Clare Reeves first joined Downside RFS in 2018 at the age of 19, following in the footsteps of her father and brother, who are both avid volunteer firefighters.

Now at the age of 21 she is also the youngest training officer the shed has ever seen by quite a considerable margin.

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She remains the the brigade's only operational female firefighter, but is encouraging other girls to join the crew.

"They're really welcoming at Downside, so I've been extremely lucky. I've heard other things about other brigades, but here at Downside they're just a bunch of really nice blokes," Ms Reeves said.

"I'd encourage other girls to joint the RFS. I know it can be intimidating joining an organisation that's heavily male dominant, but there are brigades like Downside out there that are empowering, that will give you the opportunity to go into leadership roles, and are more than happy to welcome you into the brigade."

As the brigade's training office she will be organising upskilling sessions for the rest of the crew, and she plans to put the boys through their paces during her term.

Over the next six months she's planning a crew leader grassland course, a rural fire driving course, a first aid course, and chainsaw lessons with the shed's newly acquired chainsaw.

Ms Reeves hopes these skills will come in handy in her job one day, since she is currently studying at Charles Sturt University to become a park ranger.

"I do quite enjoy the training because it gives you that confidence and edge when you're actually on the fire grounds, so I suppose that's why I'm pumped to be the training officer and get more people involved," she said.

"I also like being part of a team. When you've got that adrenaline going and you've got the captain there, it's a different environment to what you'd normally experience at other volunteering organisations or at work or at study. You get a unique experience at the RFS."

Downside RFS captain David Meiklejohn said Ms Reeves was an invaluable asset to the team who would no doubt go on to do great things as a firefighter.

He said he was keen to get more young people like Ms Reeves onto the team and climbing up the ranks.

"She's a terrific example of who has developed in her role and she's been keen and enthusiastic and willing to explore the opportunities within the RFS," Captain Meiklejohn said.

"I'd say as a brigade we encourage young people to step up and take part."

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