April 2019 - Volunteer Fire Fighters Association

National Indigenous Fire Workshop, Bundanon Trust 2018

The 2018 National Indigenous Fire Workshop was held at Bundanon property in Yuin Country on the New South Wales south coast.

Participants came from as far north as Napranum, Cape York in northern Queensland to Truwana in Tasmania, and from as far west as the APY Lands in Central Australia. The last day of the workshop was a Cultural Fire Day that was open to the public.

The VFFA congratulates both the RFSA and the RFS for sponsoring this event in 2018. We hope that these programs are supported into the future.

Fire season extended – Your Thoughts?

Not every Volunteer Firefighter agrees with the decision to extend the fire season in many areas around the state. There are some areas where it is an ideal time to burn heaps and even larger areas of bushland. The soil moisture is up in some areas and all that is needed is a calm day for a good burn.

The hassle associated with getting a permit puts farmers and other land owners off. The RFS will say that it’s not a big deal, just get a permit. But the legislation around burning and the issuing of permits is not that easy.

The system is way too complicated and people have become frightened to use fire in case the local brigade rocks up.

Bring back Indigenous Land Management

We’re putting $30M helicopters in the drink, we’re burning houses, and
we’re destroying the environment.
Bring back Indigenous land management for a brighter (and less costly) future.

Burn

Burning the bush to prevent catastrophic fires is something that rural fire services all over the country have been doing for decades. But Aboriginal Australians have been doing it for tens of thousands of years—and their “cool burns” are making a welcome comeback.

A Compassionate and Supportive Cabinet?

As reported by Alexandra Smith (SMH) on the 31st March 2019, Premier Gladys Berejiklian says her government will be compassionate and supportive as she unveiled her new cabinet on Sunday, which will have have a strong emphasis on social change.
How is it possible for Mr Elliot to show compassion and support based upon his track record with the VFFA Volunteer Firefighters.
Why not give the role to Melinda Pavey?
Melinda showed a great deal of compassion and support when she was serving the people of NSW as the Shadow Minister for Emergency Services. It would seem as though she has been handed a poison chalice in the form of water.

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Interesting post on unresponsive RFS officers, bullying and threats.
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Hi Paul, Apologies for the delayed reply. We are currently updating our webpage and a few things are sneaking passed…
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How can I join your organisation