The hardworking, community-minded, determined young men worked painstakingly hard to receive a position in the Traralgon Country Fire Authority team.

Aged 23 years old, Norman Hocking spent two years preparing for the application process, which included a written test, firefighter and fitness challenge, aptitude test and essay, psychological and medical examination and "life experiences".

"If you pass all that you go on to the final interview and the psych evaluation is used for cross reference during the final interview which goes for about one-and-a-half hours," Mr Hocking said.

"Then you start your 16-week recruit course; it is a fairly rigorous procedure, you have to be determined to get through."

Sitting in the dining room of the Traralgon CFA station, the men are proud to be firefighters.

"You are a firefighter all the time because you are constantly progressing, training and increasing your skills, it becomes a lifestyle choice and a way of life for us," Mr Hocking said.

Progressing from the Fiskville training grounds to calls out in the Latrobe Valley was a challenging step for the firefighters.

"There is no safety blanket here, it is all real situations," he said.

"When you are first turned out your heartbeat is racing, you calm yourself down and it becomes a thought process about how you are going to execute the task and get the job done effectively... and then you're off (to the fire) within 90 seconds."

Originally from the Mornington Peninsula, 25 year-old Floyd Backhausen said, following the training period, joining the intimate team was a challenge.

"You are thrown into a team with people that you have never met before and you are expected to work closely with them well and efficiently," Mr Backhausen said.

He said firefighters were attracted to the career path for the rotational roster, job security and superannuation benefits.

Mr Backhausen said the extreme application process ensured people selected were ideal for the position.

"It is physically demanding when you are on the job, but it is also mentally demanding turning out to some of the jobs," he said.

"They affect your home life as well, so you have to be mentally strong to be able to do it." For more information on career firefighting visit www.cfa.vic.gov.au