Mr Lockwood said years of experience with the CFA had made him somewhat resilient, but a bad crash had the potential to affect him emotionally.

``I'm no different to anybody else, stress is cumulative and we don't like having to go to accidents one after the other,'' he said.

``The thing that affects me mainly is the waste of life.''

CFA crews are called to road incidents to counter the risk of a fire and to provide support for other emergency service agencies.

Mr Lockwood said he was shocked by the number of recent crashes in the Latrobe Valley and across Gippsland.

``The spate of road trauma we've had is unusual, I personally can't remember a spate of accidents so close together in my time in the Latrobe Valley,'' he said.

Mr Lockwood said the CFA had a well structured peer support program for staff and volunteers who were adversely affected by the ``nasty'' crashes.

``We have a program for critical incidents to support one another and if we need to we use a chaplain service or seek professional help,'' he said.

``It's the nature of the beast, you go through training and it becomes part of the job but for some people it hits closer to home more than others.

``I look after myself psychologically and ensure the welfare of all the people I'm responsible for.''