Volunteer bushfire brigades always need new members willing to put on the yellow PPE and fight bushfires. Anyone aged 16 or over may apply to join. While there is no upper age limit applicants for fireground duties need to be physically fit and able to carry out sometimes arduous work for long hours. As a volunteer you are not going to be paid a cent for your efforts, so what’s in it for you if you do join? Learn new skills. Fire fighter training is provided free of charge by Bushfires NT to nationally accredited standards. Training is also available in aerial ground support, AIIMS, etc.
Make new friends. Volunteer firefighters are a friendly bunch coming in all ages, shapes and sizes. Many brigades have social clubs with regular get-togethers to maintain a spirit of mateship.
Travel to distant parts of Australia at Government expense. Volunteers served on the Victorian fire grounds in 2006-2007, and in past years have been to fires in NSW. However, the likelihood of future interstate deployment will probably be restricted to trained AIIMS personnel.
Help protect your community. The core role is to protect life, property and the environment from wildfire. This can be demanding at times, but the sense of providing this service to the community, free of charge, is quite rewarding.
Help the community in other ways. During the wet season volunteer fire fighters are part of the Cyclone Counter Disaster Organisation. We clear roads of fallen trees and other debris, un-bog vehicles and rescue others caught in floodwaters. In April 2006 paid and volunteer firies cleaned up flood damaged houses and other buildings in Katherine. We are also called out to provide support at motor vehicle accidents and have joined line searches for missing persons in the bush.
Have an impressive CV. Your volunteer work and community spiritedness has just got to impress at that important job interview.
We accept that fighting fires is not for everyone and there are other roles in brigades, such as on the committee as secretary, treasurer, public officer, etc., or in operational support to help out with catering, logistics, building and grounds maintenance, fund raising, promotions, etc. There are also other roles in the Bushfires NT organisation in aerial ground support and the AIIMS Incident Management System. Volunteers also help out at shows, with training and at conventions.
Contact your local volunteer bushfire brigade for more information and an application form. Not sure which is your local brigade? Find your home in the Volunteer Brigades map, see which Brigade area it's in, then open that Brigade's page for contact details. If all else fails contact Bushfires NT. You can apply to join any Brigade, not just the one whose area you live in. You can also swap Brigades if you don't like the one you join - quite a few firies in the Darwin rural area do just that. Click on the NTFRS Volunteers website link in the sidebar for information about volunteer fire brigades in NTFRS areas.
External links Bushfires (Volunteer Bushfire Brigades) Regulations (the Constitution) |