Demand for firefighters has never been higher.
With the state’s bushfire risk at its highest since the Black Summer of 2019/20, the CFA and local brigades are fighting to ensure there are enough firefighters on the ground to tackle the inevitable blazes which will appear this summer.
Questions have been asked by local MPs, bush experts and the United Firefighters Union about the amount of fuel reduction work which has been completed in the wake of the devastating Black Summer Bushfires, meanwhile fire brigades across the state, including in East Gippsland, are concerned with the lack of personnel they have currently available.
CFA chief fire officer Jason Heffernan says local volunteer numbers are sufficient, however a push for a younger brigade of volunteers to step up has already started and they may be needed quickly.
Recent data suggests the CFA has lost almost 10,000 volunteers over the past decade to less than 29,000, well short of the State Government’s aim for almost 40,000.
IMAGE: Questions have been raised by bush experts, local MPs and the United Firefighters Union about the amount of fuel reduction work following the Black Summer Bushfires, with the state’s fire risk at its highest since the disaster. INSET: Captain Terry Roderick (front) with brigade members Pam Tomlinson, Howard Baldwin and Helen Martin.
