‘I’m not up to much,’ his injured father said beside him. ‘But I’ll do whatever I can.’
‘We’re ready.’ Jake was there, as was Shane from the pub and Bree’s husband, Matt.
‘Thank you. Thank you, all.’ Justin made his way through the crowd and led them out of the hall. Most of the volunteers said goodbye to their families on the footpath, leaving them behind as they crossed the road and walked to the fire station. But Anna never left Justin’s side.
‘How bad is it?’ she asked quietly, so no one else would hear.
‘I’m not sure, but if the wind goes the wrong way, it could be really bad.’
‘The Ridge is safe, isn’t it?’
‘I don’t know. The fire is twenty kilometres away.’ He knew that wasn’t far enough. With a strong wind, a fire could travel that distance in a couple of hours. Maybe less.
‘But it’s coming this way?’
‘I can smell the smoke.’ He could feel the wind in his face too. It was blowing directly towards the town.
As soon as they reached the fire station, Justin pulled the keys out of his pocket and unlocked the roller doors. Inside, the town’s fire truck was waiting, exactly as Justin and Ben had left it. He double-checked that the water tank was full. All around him, volunteers were taking safety gear from the hangers and pulling it on as he had trained them to do. Justin did the same, then he called central operations for an update and instructions. When he finished the call, he found the men and women standing silent, watching him, waiting for him to lead them.
‘The fire has turned and is definitely heading this way,’ he said. ‘It’s about twenty kilometres away, so if the wind doesn’t change, it’ll be here before dawn.’ The group of volunteers remained silent, but their faces changed. ‘The crews already up there are doing their best, but they’ve been fighting it for twenty-four hours. They need our help.’
A murmur of voices declared they were ready to do whatever was needed.
‘My brother Ben is coming down from Tamworth with another crew. They’ll tackle the northern front. We are approaching from this side. I’ll lead the way with the unit I brought down today. Dave and Rick, you’re with me.’ He pointed to two more men. ‘That’s four in my unit. Jake, you take this truck. Matt. Mike. Shane. And two others …’ Hands went up. Justin selected two more. ‘You’re with Jake. The rest of you, start on that side of town.’ Justin pointed. ‘Bang on doors and make sure people are ready. Help them get their hoses out. If they can, they should start spraying water on the roofs now.’ He could see in their eyes that they knew what he meant. With strong winds, sparks would be flying well ahead of the fire front.
‘Great. Everyone, keep your radios on and your phones close.’ He handed the truck’s keys to Jake, who’d driven it many times in training. ‘Ken,’ he addressed the policeman who had just arrived, having paused on the way to don his uniform. ‘There are already road closures in place, but we may need more.’
Ken nodded. ‘I’ve been talking to regional HQ. We’ve got it.’
‘All right. Let’s get on the road.’
The volunteers climbed into the trucks. Justin swung into the cab of his and turned the key. The engine sprang to life, and keeping his eyes peeled for people standing watching, he headed out of town. The second truck followed.
***
As Anna watched the red truck lights turn onto the highway and head out of town, she felt the breeze lift her hair. The smell of smoke was too strong to miss. She heard a voice beside her. A fear-filled whisper.
‘Be safe.’
Fingers closed around her hand and she looked over to see Carol, tears in her eye, shaking with tension.
‘It’ll be all right,’ Anna reassured her. ‘Justin will come back. They both will.’ She wasn’t entirely sure who she was trying to convince.
Deb and Kelly appeared in front of them. ‘We need to get the hall set up,’ Deb said. ‘Whatever happens, there will be tired and hungry firefighters needing somewhere to rest soon.’
Anna nodded. ‘I’d like to get back to the clinic, to check everything is ready and get a change of clothes. Then I’ll be—’ She stopped in mid-sentence. ‘I don’t have my car.’
‘It’s all right,’ Carol said. ‘I have mine. I’ll drive you home to get yours.’
‘And I’ll start getting the town organised,’ Kelly said. ‘Where’s Val? This is where she shines. She can get in touch with everyone.’
The partygoers began, slowly, to move away. Some went back to the hall to help. Others went home. Anna followed Carol to her car and got in beside her. Carol’s hands were still shaking as she started the engine.
‘Are you all right, Carol?’
Carol nodded. She drove in silence for a few minutes before speaking again. ‘Justin said he was going to come around to my house tomorrow. I was hoping that meant he … we …’
‘He’ll come around the next day. Or the one after that. You know, you should be so proud of both of them. They are both good men. And what they do is very brave.’
