OUR FIRIES HOME SAFE AND SOUND

Fire crews from Balgownie and Thirroul at Dead Horses Gap near Thredbo last week.

FIREFIGHTERS from Thirroul and Balgownie stations are home safe and sound after a harrowing few days at Thredbo where they have been a part of a huge NSW Fire Brigades contingent.

Balgownie firefighter Ed Ljubicic headed the northern suburbs crew, working to clear homes and roads around Thredbo as fire threatened just kilometres away.

Their hard work may not be over yet, though, with the crews called back to the northern suburbs on Monday with orders to standby for a call to respond to the fires now threatening bushland north of Sydney.

We spoke with Officer Ljubicic on Friday - he said morale was high among the firefighters despite the obvious danger they faced.

"We choose to be firefighters, not for the money but because in our eyes we're helping the community and we really enjoy it."

"Our families get used to us going away. My daughter called me on the way down to Thredbo crying to apologise for a tiff we'd had the previous day. She said she'd realised that I was going away and I might not come back,"said the veteran firefighter.

"For us it's just part of the job."