Australia bush fires exert heavy toll on volunteer firefighters

From next Monday, Mr Brendon O'Connor, who has spent much of the past few months battling bush fires in Australia, will have to stop doing so and return to his real job.

Mr O'Connor, a volunteer firefighter with the New South Wales Rural Fire Service (RFS), has used all seven weeks of his holiday leave, plus his three weeks of allotted sick leave, to fight fires across the state.

He first took leave last September, rushing off to fight fires that had broken out hundreds of kilometres to the north. Three months later, as the fires spread south, he found himself battling to save his own village of Balmoral, south-west of Sydney, which was ravaged by a ferocious blaze.

But Mr O'Connor, a 51-year-old father of two, has now used up all his leave. He will spend one last week as a firefighter before returning to his job as a maintenance officer at the local council.

"My wife isn't always happy because we don't get much family time," he told The Straits Times. "But it needs to be done."

Mr O'Connor is among the more than 72,000 members of the RFS, a volunteer force that is the largest firefighting service in the world.

Other states across Australia have similar forces. Victoria's Country Fire Authority has more than 52,000 volunteers. Queensland's Rural Fire Service has 33,000.

These volunteer services have been at the front line of the battle against ferocious bush fires across Australia that have already destroyed more than 10.7 million hectares, an area larger than South Korea. The fires have also killed 32 people, including several volunteer firefighters.

The RFS, which began 120 years ago, not only attends to bush fires and home and building fires but also assists in storms, search and rescue operations and car accidents. In 2018, it attended 26,903 incidents, including 10,036 bush fires and 1,283 building fires.

In many rural areas, the firefighting brigades do not only help to prevent damage from the perennial bush fire threat but are also a vital part of the community.

Mr Mick Holton, president of the NSW Volunteer Fire Fighters Association, an organisation which represents volunteers, said people step up for various reasons, including altruism, social factors, a sense of adventure, or a desire to protect their own farms or houses.

Mr Mark Yeong, a 22-year-old Singaporean helping to fight fires around Sydney, said he does not want to be compensated for his contributions over the past five months.

The second-year University of Sydney physiology student said some volunteer firefighters have lost their homes, and his sacrifices pale in comparison.

"There are some who have been volunteering day in and out, while trying to save their own homes," said Mr Yeong, who started training with the New South Wales Rural Fire Service last September.

While the compensation scheme announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison is generally for volunteers who are self-employed or work for small businesses, Mr Yeong was working part-time while juggling his studies. He said his motivation remains the same - to contribute as a member of the community where he lives, which is in the northern part of Sydney.

"We get all types," he told The Straits Times. "People are happy to be part of a group that benefits the community. That is a large part of it for most volunteers. People have a sense that they want to help."

But Australia's bush fires are becoming more severe and more frequent, leading to longer firefighting seasons that are taking a heavy toll on volunteers. This year, many, like Mr O'Connor, have made large sacrifices to protect people and homes.

Controversially, Prime Minister Scott Morrison agreed in late December to compensate some of the firefighters after coming under heavy pressure to provide them with support. The compensation scheme allows volunteers who are self-employed or work for small businesses to claim A$300 (S$277) per day if they have served more than 10 days this fire season. The maximum payment is A$6,000.

But the move had been opposed by some senior firefighters, including the RFS Commissioner, Mr Shane Fitzsimmons, who has said that such payments went against the organisation's ethos.

"For goodness sake, let's not take away from the extraordinary spirit that is volunteerism," he told Sky News.

Mr Morrison insisted the scheme was not meant to provide payment but about compensation.

"While I know RFS volunteers don't seek payment for their service, I don't want to see volunteers or their families unable to pay bills or struggle financially as a result of the selfless contribution they are making," Mr Morrison said.

In Balmoral, which has a population of about 470 people, 24 residents are members of the local fire brigade, along with six members from outside the area. The volunteers meet one night each week for training.

Mr O'Connor, the captain of the local brigade, said most members spend about 12 hours a month on training and other duties. But this fire season has involved a much greater commitment.

When the blazes struck the village in December, about 98 per cent of its residents were evacuated, leaving the brigade to defend the area and the homes of their friends, family and neighbours.

"I have never been through a fire like that," Mr O'Connor said.

"It has changed all the rules forever. We got hit from every different angle - from the east and west at the same time. The fire was crowning at least 150m above the tree tops.

"Everyone was fighting to stay alive. The embers raining down were the size of grapefruit. The lack of oxygen was terrible. A lot of people struggled. The fire was so ferocious," he added.

After three harrowing days, 20 homes in the village were lost, including two that belonged to local firefighters.

"We lost 20 homes on my watch," Mr O'Connor said. "You take it quite personally."

He added: "We know all the residents. When it is in your own village, it is a more personal thing."