Eddi Raglus is one of the newest recruits of Wallaby Joe Rural Fire Brigade. She's also the youngest.

The 23 year old from Wingham first qualified for the RFS while studying theatre arts at the University of Wollongong.

She returned home, like many graduates, to spend time with her family and consider her options.

But thoughts of paid employment quickly took a back seat as the fire emergency took hold of the Manning.

"I'd just gotten home and everything started to get crazy," Eddi said.

The Hillville fire was burning out of control and threatening homes - as were other fires in the region - and Eddi realised she needed to take action.

"I thought 'I can't just not use my training'," she said.

So paperwork was speedily completed and Eddi became a dual member of both the Mt Keira and Wallaby Joe RFS units.

There was no gentle transition into her new role.

On her first day the brigade was called to help with property protection at Mount George.

A fire had broken containment lines and was moving fast.

"Flames were jumping over roads and heading towards houses," said Eddi.

The situation was more serious than first thought but the crew worked together for a positive outcome.

It was an intense first day for the new recruit.

"It's been pretty consistent since then," said Eddi.

Though she didn't know any of the members of the brigade before joining, Eddi has quickly learnt to respect their experience and enjoy their company.

"The members here are very, very awesome," she said.

When asked if she finds fighting fires scary, Eddi is quick to reply.

"Not with these guys, it always feels very safe."

After helping battle blazes in her own community Eddi's firefighting skills were soon in need elsewhere.

She joined RFS strike teams to help defend homes in Cessnock, Lithgow and near Gloucester spending up to two weeks at a time away from home.

Eddi's not really sure why she first chose to join the RFS. She kids it was for the dad jokes, but she seems to have an affinity for volunteering.

During her gap year she spent three months volunteering in Cambodia and in Alice Springs. More recently she's also helped out BlazeAid in Wingham.

And she's not shy of adventure.

There was a random week in Hong Kong stilt walking (her mum is Jill Watkins of Circartus fame) and soon she'll head off to the deserts of South Australia to work for a camel trek company for a few months.

Eddi's not 100 per cent certain what career path is the right one for her. She's happy to experiment until she finds the right fit. But one things is clear, she'll never sit idle while the world needs her skills and she urges others to volunteer their time too.

"No help is ever wasted," she said.

"It all makes such a difference."