But the job seems a little less desirable when the firefighter lands, pulls out a rake-hoe or a chainsaw and settles down to 12 hours of what's known as "dry firefighting".

The Remote Area Firefighting Teams, many of them volunteers, use only hand tools to prevent fires spreading.

They make a physical barrier between the fire and its fuel, hopefully stopping it in its tracks.

It often takes a particular kind of person to do this work and the team come from all walks of life.

Senior fire management officer Simon Butt joined the brigade to get closer to his wife, who was a firefighter at the time.

"I worked out that if I was going to spend any time with my wife, I'd have to join," he said.

"Basically we mostly scrape the ground down to bare dirt, all around the fire."

"At the end you come home very tired and not smelling very good."

More than 75 percent of the area of the ACT is looked after by the Rural Fire Service and the Territory and Municipal Services Parks Brigade.

The remote team, a mix of staff from both agencies, is sent to areas only helicopters can reach.

Charlotte Adams, a public servant and volunteer firefighter, has done six fire seasons in Canberra.

"It makes a nice change from sitting at your desk all day," she said.

"When I moved here, I wanted to connect with the community."

Volunteers learn new skills, meet people and get fitter, Ms Adams said.

She would completely support her daughter, now 10, to join the brigade when she got older.

The job isn't for everyone though – the fitness test is hard enough by itself, she said.

Team members must hike 4.8km in under 45 minutes, with a 20kg pack on their shoulders.

"It's certainly a personal choice but give it a go if you're curious – you might surprise yourself," Ms Adams said.

Up in the air however, it's a little easier, said helicopter pilot Andrew McClymont.

"The training is just longer, it's a minimum of 1500 hours in the chopper," he said.

Mr McClymont started flying to muster cattle in Queensland nine years ago.

"At least it's less likely there'll be fires in the next week – they've probably been postponed because of that rain."