I get it that fires are scary, trust me, I really do, with probably around 600 call outs over 30 years the butterflies are still there. That's a good sign, it means I won't get complacent.

& I get that people don't want to be there on the frontline with fire approaching. but, here's the thing, none of us are "heroes" we are just
normal" (though with very warped senses of humour) people, mechanics, lawyers, farmers, miners, ecologists (**waves**), doctors, teachers, preachers, left, right, believers, heretics (**again waves**), normal-ish people

#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 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

I joined my local Fire Brigade when I was 12, I still have a certificate for completing “Junior Fire School” around here somewhere and there may be the “dogtag” I was later issued so I could be identified should I got myself roasted (number 51 from memory), mind you I doubt an aluminium tag would last long in a fire but I was pretty proud to have it.

Back then equipment was pretty rudimentary, fifth hand ex army trucks, white overalls, elastic sided boots and a lovely range of torture implements