renth

Here you go: http://www.wanneroosupportbfb.org.au/

Im talking volunteers not paid firefighters.

hindon

thanks for the info.Do you have to be a member first before becoming a full time firefighter, or are the jobs very limited and do they not come up very often?

renth

I can only speak for WA and there is no requirement to be a volunteer bush fire fighter before you become a full time paid fire fighter (Known in WA as Fire and Rescue). The Vollies and paid fire fighters all come under the umbrella of FESA (Fire and Emergency Services Authority).

I guess it might help your application but, a bit like the UK, the competition to become a paid firefighter is huge and the pay is pretty crap. So much so that most of them have second jobs (they work 4 days on 4 days off).

Just to add to the confusion there are also CALM firefighting units too (Conservation and Land Management), so at a major bush fire you'll see CALM firefighters, F&R fire fighters, Volunteer firefighters. Throw in up to 6 helicopters a couple of fixed wing bombers, a bunch of council bulldozers, graders and front end loaders in to the mix and you'll get an idea of what goes on at a big bush fire.

Check out our web page http://www.wanneroobfb.org.au/ - go to "Image Gallery" and have a look at "Burns Beach Fire 19/20 February 2006"

task

Hi Renth just been told i have to go for profile testing and physical tests in June with FESA. :scared:
Do you have any advice?
I'm in the UK and land in oz 1st June.
Wish me luck
task

renth

Nice one mate. You'll be having the profile tests here at my workplace - UWA.
I don't really know what advice to give other than most blokes have to apply quite a few times before they get in so don't get too disapointed if you don't make it first time.

I think being a fireman in the UK will definitely be a plus.

task

Cheers I'll keep you posted on the result.

renth

Good luck. My Crew Leader, Dale, is going for his second attempt this year.

BadgeIsBack

Some blokes are known to apply every year as 'Staff' and have been for a while.

Victoria has MFB Metropolitan Fire Brigade - paid up pros.

Country Fire Authority has a 2 tier system. Paid "Staff" who staff key stations of high risk or on the urban/semi-rural interface. If you look on the Melways the MFB/CFA boundary is marked. In one direction, it's around Springvale - 20k? out.

Stations at Boronia, Springvale, Frankston, Dandenong, Hallam (the first that spring to mind) are semi-fully manned. The volunteers augment the staff on the secondary appliances (or the Teleboom etc) or respond direct in their personal vehs. Each brigade has Operating Procedures which dictate the response to each type of paged incident. eg a grass and scrub, MVA, 'Incident' (could be anything - cat up tree, siege).

Selection for fulltime CFA is competitive; maybe not quite like MFB.

The other brigades are all vols. Urban brigades or Rural. Some are pretty big, eg Berwick, Carrum Downs, Noble Park and go to 700 calls a year, some rural mobs are lucky to respond to 50 odd a year - one a week. The crux of it is that these brigades are still the 3rd Emergency Service and although some of the remote brigades are 'laid back' and a bit of a worry they also have to respond and respond within a few minutes:

I couldn't find my glasses the other night, everything went wrong, couldn't find my ignition key on the key ring(duh), couldn't find the bedroom door in the dark, forgot my structural helmet another bloke exited and locked via his laundry door, forgetting his son had blocked the entrance with his motorbike and has to unlock and reenter.. all the usual suspects responded late. If we are late past a certain no of minutes we get paged again and will show up as a stat somewhere on the records. Slapped wrists.

Most of the time we are bang on our targets, it's like Connex.

Badge

BadgeIsBack

Like WA, there is also a rural bush in the middle of nowhere mob, and a govt agency that also fight fires - the well renowned Department of Sustainability and Environment (this one might be Federal) otherwise known as the Department of Scorched Earth.

Hutch

I remember asking this question myself about a year ago. I'm going to apply to join the RFS - I already know a couple of the guys and a good friend of mine is the head of the larger local retained fire service. I was on the verge of joining our little fire crew here in the UK, but the Australia thing happened - I'm looking forward to it.

MartinLuther

But then again... you get more chicks in the SES...

MartinLuther

One of the fun parts of joining the SES is that you get to sit around during bush fires waiting for the hot food to go cold before delivering it to the CFA. You then say that you had problems finding them.

BadgeIsBack

Luckily we have our own food vans. We also carry ration packs on our vehicles, and have the means to make a brew and hot water.

MartinLuther

I think we're getting your old 4WD tanker this week (hopefully).

jond