Volunteer fire fighters story in the age

Submitted: Wednesday, Jan 24, 2007 at 17:03
ThreadID: 41587 Views:2241 Replies:12 FollowUps:4
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"International firefighters are being paid $600 a day to fight bushfires ravaging the state as overworked volunteer crews pay their own way, the firefighters' union says."

"In addition, more than 800 off-duty paid Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB)and CFA firefighters were sitting idle waiting to be called on, he said."

Source the age

Geez it really shows what great and generous people those vounteers are,but isn't there a serious problem here?

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Reply By: Truckster (Vic) - Wednesday, Jan 24, 2007 at 17:13

Wednesday, Jan 24, 2007 at 17:13
Wish I was on $600 a day for the 13 yrs I was RFS.. I'd have settled for $200, or even just normal pay rates for my jobs at the time.

Nobody would have blinked if this report wouldnt have come out.
EG: Volunteers do it cause they want to, now I'm not sure they will be as generous/happy.
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Follow Up By: strzelecki - Wednesday, Jan 24, 2007 at 17:30

Wednesday, Jan 24, 2007 at 17:30
It certainly raises questions when volunteers are on the front line for extended periods.I know some who have put their own business on hold with financial consequences,it has been tough for them with the drought problems thrown in.
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Reply By: Taz & Milka-Queanbeyan - Wednesday, Jan 24, 2007 at 17:39

Wednesday, Jan 24, 2007 at 17:39
Thats more than I make as a security contractor in Afghanistan. That is more than a lot of contractors in Iraq are making. These guys are doing convoy runs across the county and getting hit by explosive devices quite frequently. We know of one guy who's convoy was hit 3 times in one week.

Cheers ... Taz
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Reply By: DIO - Wednesday, Jan 24, 2007 at 18:56

Wednesday, Jan 24, 2007 at 18:56
The same article (source News) goes on to say....

"The people from overseas are being paid, as are those from Australia who go to America to help them with fires are being paid,"

Further down the article states ....

"...CFA volunteers had not asked to be paid"

and then further down.....

"The MFB is a world-class metropolitan fire service with very limited ability to fight forest fires,"

I guess it pays to read the entire article sometimes or better still avoid 'selective' quoting when it doesn't accurately portray the facts.
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Follow Up By: John R (SA) - Wednesday, Jan 24, 2007 at 22:22

Wednesday, Jan 24, 2007 at 22:22
"...CFA volunteers had not asked to be paid"

which is a very tactile way of avoiding the fact that there is no way they would be, even if they wanted some compensation/renumeration for their efforts.

I find it interesting that (in SA anyway) reimbursement for things such as phone calls, travel etc is allowed, but mention the word 'time' and all hell breaks loose.

I really see no problem with getting paid crews in for long campaigns or mopping up. Volunteers are most valuable when they're able to respond quickly & with local knowledge. Put in a huge effort for a not too long period, then get back to work.
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Reply By: hoyks - Wednesday, Jan 24, 2007 at 19:02

Wednesday, Jan 24, 2007 at 19:02
Someone had recently done a study that was featured on the 7.30 report that looked into how much it cost volunteers to do their job.
Some were seriously out of pocket and having to buy equipment out of their own pockets just to keep their services going and feeding themselves when away from home, only to have claims for petrol money questioned.
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Reply By: Kiwi Kia - Wednesday, Jan 24, 2007 at 19:13

Wednesday, Jan 24, 2007 at 19:13
There is a little more to add to the story but basically it it is true.

The $600 is to cover airfares, ordinary pay, food, clothing, accomodation, any overtime etc.

I do not know how much of the above is supplied so they may or maynot be on a good deal.
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Reply By: obee - Wednesday, Jan 24, 2007 at 20:12

Wednesday, Jan 24, 2007 at 20:12
I reckon everyone should be paid and insured properly too by the authorities. It's all for us taxpayers and us taxpayers should cough up. The metro blokes are probs needed together with their gear just as they usually are for fires and road accidents. Bad luck if you got trapped in a car accident and the nearest firey was hours away fighting bush fires!

Thats my take on it anyway.

Owen
AnswerID: 217570

Reply By: Rummble Bee - Wednesday, Jan 24, 2007 at 22:04

Wednesday, Jan 24, 2007 at 22:04
im hearing you mate i live in tasmania and i had an incident were my house was not from being more than a pile of ashes but it didnt only for volunteers they were the first there and the last to leave if it weren't for them id be pitching a tent in the middle of my back yard my old man was a volunteer for 11 years then went on to join the air force as a fireman if weren't for the volunteers then id guarantee that 90per cent of the homes in fires wouldn't stand
AnswerID: 217597

Reply By: Motherhen - Wednesday, Jan 24, 2007 at 22:18

Wednesday, Jan 24, 2007 at 22:18
So who's paying them?
Motherhen

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AnswerID: 217604

Reply By: SCUBADOO - Thursday, Jan 25, 2007 at 08:12

Thursday, Jan 25, 2007 at 08:12
Well some stories do get exaggerated along the way. If by "International firefighters", do they include the Kiwis? I guess so.

I have a good friend from New Zealand currently in Victoria helping with the fires.
He is a salaried fire officer employed by the New Zealand Fire Service.
As I understand it (his words), all NZ firemen helping in Australia have volunteered and are being paid their normal pay rate as if they were still performing their duties at home. Some extra costs are met - accommodation, food etc...

Who gets the $600 a day? Not him!
Ask the New Zealand Fire Service. If it's true it may be in their coffers.

Neville

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Reply By: Member - Barry M (NSW) - Thursday, Jan 25, 2007 at 10:23

Thursday, Jan 25, 2007 at 10:23
Just another example of political point scoring. How can they justify the cost of importing/exporting fireys to/from America? Just a little mutual backscratching.
How about the NSW Chief of the RFS standing for the State seat in Blue mountains? Joins the Labor Party the day before accepting nomination. Guess
which electorate got two new fire trucks this week? We got told no new trucks
are available to anyone. Go figure....oldbaz.
AnswerID: 217695

Reply By: tuck 01 - Thursday, Jan 25, 2007 at 12:56

Thursday, Jan 25, 2007 at 12:56
I'm a CFA volunteer.
I really don't give a rats if the bloke working beside me is getting paid or not.
Fires like these are generally DSE fires with CFA helping, and all the DSE people are being paid, although not $600/day. we are also often working alongside full-time, paid CFA people.
I have in the past seen DSE people pack up and leave because it was knock-off time, even though the fire was still active and needing work. That sucks.
Dunno about the MFB people's fire fighting ability in the scrub. Saw them with a fleet of their city tankers on Anakie fire last year and they were a blo0dy nuisance.

We always get our bed and food thrown in, to different standards. These fires, I've slept a 5 star resort at Mansfield, and tent city on the Heyfield footy ground.
We know what we are putting our hand up for before we go. If we don't like it, we don't go.
Almost everyone does community service of some sort. Be it school councils, meals on wheels, kids sports whatever. This is what I choose to do for my community.
I am lucky that I don't lose pay for CFA work. If it gets too much, I will throw in a couple of days annual leave to balance the free time off I get. I don't want to see payment as my employer might look at it differently if I was getting paid. However, I know many do lose pay or their business stops when they go away. Dunno what the answer is, but the current system suits my needs best.

What I do get pi$$ed off about is this union tosser pretending to care about CFA volunteers to further his member's position. He and his union do not give a rats (that's 2 rats for one post) about the CFA volunteers.
Tuck
AnswerID: 217730

Follow Up By: Member - Brian H (QLD) - Thursday, Jan 25, 2007 at 20:11

Thursday, Jan 25, 2007 at 20:11
Tuck 01

Your comment

"Dunno about the MFB people's fire fighting ability in the scrub. Saw them with a fleet of their city tankers on Anakie fire last year and they were a blo0dy nuisance."

Personally I take offence to this statement I guess you would prefer that you are left on your own? maybe the vehicles they had were not suitable to the situation but I'm sure the extra people are as valued as any volunteers.

Be at least greatfull for thier help and not class them as a bloody nuisance.

Brian
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Follow Up By: tuck 01 - Friday, Jan 26, 2007 at 17:17

Friday, Jan 26, 2007 at 17:17
Brian
Been off-line so has taken a while to see your follow up.
You have misunderstood me. I was not critical of the MFB people's ability in the scrub. Clearly said I dunno about it. (In the news the union bloke has been claiming MFB fireies should have been on the job, others have said their skills are not suited to bushfires. I don't know one way or another.
My comment was about their big city tankers at the Anakie fire. They were too big for the tight areas, and spent most of their time getting in the way. They were a nuisance.
I repeat, I was talking about their trucks, not their people.
Frankly, I welcome anyone who has the skills and training to be of use. Local or overseas. Paid or volunteers.
Tuck
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Reply By: DIO - Thursday, Jan 25, 2007 at 18:50

Thursday, Jan 25, 2007 at 18:50
Fire service disappointed over pay row

The NZ perspective

Jan 25, 2007

New Zealand fire authorities say they are surprised and disappointed at criticism in Australia over payments to their firefighters sent to help tackle bush fires in Victoria.

Victoria's firefighters union has gone on the attack after a leaked document showed New Zealand crews were paid $600 per day ($NZ680), plus accommodation, travel and expenses.

The United Firefighters Union state secretary Peter Marshall said Victoria's own Country Fire Authority (CFA) firefighters were forced to pay their own expenses and metropolitan fire crews were lying idle, while international crews were being flown in.

But Iain Butler from the New Zealand Fire Service said Australian fire crews that came to New Zealand's aid would be paid broadly the same amount.

An agreement was signed around the year 2000 between the United States, New Zealand and Australia that meant crews could be moved between the countries, he said.

Pay rates were to be determined each time firefighters were sent to another country, but the rates were roughly equivalent, he said.

He expressed disappointment with the response from the union in Australia.

"It is just a little surprising. I know the criticisms haven't come from anyone on the front line," he said.

New Zealand has 48 firefighters helping fight Australia's bush fires, out of an original contingent of 66. Those remaining in Australia are due to return on Monday.

Source...TV ONE NEWS
AnswerID: 217801

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