Charlotte called Jane and the RFS, to advise them that they had unexpectedly spotted smoke from another possible fire on the farm. Jane had fire extinguishers and fire blankets in the kitchen, so she loaded them up and a few people took off in the direction of the smoke, while the rest of the family remained behind on the farm to wait and hear what they found when they got there.
Jane followed the trail of smoke as a longer plume rose into the air. As they neared the base of the smoke, she found some campers, with marshmallows on sticks over the fire. Jane just nodded her head from side to side.
"Are you aware that there is a total fire ban? She asked, "You cannot start any fires to cook food or keep yourself warm as they could burn the wild bush."
"No, we weren't aware of it," one of the young men replied. He threw sand over the small fire and it went out immediately. Jane happened to have an RFS information brochure on her and handed it to the group. She reminded them not to start any more fires and they promised to adhere to the rules. Jane remembered the story of how the farmhouse had burnt to the ground so many years ago and how her father had managed to save her stepmother from the ravages of the fire. She wanted to avoid that ever happening again. Of course, the bush was greener this time but it could still burn if it caught alight, maybe just a little slower than it would be if there was a drought, as it had been brown and brittle when the last fire had travelled through their area.
After comforting herself that the camping tourists would keep their word, Jane returned to the farmhouse and advised Charlotte and Oliver that it was safe again. They all looked mightily relieved. Charlotte decided to start a charity that informed tourists of the fire rules in Australia and that they needed to adhere to the total fire bans. She made a success of this charity and it meant that there were far less fires in Australia after the year 2020.
Charlotte remembered that a fire was the reason that she'd met her soul mate, Oliver, but she would rather couples met in less fiery ways in the future. Charlotte and Oliver held hands with their children and walked back to the dam. There was no smoke on the horizon any longer and they had a picnic next to the dam as they looked through the photo album that Oliver had saved many years ago. It was a symbol of survival and love to them and they would pass it on to future generations.
THE END
YOU ARE READING
The Firefighter
RomanceCharlotte gets caught up in a bush fire that is out of control in rural New South Wales in Australia. Just when she thinks that she is going to die in the fire, as she stands alone on the sheep farm, surrounded by raging high flames, holding a preci...
