He's only a few years older than the brigade itself, which was established in 1998.

"It was always a boyhood dream, was to be a firefighter," Mr Hansen said.

But the satisfaction of volunteering with the Country Fire Authority in one of Bendigo's booming suburbs has come from more than realising a dream.

"It's nice to be giving something back to the community - it does genuinely feel good," Mr Hansen said.

"Especially when you do a good job at a fire and you see the relief on someone's face when their house or paddock has been saved."

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Almost 6000 people live in Strathfieldsaye. The suburb's population is expected to more than double to 13,000 in the next 17 years.

There are 44 members on Strathfieldsaye Fire Brigade's books, but only about 28 are operational.

Mr Hansen said recruitment efforts weren't just about boosting volunteer numbers.

"What is optimal is having people with varying ability," he said.

He said the brigade's existing membership base was already varied, with people from all walks of life among its ranks.

Volunteers ranged from people aged in their 70s to stay-at-home parents.

"At the end of the day it's a volunteer organisation. We don't say you have to come or you're out, it's give us what you can," Mr Hansen said.

"I'm a student so it works well for me because I study at home. The people who work full time, after 5pm you know they're going to be there."

He said people would be surprised how much they could give in the time they had available around other commitments.

RELATED: Strathfieldsaye Fire Brigade looks to the future

Mr Hansen believed Strathfieldsaye had one of the youngest lists of members in the area and a relatively young officer group.

With 12 female members, he said the Strathfieldsaye Fire Brigade also had high female representation compared to other brigades.

Strathfieldsaye Fire Brigade was involved in the Rural Challenge, a gender equality leadership program working with fire brigades and sporting clubs within the region.

Mr Hansen, who is ranked third lieutenant, believed the brigade's diversity was indicative of the way Strathfieldsaye was made up.

Families were flocking to new housing estates in the area, but there were also more established families that had been there since before the housing boom.

RELATE: Sporting clubs, fire brigades complete the pilot Rural Challenge project

Strathfieldsaye Fire Brigade is hosting an information night for prospective volunteers from 7.30pm today at the Strathfieldsaye Fire Station.

But Mr Hansen said people could register their interest in getting involved in their local brigade at any time via the CFA website.

In addition to turning out to emergencies, volunteering for the Country Fire Authority involves training.

Mr Hansen said members were asked to complete a course, which could either be spread out over a few weeks or condensed into a weekend.

"We do a lot of in-house training," he said.

Volunteers would generally find themselves training with people of a similar level, sometimes from brigades throughout the district.

The Strathfieldsaye Fire Station is located at 4 Taylors Lane, Strathfieldsaye.

For more information about becoming a volunteer, visit www.cfa.vic.gov.au/volunteer-careers

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