THE efforts of Fire and Rescue crews during the state's bushfire season has drawn the applause of the service's top firefighter.
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NSW Fire and Rescue Commissioner Paul Baxter praised the efforts of the thousands of firefighters who helped tackle one of the worst bushfire seasons in history.
However, Commissioner Baxter is hopeful lessons can be learned from the devastating fires.
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"All the research we have shows us that if these fires had happened in the past, we would have expected far more lives lost," Commissioner Baxter told the Leader.
"However, due to the co-operation of all of the emergency services and the new measures we have in place, such as early warning systems, we have been able to limit the loss of life in this emergency.
"While there was some things that can be approved upon, there was a lot of things we did right, and a lot of lessons both good and bad we can learn from going forward."
Commissioner Baxter said the region's fire crews had "a lot to be proud of" in regards to their efforts during the bushfire season.
"I know the crews from this region really stepped up to help out when required," he said.
"They began by helping out with the fires in Wytaliba, near Glen Innes before going down south and pitching in during fires near Nowra and Cooma.
"From there they've then returned to deal with flooding, so they have really lived our motto of being prepared for anything.
"The region's crews were part of the hundreds of strike teams and thousands of firefighters to help battle the bushfires and I'm very proud of all of them."
The praise comes as Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a royal commission into the bushfire crisis in a bid to improve response times at all levels.
"I'm certainly open to any improvements to emergency response to these incidents that can be made for the future," Commissioner Baxter said.
