By BRAD PERRY

DESPITE knowing the devastation he may be faced with, Berri firefighter Wayne Barton felt it was his duty to help when he flew in to fight the black Saturday bushfires in Victoria this time last year.

Volunteering to be deployed to the disaster stricken areas of country Victoria, Wayne braved the conditions to fight the biggest flames he has ever seen.

“They were calling for people to go to deployments, so I contacted my regional officer and flew over,” he said.

As the only fireman from Berri’s Metropolitan Fire Service crew to head to bushfire ravaged Victoria, Wayne knew it would change his life forever but felt committed to help.

“It is just something you do for the community,” he said.

“It is just in there,” he said pointing to his heart.

With the fires claiming 173 lives and destroying over 2000 homes, Wayne said you could see the impact of the fires everywhere you looked.

“It was devastating and everything was just like a lunar landscape and charred wildlife,” he said.

One of the fires Wayne fought in Kilmore East (in the Kinglake area) started when high winds caused two kilometres of powerlines to fall, sparking a fire in open grasslands next to a pine plantation.

This particular fire, following a strong wind change, ended up ripping through eight towns causing 120 deaths with more than 1200 homes succumbing to the flames.

“The devastation and loss was so widespread,” he said.

“People were walking around with so much loss.

“The fires were so large, I can’t even describe them.

“I didn’t realise how easy and ferocious it can be...it is indescribable really.”

Through the suffering and loss, Wayne witnessed acts of bravery from firefighters.

“Some of the highlights were the faces of the people and firefighters (when a home was saved),” he said.

The decision to help fight the Victorian bushfires was not only brave but highly commendable and Wayne admits if he had his time again, he would make the same decisions.