https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal ... 53mhb.htmlThe president of the body representing thousands of volunteer firefighters is demanding immediate income support and masks for firefighters, warning the situation is now "out of control".
Mick Holton, the president of the Volunteer Fire Firefighters Association, accused Prime Minister Scott Morrison and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian of ignoring rising public concerns. The leaders maintain they have not had any special requests made of them by fire chiefs who are "very comfortable with the arrangements".
The intervention follows days of rising fears about the sustainability of NSW's firefighting operations as personal bills mount for exhausted volunteers grappling with months of fires down the east coast.
Frustrated by the lack of action and arguing now is the time for change, Mr Holton said after weeks on the front, volunteers had racked up expenses, crowd-funded smoke masks and foregone thousands of dollars in income to defend homes.
NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons has been reticent to raise the issues with Mr Morrison and Ms Berejiklian amid the ongoing crisis, focussing resources on fighting fires which have now burned through 3.4 million hectares in the first weeks of summer.
"The fact that they haven't asked for federal support indicates that they believe they have the situation in hand," Mr Holton said.
"That is definitely not the case. The situation is quite the opposite. It is out of control."
He said volunteers had spent hundreds of dollars on fuel driving to and from strike teams up to three hours away.
"Why aren't we picking up the tab for legitimate expenses like we do for paid people?"
Mr Holton said this could take the form of tax breaks for volunteers or expenses being refunded in tax returns. Self-employed firefighters were particularly exposed with no company support to fall back on.
"They volunteer as much as they can afford, sometimes even more than they can afford," he said. "It is not sustainable."
Firefighters have also had to crowd-fund masks as the severity of the smoke has deepened. Mr Holton estimated purchasing the $350 masks for an estimated 6000 volunteers would cost taxpayers $2.1 million.
"Basically, they [the government and RFS] are saying keep chewing smoke and we will have a look at it after the fire season," he said.
Mr Morrison said once the crisis had passed, the government would review how they could better support fire commissioners to raise a volunteer force.
"Australia's system all around the country has always, and will always, depend on having a large volunteer force to deal with these issues. When people join these organisations, they do it to protect their community and do it out of a sense of great service," he said.
"The challenge is the duration of these fires during this season.
"I've heard some stories which would make folks out there just shake their heads, but now is not the time to go into it. Let's get through this first, and then let's sit down with all of the relevant people."
Ms Berejiklian said the NSW government would provide the RFS with all the resources they need.
These guys should be funded at state and federal levels. It's a shameful disgrace that firefighters have had to go begging for donations to buy smoke masks.
Morrison doesn't seem to be doing much except having to spend all his time trying to ward off accusations and criticism from hysterical devotees of climate change that he isn't doing enough. Devotees of Thunberg who does not have a clue what is going on here. MOST of these fires were deliberately lit.
Albanese, just to appear concerned, is sitting back and saying we must look into this. After the catastrophe has passed of course. Fat lot of good that is doing in the here and now.
Over 3.5 million hectares (over 8.6 million acres) burned into oblivion during the first week of summer in NSW alone.
The firefighters need to be compensated, relieved and supplied with EVERYTHING they need to do the jobs they are devoting their time to do. Many of their own houses have burned down while they are out saving others. Several have died and many have been injured.
The shocking loss of animal life will never be able to be counted. Koalas are on the verge of being functionally extinct.
Stop painting yourselves up like Japanese dolls and gluing yourselves to roadways and get off your asses and DO something constructive in the now. Lobby parliament to help the firefighters, to undertake mandatory off season fire control measures and most importantly of all ...
SUPER SEVERE penalties for those caught lighting fires. I don't care if many are 'children'. Punish them and punish them good! Destructive actions bear consequences. This is just not acceptable.
