Mr Whan said the dry, warm weather and strong winds of late winter and early spring had seen more than 1900 RFS volunteers from 491 brigades battling fires.

“Over the past two months our RFS volunteers have already been very busy dealing with 5200 fires around the state, five of them major fire emergencies,” Mr Whan said.

“Thanks to their hard work, no lives have been lost and no major property destruction has occurred.

“Despite the challenges, our volunteers have performed exceptionally well, carrying out property protection, fire fighting, back burning and mopping up, often under adverse weather conditions.”

Mr Whan said the past two months had been just a taste of what may be coming this summer.

“With about 90 per cent of NSW in drought or listed as marginal and record temperatures across the state in August and September, this could be the worst fire season we have seen in many years,” he said.

“Our RFS volunteers are well prepared and resourced to meet the challenges of the coming season, but it’s looking more and more likely it will be a long, hot and fiery summer.”

In thanking the volunteers for their efforts so far, Mr Whan also praised the support of families of the fire fighters.

“The job of fire fighting can be demanding and our men and women can’t do it without the support of their loved ones,” he said.

“For every deployed fire fighter, there’s also a dedicated team of people including fire managers, aircraft operators, communications workers and support teams and their support is critical.

“With the fire season well and truly on us, I urge everyone in NSW to familiarise themselves with the new fire danger ratings and bush fire alerts,” Mr Whan said.

For more information about how to Prepare. Act. Survive. this summer, visit www.rfs.nsw.gov.au or call 1800 NSW RFS.