Volunteer Fire Fighters Association

VFFA Vice President, Brian Williams talks to Jane Marwick (2GB) about management of bush fire fuel and the difficulties people face when applying for permission to conduct hazard reduction activities.

Most firefighters know and except that it is impossible to eliminate exposure to Carbon Monoxide unless you choose to self contained breathing apparatus (SCBA).

If comfort and reduction of irritation is the primary concern, there is a variety of disposable and reusable air filtering respirators. Each type has advantages and disadvantages in specific applications. By capturing the smoke particles and some of the off gases, irritation from smoke inhalation can be significantly reduced.

If our volunteer firefighters are concerned about smoke exposure, we owe it to them to better understand the problem and provide some reasonably practicable solutions.

The respiratory protection options that are being provided to volunteer firefighters by the NSW Rural Fire Service are very limited and could impact upon firefighter health.

The simple fact that firefighters are raising concerns on social media and other platforms is reason enough to investigate further.

Concentrations of CO and fine particulate matter in fire zones commonly exceed the short-term occupational health standards and can be between 100 and 1000-fold higher than ambient air quality standards. Indeed, CO concentrations exceeding 300 parts per million and fine particulate matter concentrations of 100 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³) are common around bushfires.

The VFFA has been pushing for our volunteers to be appropriately compensated with legitimate expenses so that they are not out of pocket. These expenses might include a loss of income for many volunteers.

This type of assistance is designed to assist our volunteers and is not intended to become a payment scheme.

The VFFA President was interviewed by The Project on this matter.

Volunteer Fire Fighters Association President, Mick Holton talks to Sky News, Chris Kenny about the lack of land management.

I am a member of the NSW Rural Fire Service because it is a volunteer service. Volunteering makes me feel good about the work we do and the opportunity to give back to my community. We are proud to be volunteers. But there are limits!

Rural Fire Service members have been warned about crowdfunding for protective masks “without the appropriate authority” amid growing concern about resourcing levels of the state’s firefighting volunteers.

An interview with Vic Jurskis by by 2GB’s Jane Marwick on Thursday evening 12th December 2019.

Volunteer firefighters spending extended periods battling NSW bushfires say they are having to cough up significant sums of money for upgraded respirators, amid fears the disposable masks issued by the Rural Fire Service aren’t providing enough protection for the severity of exposure.