her parents were active members of the organisation — her dad was a unit commander and her mum the deputy.

"I remember them going out at two o'clock in the morning to answer the call of a distressed person," says Rebecca, who lives in the rural town of Sofala, 255 kilometres north-west of Sydney.

"That's where it started — watching my parents be really self-sacrificing to help the community."

In 2018, she trained to become a Community First Responder (CFR), providing basic life support, CPR and some medication to people in areas without an ambulance station.

"Usually, the time it takes for an ambulance to get to a sick person can be anywhere between 30 minutes to 4 hours," she says.

"It makes you grow up quite fast, because you've got someone's life in your hands sometimes. But through the SES, I found that I work really well in high-pressure situations."

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How to get involved — at any age

Rebecca is studying nursing and hopes to be a rescue paramedic in the future. ( Supplied: Rebecca Cole )

If the recent bushfire crisis has motivated you to volunteer with an organisation, but you're not sure where to start — or if you're too young — here are some tips from volunteer organisations:

1. Think about what you can bring to the job

If, like Rebecca, you work well in high-stress situations, an organisation like the SES or a rural firefighting service might be a good fit.

But if you panic easily or don't see yourself on the front line, there are still ways to help.

Maybe your skills are best suited to working with native animals or land care? And, if you'd prefer to stay indoors, you could be an asset to an organisation's social media team.

2. Contact the organisation to ask about age limits

Age requirements differ organisation to organisation and state to state, so it's best to ask directly.

Emergency services

With the SES, for example, you can become a cadet in South Australia from the age of 13 or join up in Victoria once you hit 15. In other states and territories, however, you'll need to be 16 and above.

A spokesperson from the SES in NSW, where you need to be 16 to join, says volunteers can respond to flood and storm jobs at any age.

"The only thing our young 16-year-old members are limited from doing is attending or responding to any road crash rescues and land searches or any other potential situations which may cause psychological harm to our young volunteers," they add.

To find out more, head to your state SES website.

Fire services

Young people can also play an active role in rural firefighting services, like NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS).

Many brigades in the state offer junior or cadet membership for young people aged from 12 years. But the openings may vary between areas, depending on each brigade's capacity to supervise, train and mentor junior members.

For more info, check in with your local brigade.

What has been your experience of volunteering? Add to this story in the comments.

Wildlife services

If you live in NSW, WIRES (Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service) only takes volunteers from the age of 18.

It's the same age requirement for Wildlife Victoria, says CEO Megan Davidson.

"We're primarily a wildlife rescue organisation," she explains. "So usually the activity requires that [volunteers] have a car."

But Dr Davidson adds that it's important to set the expectations before you start volunteering.

"Our volunteers aren't spending their time cuddling happy, fluffy animals, they are going out to pick up animals that have been injured or are sick," she explains.

"It can be quite distressing, so you have to know what you're getting into if you help with wildlife rescue. But having said that, it is incredibly rewarding."

Other wildlife sanctuaries around the country may have different volunteer age requirements, so check with them directly in your local area.

Bushcare services

The requirements of wildlife rescue volunteering won't suit everyone, so Dr Davidson says tree planting and revegetation projects are another great place to volunteer.

Kids and adults can get involved, and there are often opportunities to help on an ad hoc basis. If you'd like to get a taste of whether this is for you, try a one-off tree planting conservation day in your local area.

"Planting trees is … directly helping wildlife, because it's providing them with shelter and food. It's more needed than ever," says Dr Davidson.

"I think everybody should be doing something in that space."

Check out your local council website, as well as Bushcare and Landcare, for more information.

3. Keep at it

Dr Davidson says that many aid organisations, including Wildlife Victoria, received in influx of volunteer applications following the bushfire crisis. And, as they're busy responding to urgent needs, they're unable to induct and train new volunteers at present.

But don't let time diminish your desire to help.

Organisations that can't take you on as a volunteer right now will still need your help in the future.

So, if you apply to help. but don't receive a response straight away, don't take it to heart. Follow up in a couple of weeks or even months, and they'll be more likely to have training courses available then.

How helping out can help you

According to Lucas Walsh, an education professor at Monash University, volunteering can lead to better mental health and social connectedness.

It may also help alleviate existential anxieties about the future.

"Getting involved in meaningful activity will help improve your feeling about the challenges arising from droughts, fires and climate change," he says.

Professor Walsh adds that while many of us consider volunteering because of a certain catalyst — like the bushfires — it might become something more long-lasting.

"[Volunteering] gives you a sense of being able to contribute to the situation immediately, but it could — and will, hopefully — turn into a lifelong activity, because the challenges we're facing at the moment aren't going away."

That's been the case for 31-year-old Andrew Horne, who started volunteering with the Australian Red Cross after the Black Saturday fires in Victoria 11 years ago.

"I'm from a town on the NSW-Victoria border … so the local branch decided to do bake sales and raise money," he recalls, adding his mother was a member of the group.

"I made I don't know how many cakes and slices for two days, so they could be sold and raise money for the appeal."

Today, Andrew is the deputy team leader of the Red Cross's emergency services unit in Wollongong.

During the recent bushfires, he spent long days supporting the community at a makeshift evacuation centre in Picton, south-west of Sydney.

"Those who have evacuated their house obviously have a lot of anxiety … so we were able to listen and provide psychological first aid," Andrew says.