Four firefighters from Lawson have shared their dramatic story of survival after being stranded inside a fire truck engulfed by flames near Nowra on December 31.
Adam Southers was the firefighter in charge of the Lawson crew and said he feared they might not get out alive when their truck was overrun by flames while responding to an urgent RFS call for assistance in the small hamlet of Parma.
"There was a second where I thought: 'I'm going to get burnt to death here'. The flames were licking the windows," said the Bullaburra resident.
The Lawson firefighters were one of four Fire and Rescue NSW crews trapped in the ember attack after being sent to the South Coast to help with the bushfires.
Mr Southers, 37, was joined by Lawson residents Bruce Stuart, 47, and Aydin Phipps and Tom Doyle Byrne, both 20.
Dramatic vision of one of the other trucks surrounded by flames - and its Central Coast crew's calm response to the crisis - saw the story make headlines around the world.
The four crews were on their way to protect homes in remote Hames Road when the fierce fire front hit them with no warning about 3pm.
"It went from zero to a hundred in a couple of seconds," said Mr Phipps. "It went from small ember attack and then it just jumped up and crowned right next to us in under 30 seconds."
Mr Southers said: "One minute earlier, we would have made it through; one minute later we would have missed it."
With visibility of only one metre, no cabin sprinkler system, and radio communication failing, the crew made the decision to turn around - only for driver Bruce Stuart to see the truck's air lines fail and the vehicle break down less than 30 metres after beginning its exit.
Another truck with a crew from Terrigal and Riverstone, only 60 metres away but invisible in the thick smoke, had it even worse: it had not only broken down but was on fire.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, all the firefighters remained calm - a factor not lost on the two youngest members of the Lawson crew.
"To Adam's credit he was absolutely the calmest I've ever seen anyone in any situation, let alone something that serious," said Mr Doyle Byrne.
Miraculously, the four Blue Mountains firefighters were able to walk to safety - along with members from the other stranded truck - after the fire front passed.
They were greeted by firefighter Jason Rutherford, returning to the scene after narrowly escaping earlier with his own crew from Doyalson. With no radio communication from the stranded crews, he feared the worst.
"We thought we were going back to recover eight bodies. As we were going down the road we were very, very relieved to see eight flashing helmets walking down the road," he said.
The Lawson firies have stayed in touch with their strike force colleagues - all strangers until that fateful day - since their brush with death.
"We're keeping in contact with the other guys who were overrun," said Mr Doyle Bryne. "We didn't know them that morning but going through something like that creates a bond."
Back at Lawson Fire and Rescue NSW Station 359 on Saturday, the four men could even find time to laugh about aspects of the experience.
Apart from being cool under pressure, Mr Southers also showed he is polite in a crisis by adding a "please" when he directed his crew to put up flame-resistant blankets to protect them from the fierce radiant heat.
"They've been giving me stick since then because I said 'can you get the blankets ready, please'," he said.
For Mr Doyle Byrne, it was a slice of normality in a very abnormal situation. "Despite the situation, he still had his manners," he laughed