It will be the second time Joel Donkin, of Rainbow Flat, has travelled to the West African country after his first rotation with the Red Cross, which lasted from November 2014 to January this year.

Working in infection control and patient care at the Red Cross treatment centre in Kenema, Joel's role included hygiene and waste management, water sourcing, and the safe and dignified burials of virus victims.

Joel acknowledges the very real danger that he and other workers face in dealing daily with the virus.

"You have to be absolutely committed to your safety and the safety of your colleagues or you could add to the fatalities," he said.

"There are no shortcuts and no room for heroes."

Forty-nine-year-old Joel, a registered nurse and paramedic, has also worked in the army as a medic.

He credited his time in the army, during which he was part of the Australian response to the 2004 tsunami, with preparing him for the large-scale loss of life resulting from the Ebola epidemic.

Traditional burial practices and a distrust of government authority from years of civil war contributed to the fast spread of the virus, with changing local mindsets one of the challenges Joel faced.

"When I arrived it was at the peak of the epidemic," Joel said.

"It was quite a battle to get people to understand that traditional burial practices and caring for infected loved ones was spreading the disease."

Joel, who also volunteers for the NSW Rural Fire Service and the Black Head Surf Life Saving Club, said that he had three reasons for joining the effort.

"First, I believe in the intrinsic value of life regardless of race, creed or religion," he said.

"Secondly, I would prefer to stop epidemics as close to the source as possible."

His third reason was a desire to contribute his medical knowledge and skill set to the cause.

While he worked for the Red Cross in his first rotation, he declined to name the organisation he will work for on his second trip.

"The Red Cross is an amazing organisation," he said. "This sort of mission shows the Red Cross at its finest."

Joel, who describes himself as a "pathological volunteer," says that he doesn't find anything overly remarkable in his own story.

"I don't think I'm too remarkable, but I worked with a lot of remarkable people."

He is confident that due to the titanic efforts of health workers the disease is now on the decline, however he warns that any slip in standards could see the disease "whiplash" and explode again.

The initial outbreak of the virus, which has claimed more than 9000 lives since May 2014, decimated health care workers as authorities struggled to react.

Joel said that because of this people from all walks of life were joining the fight against Ebola, with locals receiving rapid health care training to cope with the many challenges of disease management.

"Imagine wearing a full wetsuit, gloves and goggles in 40 degree heat and with 100 per cent humidity," he said.

"As health care professionals our focus is usually on the individual.

"In this instance, our focus was containing the epidemic."

Joel mentions his wife Sandy, a teacher and midwife in the Manning Valley, as an important part of his mission.

"When she says it's time to come back, I'll come back," he said.

Ahead of his next rotation, Joel is still in awe of the effort of volunteers in Sierra Leone.

"I saw a lot of people die, but when in the face of crisis people from all walks of life rise up to help, that's true heroism," Joel said of the Sierra Leone locals working to combat the virus.

"I'm filled with admiration for them."

To donate to the Red Cross Ebola Outbreak Appeal, visit www.redcross.org.au.