I’m a professional firefighter employed by Fire Rescue NSW and working out of Balmain fire station.

When I arrived at work on Sunday, the crew who were just finishing their shift looked dead on their feet. There was a pile of dirty hose in the backyard, and the fire engine stank of smoke.

Firefighters tackle the blaze in Menai on Sunday. Credit:Kate Geraghty

They had spent the night down at the Menai bushfire. Given it was still burning we all prepared ourselves for the inevitable call from our communications centre. It came, and off we went.

The next 14 hours were what campaign bushfires are always like for fire crews on the ground. A degree of confusion, periods of hard dirty work followed by periods of boredom, feeling hungry and hot, and always not really knowing what is going on elsewhere.