Volunteer Fire Fighters Association – Page 54 – The Voice of Volunteer Firefighters in NSW

Bureaucratic nonsense – Local farmer

Cootamundra pilot Scott Adams, of Adams Aerial Services, was furious when he was called out of the airspace above the fire at Stockinbingal by the Rural Fire Service (RFS), who say he was never requested to attend the fire which broke out on Yeo Yeo Hampstead Road.
He had the fire as good as out before anyone got to it and he called for a commonsense approach from the RFS when it comes to available resources, calling the move to stop Mr Adams waterbombing “bureaucratic nonsense”.

In Memory of Deputy Captain Paul Sanderson

The entire service is saddened by the news that Deputy Captain Paul Sanderson has passed away.
Paul was battling a blaze when he suffered what was believed to be a heart attack.
Our thoughts are with family and friends.

Why do these Government inquiries take so long?

Question – The Hon. Robert Brown:
My question is directed to the Hon. Duncan Gay, representing the Premier. Will the Premier guarantee that a Government response will be forthcoming to the General Purpose Standing Committee No. 5 inquiry into the Wambelong fire before Christmas given that the fire occurred in January 2013?

Emergency Services Ready to Respond with 74,516 Volunteers

Mr Elliott claims that we now have 74,516 volunteers in the RFS.
We disagree with that claim, but don’t take our word for it, ask around for yourself. Go to a few country towns and ask the local Brigade how many people they have on the books, then ask how many are actively engaged in the day to day activities of that Brigade.

Bruie Plains – Cold Drinks, ABBA and Plenty to Sing About

Bruie Plains Brigade, located 26 Kilometres from Trundle (in the Central West) has plenty to sing about…
The Brigade are now the proud owners of two Engel Fridges thanks to Deputy Captain Andrew Rawesthorne and the VFFA.
In an earlier edition of the volunteer fire fighter magazine, we ran a Photo Competition with a prize of $1000 for whatever equipment a brigade needed. The winning photo was submitted by Deputy Captain Andrew Rawesthorne of Bruie Plains Brigade. After consideration, the brigade decided two fridges would be great for their tankers so they no longer had to drink hot water in the field.
What about ABBA?

Fire from the Sky by Roger Underwood

In Western Australia in the early 1960s, a revolutionary technology was developed: lighting fuel reduction burns using aircraft. Its adoption by forest managers ensured there was an entire generation of Western Australians protected from the ravages of severe wildfires.
In this book, Roger explains (in simple terms) the rationale for prescribed burning, and the history of its adoption in Western Australia.

Inquiry into the fire at the Wambelong Camp Ground – Coroners Findings

On the 28th September 2015, the NSW Deputy State Coroner made the following recommendations to the Minister for Emergency Services. The findings and recommendations have not been well received by all persons. Feel free to add your comments to this article. We will publish any sensible feedback.

Blazeaid – A week with the volunteers at Maffra, Victoria

BlazeAid is a volunteer-based organisation that works with families and individuals in rural Australia after natural disasters such as fires and floods. Working alongside the rural families, our volunteers help to rebuild fences and other structures that have been damaged or destroyed.

Rank v Responsibility – Law v Policy

By Michael Eburn
One of our members who was previously not an officer of the brigade gained employment with the RFS and as part of his employment was given a staff rank that outranks any of the officers in the brigade.
This member has since informed us that he also carries that rank into his volunteer time with the brigade and that as a consequence he has to wear his staff rank to jobs with the brigade and if he is unhappy with the way an incident is being run by the brigade he has a legal obligation to take over control of the incident, and that he is the one that will be responsible if something goes wrong as he would be the senior officer on scene.

NSW RFS brings in jumbo sized water bomber ahead of expected horror fire season

The Daily Telegraph loves a good story, big fires, a horror fire season ahead and now we have jumbo sized water bombers. They also allow public comment and so do we…

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.