Assistant Commissioner Kear came to town as part of a tour of all the fire stations in the Far West, including Bourke, Brewarrina and Cobar.

Accompanying him was Superintendent Neil Harris and Robert Murrey.

Assistant Commissioner Kear has just been made Regional Commander of Region West, an area which covers around seven tenths of the NSW.

It stretches from Parramatta in Sydney's eastern suburbs to the Queensland, South Australian and Victorian borders and includes 115 stations and almost 2000 staff and fire fighters.

Region West is cut into seven zones, and Superintendent Harris is in charge of zone west four which includes Lightning Ridge.

The aim of the tour was to meet the staff at all fire stations and look at any resource issues they may have.

"We want to ensure that we are well prepared to take care of anything that may confront us," Assistant Commissioner Kear said.

He also wanted to talk to the communities and familiarise himself with the area he manages.

"You certainly can't manage all the issues by being locked away in your office, so it's important to get out and meet the staff and meet the communities," he said.

"Lightning Ridge Fire Station is part of a vital response network that is designed to ensure residents and industry in western NSW are provided with the fastest possible response times during an emergency."

According to Station Commander John Bevan the average time it takes to get a truck on the road is three to five minutes.