Volunteer firefighters are calling for greater financial support from government as many firies clock up 100 days.
Supplied: Tim YoumanVolunteer firefighters in New South Wales are calling for greater financial support from government as many firies clock up 100 days.A fire fighters' union representative says the current system is"unsustainable"
Declining populations in regional towns is also contributing to the pressure on volunteer fire fighters Fires have devastated much of the state's east coast for weeks, with the northern tablelands ablaze since September.public service employees would be eligibleHowever, he has so far ruled out expanding such support to non-government workers or those who are self-employed.
Leighton Drury, NSW state secretary of the Fire Brigade Employees Union, has called the current system"unsustainable" and said it was getting to the stage where volunteers were being treated like"slave labour".Harden farmer Peter Holding has been a Rural Fire Service volunteer with his local brigade for 40 years.
In that time, he has watched as conditions have worsened with a changing climate, but said he had still not seen things"as bad as this"."A big issue with the volunteer service is how long they can continue to do this as the season stretches into weeks and months," Mr Holding said.A declining rural population is also adding pressure — every family leaving town means fewer volunteers.
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