RFSA – How much did this cost?

RFSA – How much did this cost?

The Rural Fire Service Association (RFSA) will not disclose how much their 20th Anniversary celebrations cost and where the money came from.

Did attendees make a contribution?
Did Panthers do the RFSA a special deal?
Were special guests looked after in the, now famous RFSA “Gala” style?
Were there any special guests flown in and at what cost?
Was it all paid for using RFSA funds that were generated from generous public donations and raffle ticket sales?
How many new style firefighting helmets, radios or other much sought after items could this event (and others like it) have funded?

Perhaps those who have made donations and purchased raffle tickets will think twice before doing so again unless the RFSA provides a great deal more transparency.

Rural communities are not impressed. The VFFA campaign to put the RURAL back into the Rural Fire Service will continue…. the next state election will be interesting.

Support your local brigade – RFS web page

It was brought to our attention that the NSW RFS has a web page titled “Support your local brigade” where you can make a donation directly to your local brigade.

The NSW RFS and Westpac needs to be congratulated on providing this method of fundraising.

We are not letting the RFSA off the hook, they need to spend more on brigades, come clean on their expenditure and improve transparency if they expect to retain public support.

Back to the big smoke: RFS headquarters to stay in Sydney (or not)

Back to the big smoke: RFS headquarters to stay in Sydney (or not)

It is very disappointing that the government has not heeded the warnings made clear in the Orange By Election.

Orange and Dubbo (like many other regional areas) have a lot to offer, flying from Sydney to Orange or Dubbo would be comparable and a lot more enjoyable than dealing with city traffic. The Commissioner could even have the chopper standing by just outside his office.

It is a very short sighted decision and it may proof to become extremely costly in terms of voter confidence in the lead up to the next election.

Was the attack on the fundraising activities of the RFSA justified? – Part 5

Was the attack on the fundraising activities of the RFSA justified? – Part 5

Radio coverage on this issue

This part of our series includes two podcasts from the Ray Hadley Morning Show.

Podcast 1. Ray Hadley talks to Mick Holton about the newspaper story, fundraising and the RFSA.

Podcast 2. Ray Hadley grills the Emergency Services Minister, David Elliott about the NSW RFSA and their call centre based fundraising activities.

Was the attack on the fundraising activities of the RFSA justified? – Part 4

Comments from a harassed member of the public

The phone calls are aggressive and becoming increasingly so!

This last call, the young male caller immediately went into overdrive saying “surely I’d want to support the great guys helping out in South Australia”.

I call this emotional blackmail and I told him so.

I said that I always give to specific funds for bushfire relief, usually through St Vincent de Paul and I would really appreciate no further calls.

He was still shouting at me when I said “thank you for calling” and hung up.

Was the attack on the fundraising activities of the RFSA justified? – Part 3

The Sydney Morning Herald published the following article in January 12th 2014. This again raises concerns about the industry in general.

Its not-for-profit clients include the NSW Rural Fire Service Association, Wheelchair Sports NSW, The Kids’ Cancer Project and the State Emergency Service Volunteers Association. Other clients are FBi radio and the City of Sydney council.

Was the attack on the fundraising activities of the RFSA justified? – Part 2

This part in our series displays an email thread dating back to early 2010. It is being provided as an example that others have raised concerns about the fund raising activities of the RFSA long before the recent newspaper exposure.

“Since originally researching this I have spoken to several people who have purchased the raffle tickets. Every one of them believes that they are contributing to the RFS. When I suggest that only 10% of their purchase ends up with the RFS they are clearly upset. Mostly these people are elderly and what I would consider “soft” marketing targets. I believe the telemarketers take advantage of their willingness to help and once they have made a purchase, they are placed on a call back list to repeatedly be sought for future ticket purchases.”

Was the attack on the fundraising activities of the RFSA justified? – Part 1

Was the attack on the fundraising activities of the RFSA justified? – Part 1

Part 1: November 29, 2016 – The Daily Telegraph published an exclusive by Kelly Burke that sent ripples through the commercial fund raising industry in NSW.

On this occasion, the fund raising activities of the Rural Fire Service Association (RFSA) were under attack.

The flow-on effect from this article serves as a reminder for all fund raising groups to ensure that they are operating with a clear conscience.

This series of posts will attempt to pull back the covers on the RFSA fund raising activities and share stories from others who raised concerns long before the VFFA began to poke it with the media stick.

Merry Christmas – 2016

Merry Christmas – 2016

Christmas represents a range of opportunities for our communities. It’s a time to reflect on the year past, a chance to embrace the love of a family, a celebration of friendship and the birth of change in the form of New Years resolutions for a better way of life.

This Christmas, I leave you with the following video “Return of the Firestick” from Living Knowledge Place. It is an excellent production that I hope will inspire you to re-engage with the country that was managed so well by Indigenous Australians.

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