Victorian fire brigades desperate for youth volunteers

A lack of volunteer firefighters across Victoria means there may not be enough to tackle every blaze. Find out how well staffed your brigade is.

Despite the bushfire season still being six months away, there is a growing concern that homes across Victoria could be left vulnerable due to a shortage of volunteers in local fire brigades.

The Country Fire Authority (CFA) recently launched a massive campaign to boost membership numbers and recruit more firefighters, but more are still needed.

More than 400 brigades statewide are participating in the campaign, aiming to bolster their ranks and increase their capacity to respond to emergencies.

However, Acting Chief Officer Garry Cook revealed that the task had been far from easy.

“We are calling on anyone interested in taking on a new challenge, learning new skills, meeting new people, or giving back to their community to get in touch with their local CFA brigade or go to the CFA website,” A/CO Cook urged.

“Whether you want to take on a dynamic role and respond to incidents as a CFA firefighter or jump on board in a support position within the brigade, there’s a place for you.”

The Bonegilla Fire Brigade, responsible for the Albury Wodonga area, is among those struggling to find volunteers.

The Bonegilla Fire Brigade is just one struggling to find volunteers. Picture: Supplied.

Although they managed to recruit seven new members through a recent program, Captain Brian Church admitted it had been an uphill battle.

“We were aiming for ten recruits, but some others may still join up,” Captain Church said.

He emphasized the urgent need for younger recruits, as the brigade’s average age stands at 64.

The aging demographic has hampered their ability to assemble a crew promptly, particularly during weekdays when most people are at work.

“When you get a weekday today if something major happens most people are at work so the more members you have the easier it can be to get a crew together,” he said.

“Sometimes when we get a major call even right at our station we might only get five people show up.”

First Lieutenant Cameron Gloster from the Underbool Fire Brigade echoed these concerns, highlighting the difficulties in getting people to attend training courses.

The time commitment, often spanning seven days, poses a significant challenge for potential recruits.

“It’s very hard to get them trained as the courses don’t run very often, and it just doesn’t mesh with the timeframe of country people,” Lieutenant Gloster explained.

To alleviate this issue, he proposed condensing the training into two full days over a weekend.

Meanwhile, the Lismore brigade, situated an hour south of Ballarat, boasts about 20 firefighters and 80 members.

Incoming Captain Sanjan Dawson acknowledged the importance of increasing their numbers.

“It definitely is more the merrier,” Captain Dawson said.

Training days should be held over weekends, Underbool Fire Brigade first lieutenant Cameron Closter says.

He emphasized the strain placed on the existing members, who bore the responsibility of getting the trucks out the door when emergencies struck.

By recruiting more operational firefighters, the workload could be distributed, resulting in quicker response times.

“Because we are on call 24 hours, the more firefighters we have, the more likely we can get a crew together at all hours,” Captain Dawson said.

Yet, the biggest obstacle faced by these brigades is the dwindling population in their respective towns.

Captain Dawson explained there “just aren’t as many people around anymore”.

“The people that would have joined have sold their farms, which means there are fewer people physically around the area,” he said.

For more information on how to become a member of your local fire brigade click here.