Reflecting on the events of February 7 last year, group officer for the Knox Fire Brigades Group Jim Read said the past 12 months had been very labour-intensive. "The anniversary is going to trigger a lot of emotions."

Mr Read, who is also a sergeant at Glen Waverley police, said volunteers had put their heart and soul into their firefighting efforts.

"The Royal Commission has taken a big toll. [CFA firefighters] gave it their best shot and, under the conditions, they did a terrific job."

Mr Read said it was not so much the volunteers on the ground who had been criticised but the CFA administration that had "taken a pounding".

"A lot of that rubs off on the volunteers too. Everyone did as much as they could on the day. No one had any other thoughts other than to do the best job they can do.

"Unfortunately, a lot of the people who put their lives on the line that day have received a lot of negative feedback from the commission, and that's not good."

Last August, the Royal Commission's interim report identified a number of "weaknesses and failures" in Victoria's information and warning system on Black Saturday.

Mr Read was operations officer at the Quarry Road fire in Upper Ferntree Gully on February 7. He said assistance from a firefighting helicopter was crucial in extinguishing the blaze.

"If we hadn't been able to pull that up when the wind change came through, it would have gone straight up the mountain and there would have been considerable loss of assets and persons. We were happy with the job we did there on Black Saturday."

Moving on, Mr Read said the CFA's planning was now more thorough, not only within the CFA, but also with other emergency services and the community.

"Fire is one of those things where you have some pre-warning you're going to have a bad day. They've all got to be involved in a holistic approach."