People volunteer because they want to protect their communities; while we would all prefer to be at home with our families, we want to help others so we go and fight the fires!

SLOMO has to play it down.  To do anything else is to admit that he and his party's politically motivated theories on Climate Change are going to bring the country to finnancial and social ruin.

What would have cost millions to fix will end up costing billions for no better reason than political expediancy.

I've just finished reading a very moving post from a woman on social media. Her husband is a volunteer. One uniform, so if it gets filthy and no time to wash and dry it before the next shift, go dirty or wearing damp clothes. Inadequate masks. Long shifts and just as they're about to finish, another fire breaks out, a tree falls blocking their way - back on the job. Other wives backed up her story and related their own.  And meanwhile ScoMo flies in at great cost to the taxpayers to have a wine and dine with the Murdoch's. A truly religious gesture from our caring leader - not. 

Probably knew ahead of time the rotten stingy creep wouldn't give them anything anyway.

Geez these guys are saving homes, properties, people, stock, pets and the odd wildlife.

They need all of our help because Morrison hasn't got a heart.

They need to know they have an income so  either they should be be paid for their work or their employers subsidised.  They need more firies so they don't work to exhaustion. We have armed forces personal who are paid  whether or not they are deployed - why not train them?

We never had uniforms, masks or anything PEE or even a fire truck when I was in the bush fire brigade. 

Spot on post veepee. Agree completely with all your points.

Kindly stop your heartless trolling, you LNP shill.

Vepee, when I was in the ADF we had bushfire training ever year. As most of the Defence bases are in rural areas it was seen as essential. I have, at varous times, fought bushfires in the Blue Mountains, South East Queensland, Victoria and West Australia. Not my favourite part of my service.

Vepee, when I was in the ADF we had bushfire training ever year. As most of the Defence bases are in rural areas it was seen as essential. I have, at varous times, fought bushfires in the Blue Mountains, South East Queensland, Victoria and West Australia. Not my favourite part of my service.

VCBB.  No, the beaurocrats reporting to SLOMO have told him what he wants to hear.  The firefighters were not consulted.

Also, when you were fighting fires, assuming you were, they were probably nothing close to the scale of the ones we are increasingly facing now.

I am nearly 70 have lived in rural areas for a fair amount of that time and have never lived in a town that did not have at least a tender and minimal equipment.

You must be about two hundred years old, or maybe you will do and say anything to support your morally corrupt party.

Either way your willingness to denigrate the people who get of their butts to actually help out to bolster an inneffectual loudmouthed leaner tells us all we need to know about your credibility.

VCBB's point is valid. 

Smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning have always been hazards for firefighters and even as late as 1966 (not 200 years ago!) fire fighters had very little protection against the damaging effects of exposure. It was only after a fire in a hostel in 1966 in which some of the inhabitants died from carbon monoxide poisoning, the MFB purchased compressed air breathing apparatus sets, and firefighters gradually came to accept the wearing of breathing apparatus as a normal part of the job.

Well and truly f**ked

He will be there for the photo opportunity once the fires are out and it is safe.

Or he will ignore it and just claim there were no fires, it was all fake news.

We seem to have grown our own TRUMP.

Yes - the emergency services levy, which helps to fund 'emergency services' is paid by all who have insurance

See

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/12/firies-and-fury-exhausted-volunteers-decry-pms-claim-they-want-to-be-there

Thanks RnR :)

Finallly a sensible post

thanks Reagan!

I did not want to donate to any organisation which took out admin charges etc so I have gone to Westpac and paid direct to the NSW firies.

If you want to pay direct online here is the link.

https://quickweb.westpac.com.au/OnlinePaymentServlet?cd_community=...