At the fire station that morning, its members were silent. "We just looked and nodded. We all had the same feeling."

Soon after, Mr Smith got a call from a Ferntree Gully crew member. There was smoke coming from Quarry Road, Upper Ferntree Gully. Mr Smith's crew was on the road in 30 seconds.

Dianne Vanzwol was working outside her Quarry Road home just before the fire hit.

She was hoping to dangle her feet in the spa with her husband Rinie as the temperature soared beyond 40 degrees.

"I came in for 10 minutes and then went back out. You couldn't see with all the smoke.

"I could see the flames down the end of the street. I had bush up the back and both sides of me. I thought I was gone."

With the help of neighbours, the Vanzwols escaped. As she left, Mrs Vanzwol thought she would have no home to return to.

The fire made its way up the hill and the windy conditions were a worry for CFA crews.

"Our main attack was to stop it spreading," Mr Smith said. "Our crew just worked as a team and knew what to do. This was a perfect example of where the training paid off."

Mr Smith said a helicopter, which dumped water on Quarry Road, was crucial in saving many houses.

He said the pilot was a seasoned veteran, and those on the ground had also done an excellent job.

"It is one of the best firefights I'd ever been involved in."

Mr Smith also praised the efforts of police and residents for their help.

There were no lives lost in the Upper Ferntree Gully blaze and no property lost, besides a burnt out car.

When Mrs Vanzwol returned, a laundry, downpipes and awnings were damaged. But her house was still there.

The past year has been tough for Mrs Vanzwol. A few months after Black Saturday she lost her husband to cancer.

"I take life day by day. I miss my husband very much. But I want to stay here. I want to stay here as long as I can."

Mr Smith says he lives in a "very special part of the world", but with that comes responsibility. "I look in my backyard, and there's a national park. We've got to resign ourselves to the fact we are in a bushfire-prone area."