While many country fire brigades think of themselves as family, nowhere is that more true than Kondinin where a father-daughter duo help run the show.

Roger Northey has fought countless fires across the State, country and overseas in his 32 years with the Kondinin Volunteer Fire and Emergency Service.

For the past five of those years, the KVFES captain has been joined by his 17-year-old daughter Bridie.

“It took us a little bit to get used to working with each other because we’re both very strong personalities and we like to lead,” Bridie said.

“People go to me, ‘Oh, we’ve never heard you call Roger dad’, and they don’t work it out until they’ve met me like the third or fourth time.

“We kind of were able to change our relationship as to when we’re at a fire so Roger’s leading me or I’m leading him. Then when we’re at home, we’re father and daughter.

“It’s pretty good and we enjoy it now, because we’re able to distinguish that and we have a lot of fun doing it.”

Mr Northey, who joined up for “something to do as a young buck”, hadn’t realised how much Bridie had absorbed from years spent tagging along to the station.

“I never thought when she was a kid that she was taking any of it in, but now that she’s matured, she’s remembered a lot from being with me over the years,” he said.

“She’s smart little cookie, and picked it up quickly, so a lot of her learning has been from her own doing, not me pushing it, that’s for sure.”

Although he counts the 2016 Yarloop fires as the “biggest impact” fire incident he has attended, Mr Northey said he views every job as equally important and enjoys learning how different communities manage unique fire conditions.

Forrestania, east of Kondinin, is one such place where fire can behave dramatically differently, with flames able to travel up to 30km/h, according to the Northeys.

“It’s fire out there is like nothing else you’ll ever see,” Bridie said.

“Dad took me out there last year and I learned so much about fire.

“Just watching some of this fire was absolutely breathtaking — even though it’s a bad thing sometimes, it was really, really amazing to see, and it really opened my eyes into the opportunities and the people you can meet when you do fire.”

Alongside the new experiences — and gaining what she describes as an extended family she could call “any time of the night” — Bridie, who is also a student at WA College of Agriculture — Narrogin, recently completed her workplace assessor course.

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services qualification allows her to train new recruits all around the region.

“Being able to be that first person that is training these people to go out into the big world and face this really nasty stuff, and being able to help them through that, and make sure that they’re doing it in a safe way is probably my main passion,” she said.

Mr Northey said young volunteers like Bridie were vital to keeping the country brigades ticking.

“There’s just too many old men in it now,” he said.

“It’s important to have younger ones like, like Bridie, sort of taking on the mantle and learning the ropes, and slowly work their way into it so it doesn’t die.”

Speaking during National Volunteer Week, which runs from May 18 to 24, the Northeys said volunteering was one of the most valuable things you can do for your community.

“It comes down to you just expanding your family, really,” Mr Northey said.

“You all get along as family members and work together and get the end job done.

“There’s no one person better, there’s no one person less, and more importantly, everyone’s got a role.

“It’s not just a volunteering role, it’s something you do for the community, it’s something you do for a lifetime.”