Mick Holton – Page 32 – Volunteer Fire Fighters Association

Falling koala numbers not a crisis, says expert

Australia’s cuddliest native animal is at the centre of fierce scientific dispute, with new research challenging conventional assumptions about koalas, their relationship with the bush and the wisdom of conservation campaigns designed to increase their numbers in the wild.

Vic Jurskis, a respected forester and ecologist and the author of a research paper to be published next week in Wildlife Research, a peer-reviewed, CSIRO journal, dubs it the great koala scam.

He says ignorance about koalas and poor management of our native forests have led to a situation where the decline of koala populations from unsustainable and unnaturally high levels is misinterpreted as a crisis.

Did the cracks contribute to the roll over?

There was a report of a vehicle roll over (NSW RFS Cat 9) near Narrabri on Monday 22nd Jan 2018.

The welfare of those involved is the highest of priorities. It does appear that everyone is okay without serious injury.

It is now very important that the NSW RFS acts upon any reports received to determine if this accident (reported as a tyre failure) or the resulting vehicle roll over are in any way connected to the faulty wheels that were reported in November 2017.

Our Summer Magazine is Available as a Download

If anyone wants to save an electronic copy (pdf format) of any of our published magazines go to http://volunteerfirefighters.org.au/vffa-magazines or navigate using the main menu to “Magazines”.

If you did not get the glossy printed edition sent to your mailbox, then you may need to update your mailing details or sign up for a free membership.

Magazines can also be viewed online at: https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/59795888/vffa-2017-v9-2-summer

Cracked Wheels

1. The wheel in the photo was fitted to a NSW RFS Cat 9 response vehicle.
2. The NSW RFS has not issued a safety notice or safety alert about this issue.
3. There has not been any recalls of these wheels.
4. There does not seem to be any Safety Alerts issued in 2017 (no Safety Alerts about any topic).
5. We have been informed that the Hawkesbury District has replaced five wheels.
6. Apparently, these wheels were specified to reduce vehicle weight.
7. It has been reported that at least two different vehicles have had cracked wheels.

We are not suggesting that the NSW RFS has failed to properly respond to this issue but we would like to know if this issue has occurred more frequently than reported.

Greater Transparency is Required – an Interview with Dr Charlie Teo

This interview by Ray Hadley with neurosurgeon Charlie Teo highlights the problems associated with the fundraising activities of a range of charities.

The money that is gobbled up extends way beyond the administration costs of the fundraising collection company.

NSW RFS Volunteers at Risk of Prosecution without Support or Assistance

On Wednesday 6th December 2017, a day after International Volunteer Day, a Sydney based Volunteer Firefighter was convicted of dangerous driving in a Local Court case that was heard over three days. The Volunteer was charged by the NSW Police some months after the Police attended a Hazard Reduction Burn.

The Police attended following a phone call from a paid staff member of the NSW Rural Fire Service (the RFS) reporting an alleged incident. The volunteer was on route to the fire station to assist with a pre-planned hazard reduction burn. The matter was reported to the Police without the RFS taking any steps to investigate the allegations internally, or to even hear the Volunteer’s account of the event.

Legal costs to protect the good name of this Volunteer are now in the tens’ of thousands of dollars and the Volunteer Firefighter was sentenced and ordered to pay a $750 fine and had his license suspended for a 12-month period The legal proceedings have been underway for approximately 14 months, they have taken an incredible toll on the volunteer, his family and brigade.

The Volunteer has not received any support or communication from the NSW RFS.

What it takes to be a fire behaviour expert with the Rural Fire Service

The VFFA is sharing this ABC News article because we support the comments made by Dr. Simon Heemstra including:

Mapping by hand most reliable
There is no technology that can replace frontline experience
It would be great to see a relocation of these resources to a locality west of the “sandstone curtain”.

Lets not forget all of the volunteers across the state with a wealth of local knowledge to offer.

Conflict of interest and natural justice in an RFS Disciplinary hearing

Today’s question relates to the application of natural justice and conflicts of interests in NSW RFS disciplinary matters. My correspondent asks:

Can an appointed investigator of alleged allegations against a RFS volunteer be then placed as the Chairperson of the Zone Discipline Panel to make decisions on the same allegations?

The critical issue here is ‘natural justice’. One of the key elements of natural justice is that the decision maker must not have a stake in the matter and must hear from both sides and decide the issue before them without prior judgment.

Appropriate Duty of Care or Over-Complication?

A volunteer sent us an email and a document that was circulated from a Fire Control Centre recently. We have decided to share this information in a quest to discover if this Tick Insect Bite Pro Forma documentation is widespread and are there other injury specific forms in use.

The Tick Insect Bite Pro Forma is dated August 2016 and the document control states that it is version 1.3.

The questions being asked on the form are:

1. Was insect repellent containing Picaridin (e.g. Johnson ‘OFF!’ repellent) available to the injured member on the day of injury? If yes, did the injured member apply the repellent before commencing work and reapply as necessary during work?
2. On the day of injury did the Supervisor remind the injured member that repellent MUST be applied prior to work, then reapplied at regular intervals (particularly when sweating)?
3. When the tick was found was the removal undertaken by a competent first aider and can you confirm that the whole tick was removed (i.e. No head left behind)? If more than one tick, specify number of ticks.
4. What part(s) of the body were bitten by the tick(s)?
5. Has the injured member had any medical complications from the tick bite(s)?

What is the volunteer perception of this form?

Ray Hadley talks about the use of Call Centres for Fundraising

You may recall the VFFA publishing a series of posts titled Was the attack on the fundraising activities of the RFSA justified?
Good News from Ray Hadley…. The ACCC is announcing, Charities risk stiff fines if they outsource their fundraising to companies that hound potential donors.
Charities have become big business. Mr Hadley suggests that you donate directly to your local brigade.

Shane Bryant on KANGAROO COURT PART 3June 9, 2026
This is not an isolated incident as I was a HSR who was was stood down, an illegal action under…
Izza on Public inquiry into allegations concerning NSW RFS catering supply and other mattersMay 10, 2026
Important and transparent look at the public inquiry into NSW RFS catering and supply matters—pair that governance‑aware attitude with the…
Afyda on The Uniform Debacle ContinuesMay 10, 2026
Funny and relatable take on the “uniform debacle” for volunteer firefighters—pair that frontline‑gear talk with the tech‑in‑education journey from Telkom…
David on The Uniform Debacle ContinuesApril 24, 2026
Still a problem ,how the “powers that be “fail to acknowledge and decide on uniform representation for Volunteers . National…
FireWatchDad on KANGAROO COURT PART 3April 18, 2026
That’s a really frustrating situation. It’s unacceptable that those concerns weren’t addressed – proper oversight is so important.