Charles Sturt University Port Macquarie was ground zero for fire crew support

Up to 200 firefighters rotating four-day shifts over a solid two weeks on the fire front were able to rest easy and fill their bellies at CSU's ground zero accommodation quarters.

CSU has had on campus accommodation for two years in Port Macquarie and the unprecedented fire situation presented a unique opportunity to help the fire effort.

A single phone call was all it took to mobilise the campus into a camp for volunteer Rural Fire Service (RFS) brigades on November 8.

Residence life coordinator Meredith Gibson and campus development manager Amanda Quinn were tasked with the responsibility of organising the mammoth emergency effort.

"It all started the day the sky turned orange," Mrs Gibson said.

"As the night went on it was getting a bit more intense everyone was talking about the fires and just what might happen."

Mrs Gibson received a phone call from her director asking if the university had beds available for a couple of firies.

"I got the call about 9pm and was asked if we could accommodate 13 firefighters that night. I went back to the university and with the help of the students who were still on campus, we got a few beds together," she said.

"The calls kept coming and by morning we had 55 firefighters who needed rooms and that was just the beginning.

Mrs Gibson said the university played a pivotal role in ensuring the firefighters had a clean bed, were well fed and able to do their incredible job.

"That first night when everything was so unknown it was scary but it also felt good to be able to help," she said.

"The few students who were around offered to help make beds and there was a real buzz. We all had jobs to do and we just focused on what needed to happen."

She said the turnover was so high that an old fashioned whiteboard was used to keep track of where people were.

"It started at 13 firefighters and in 24 hours became 200 so things were hectic. The campus had no phone or internet due to the fires so we turned to a whiteboard to make sure firies went into rooms not occupied by students.

"It was old school but effective when there was so much going on."

Over the next two weeks the Residence Life team would cater for over 1000 firefighters and with the support of the community the operation ran like clockwork said Ms Quinn.

"We didn't really have a chance to think about the fires or how close they were. For two weeks were in this bubble of doing absolutely everything we could to support the RFS volunteers when they came back from the firezone," Ms Quinn said.

"It was amazing to see how the community responded to having the firefighters coming to town.

"From a logical point of view we went to Coles and said please help and they were phenomenal donating all the food in those early days and are continuing to provide food.

"We were giving the firefighters a huge cooked breakfast and hot dinner meal whenever they would come in.

"Community groups like Lions and Rotary then came on board and started running the breakfast which was incredible. The community also came out in force and would come along in the mornings and chat to the firies to give them that down time."

Ms Quinn said situation produced some lighter moments as well.

"All the firies who came to us were blown away by the facilities when they arrived."

There were crews from all over the country including South Australia, Victoria, Canberra, southern New South Wales and New Zealand.

"One of the guys set off the fire alarm from the steam of a shower which was hilarious. We had a few hundred firefighters and heaps of fire trucks in the carpark and then a fire truck from town had to come out and turn off the alarm. A lot of jokes went around that night."

Mrs Gibson said the response from local businesses and the community was incredible.

"We didn't do it on our own, Priceline donated thousands of dollars worth of products from tissues and eye drops to Strepsils and lip balm," she said.

"Our cleaners and Bain Laundry were incredible with the huge turnover of people coming through the doors, along with all the community groups who donated food and time to come and talk to the firefighters. They had left families of their own and seeing them light up when they were speaking to the kids was so heartwarming.

"They said to us later it made the long days on the fire field slightly easier.

"We all had so much respect and love for them all and they definitely felt that."

The campus is still on call as a base for volunteer firefighters, Ms Quinn said.

"The university has made an agreement with the RFS until the end of January to be on call to look after firefighters.

"It only takes a wind shift or an extreme fire danger rating day and who knows what might happen. We still have fire personnel on campus and we are still providing meals for the first responders, but it is just a case of if more need to be brought in we have the capacity to help."