#NSWfires A lot of talk about paying volunteers, but no one's asked us. I'm not keen on the idea & the few times it's come up in convo it's usually "yeah, nahh", though with current fires for months on end may need review. Here's some general ideas to increase vol numbers.
/1
/1
Review "character test", currently harder to get into RFS than for police, for RFS police record has to be clean (even juvenile). suggest for minor non custodial non violence (or fire) related, say 5 year wait, minor custodials (to 6 months) then 10 year expiry.
/2
/2
RFS volunteering to count towards "mutual obligation" activity & jobseekers to be given a break on obligation to apply for jobs during large fire events.
/3
/3
RFS cadet program to be expanded in high schools & extended to TAFE/Uni with competencies more aligned with "mainstream" units (many already are & RFS is also RTO).
/4
/4
While there is a perception that paying volunteer firefighters may attact the wrong sort (we already get thrill pyro's, money chasing pyro's not wanted either) & being volunteer gives you the option to say "no" but we don't want people to go broke, so.....
/5
/5
WPA's & Awards to have minimum "community service leave" (say 5 days paid) over that firefighters to be eligible to non taxable, non reportable $100 a day allowance (yeah, I know, not much but discourages those out for $$)....
/6
/6
.. uniform washing and other RFS related expenses to be tax deductable & loan repayments to be suspended for period of emergency + 2 weeks.
They're a few ideas, I'm currently in P/T work with a lot of flexibility on how I do my hours so prob wouldn't take up if implemented
/7
They're a few ideas, I'm currently in P/T work with a lot of flexibility on how I do my hours so prob wouldn't take up if implemented
/7
Volunteers are generally happy and proud to stay as volunteers, it still gives us the flexibility to say "nahh fuck that" (which we rarely do, but it's a big psychological difference). Different mindset to be an "employee".
Again, my opinion, others may think different.
/8
Again, my opinion, others may think different.
/8
Great thing about being a volley is you can tell the boss to "get f%^&ed" without getting fired. I work with volleys in both paid and vol work, needs completely different management style.
/9
/9
As once told to me by a member of the Califonia Conservation Corps
"Your job is much harder, you can't fire your crew, you have to be nice to them".
/fin.
"Your job is much harder, you can't fire your crew, you have to be nice to them".
/fin.
