CFA Volunteer

[holdensupporter2005]

Hi,
I'm thinking about becoming a CFA volunteer, since I live out in an area that is prone to bushfires.
Anyone else on here a CFA volunteer / member?
thoughts / comments please

[pandaman]

Hi,
I'm thinking about becoming a CFA volunteer, since I live out in an area that is prone to bushfires.
Anyone else on here a CFA volunteer / member?
thoughts / comments please

I'm an RFS member up here in NSW, it's a great way to spend any spare time you might have and some you don't. I joined when I was 15 because there were bushfires everywhere around us the summer before and I just felt so useless not being able to do anything about it, 6 years later I'm still loving it. You get to meet all sorts of crazy people and the occasional sane one, ya see and do some amazing stuff. Wednesday week before last we ended up chasing a fast moving grassfire across the Lake George floodplain (not so flooded at the moment ), yours truly and a fellow lunatic in the fighting compartment of a ten tonne firetruck flying across the lake bed knocking down spot fires as we pass them at an appreciable fraction of the speed of light. Now that's a rush.

It does have it's downsides though, car accidents suck as a general rule, and as a bonus there's always the chance of finding a very unpleasant surprise inside that flaming wreck. There's no pressure to attend such incidents if you don't want to though. If you join up you'll also become very accustomed to the phrase "hurry up and wait", whereby you've busted your arse getting to a major incident only to end up waiting in a staging area for 3 hours until you get tasked. Then there's the other end of the spectrum where you bust your arse getting to a major incident to find that your truck is the first one there and everything is already extra crispy and getting worse. ****.

Oh yeah, and possibly most importantly, you've really gotta plan your food situation, not sure how it works down there in mexico, but up here we have to be deployed for a minimum of 8 hours before the support guys will consider making some sanga's and running them out. So, assuming murphy's law is in operation and you get the call just before dinner time, it will basically be past breakfast time before state sponsored sustenance arrives. So long life muesli bars and the like become a staple of your diet during summer.

I can think of a heap more pointless stuff to bore you with, but it's probably best if I just say in summary GO FOR IT! and if you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.

Cheers,
Neil

[padrickz88]

hero thats all i have to say, you seriously have some balls mate and i hope it works out for you, got respect from me

[minux]

Hi,
I'm thinking about becoming a CFA volunteer, since I live out in an area that is prone to bushfires.
Anyone else on here a CFA volunteer / member?
thoughts / comments please

Very well worth it, been a member for 4 years. Make some good friends and best of all people respect the job you do for no wages.

[beeks]

I'm an RFS member up here in NSW, it's a great way to spend any spare time you might have and some you don't. I joined when I was 15 because there were bushfires everywhere around us the summer before and I just felt so useless not being able to do anything about it, 6 years later I'm still loving it. You get to meet all sorts of crazy people and the occasional sane one, ya see and do some amazing stuff. Wednesday week before last we ended up chasing a fast moving grassfire across the Lake George floodplain (not so flooded at the moment ), yours truly and a fellow lunatic in the fighting compartment of a ten tonne firetruck flying across the lake bed knocking down spot fires as we pass them at an appreciable fraction of the speed of light. Now that's a rush.

It does have it's downsides though, car accidents suck as a general rule, and as a bonus there's always the chance of finding a very unpleasant surprise inside that flaming wreck. There's no pressure to attend such incidents if you don't want to though. If you join up you'll also become very accustomed to the phrase "hurry up and wait", whereby you've busted your arse getting to a major incident only to end up waiting in a staging area for 3 hours until you get tasked. Then there's the other end of the spectrum where you bust your arse getting to a major incident to find that your truck is the first one there and everything is already extra crispy and getting worse. ****.

Oh yeah, and possibly most importantly, you've really gotta plan your food situation, not sure how it works down there in mexico, but up here we have to be deployed for a minimum of 8 hours before the support guys will consider making some sanga's and running them out. So, assuming murphy's law is in operation and you get the call just before dinner time, it will basically be past breakfast time before state sponsored sustenance arrives. So long life muesli bars and the like become a staple of your diet during summer.

I can think of a heap more pointless stuff to bore you with, but it's probably best if I just say in summary GO FOR IT! and if you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.

Cheers,
Neil

If it's a post i'll skip,it's your's.

[beeks]

Very well worth it, been a member for 4 years. Make some good friends and best of all people respect the job you do for no wages.

Seem's your a real all rounder,how DO you manage?.

[minux]

Seem's your a real all rounder,how DO you manage?.

When your partner has similar background, quite easily, i have only been needed 3 times in the last 12 months, so it isn't like it is a drain.

[craigvk]

I have considered joining my local. Simply for the reason of doing good community work.

I actually drove a real fire truck up at my cousin's farm in country Vic to make sure the burnoff didn't get out of hand and I must say it was like I had lived my dream! It's every boys dream to be a fireman, but can the CFA fix their damn brakes so they aren't so tight?

[Christina]

I have considered joining my local. Simply for the reason of doing good community work.

I actually drove a real fire truck up at my cousin's farm in country Vic to make sure the burnoff didn't get out of hand and I must say it was like I had lived my dream! It's every boys dream to be a fireman, but can the CFA fix their damn brakes so they aren't so tight?

Craig the fireman .

[craigvk]

Craig the fireman .

I'll be your hero.

[Christina]

I'll be your hero.

I think that you already are .

(but you know you wanna be a fireman )

[Lumps of cheese]

I just helped the cfa with a fire in some bluegums done here last thursday, they needed access to the fire so i was called in to make some roads for the tankers.
They do some great work, just watching them in action was quite an experience and the dedication is second to none.
A big wrap on the back to all CFA volunteers, you all do a hell of a job.

[fatboy2869]

I have been in the NSW RFS for the past 15 years in NSW befor that i was in the Tas RFS and i find it good fun i have been to quite a few big fires and there is nothing like the mateship you find in any fire service and the felling you get from helping out the community that u live in, but one thing i will say is do it for the right reason's not just to be aa glory hunter i have seen ppl join the fire service and they think that it is going to be a hoilday camp and when they find out about all the trainning they have to do they quit its not all riding around in fire trucks there is alot of grunt work puting in hand tool lines and dry firefighting but there are some good jobs aswell.

[pandaman]

I have been in the NSW RFS for the past 15 years in NSW befor that i was in the Tas RFS and i find it good fun i have been to quite a few big fires and there is nothing like the mateship you find in any fire service and the felling you get from helping out the community that u live in, but one thing i will say is do it for the right reason's not just to be aa glory hunter i have seen ppl join the fire service and they think that it is going to be a hoilday camp and when they find out about all the trainning they have to do they quit its not all riding around in fire trucks there is alot of grunt work puting in hand tool lines and dry firefighting but there are some good jobs aswell.

Shh, don't mention rakehoe work to the potential recruits! They're supposed to find out about that later.

[fatboy2869]

You get to meet all sorts of crazy people and the occasional sane one, ya see and do some amazing stuff. Wednesday week before last we ended up chasing a fast moving grassfire across the Lake George floodplain (not so flooded at the moment ), yours truly and a fellow lunatic in the fighting compartment of a ten tonne firetruck flying across the lake bed knocking down spot fires as we pass them at an appreciable fraction of the speed of light. Now that's a rush.

Have we meet couse you just discribed me to a T

If you join up you'll also become very accustomed to the phrase "hurry up and wait", whereby you've busted your arse getting to a major incident only to end up waiting in a staging area for 3 hours until you get tasked. Then there's the other end of the spectrum where you bust your arse getting to a major incident to find that your truck is the first one there and everything is already extra crispy and getting worse. ****.

What about SNAFU (situation normal all F&@Ked Up)

Oh yeah, and possibly most importantly, you've really gotta plan your food situation, not sure how it works down there in mexico, but up here we have to be deployed for a minimum of 8 hours before the support guys will consider making some sanga's and running them out. So, assuming murphy's law is in operation and you get the call just before dinner time, it will basically be past breakfast time before state sponsored sustenance arrives. So long life muesli bars and the like become a staple of your diet during summer.

Yuck long life muesle bar the bain of every fire fighter or if you are one of the unlucky ones that do RAFT (remote Area Firefighting Teams) cold food brekfest/lunch/diner but if u get tasked to a air base then the food is pretty good

[pandaman]

What about SNAFU (situation normal all F&@Ked Up)

To be fair that one originated with the US army, we need to get our own I reckon. I'm in favour of adopting "munted" but no-one else likes it.

Yuck long life muesle bar the bain of every fire fighter or if you are one of the lucky ones that do RAFT (remote Area Firefighting Teams) cold food brekfest/lunch/diner but if u get tasked to a air base then the food is pretty good

Hmm, our captain carries a fruitcake just to be different, it's a tasty alternative but not as easy to haul around as muesli bars. Those RAFT fella's have bigger problems to worry about than food if ya ask me, for example, the insane urge to jump out of a perfectly good aircraft.

Note to anyone considering joining: Apply for RAFT training if you like walking long distances carrying a heavy pack while under orders to put in a 500m long firebreak with the aforementioned rakehoes in the most inhospitable terrain the country has to offer. Those guys are like the craziest of the crazy and they're usually recruiting.

[sparky]

I'm in the CFS over here and it's a great experience. You get to learn a whole heap of great stuff you think is pretty unimportant at the time but when the time comes that you need it it's good to know.

"become very accustomed to the phrase "hurry up and wait""

that's always great, we've got a bushfire going in the riverland over here and on the second day of the fire (now 11th day) we sat around for six hours before doing anything. After working all day today i've got to go up there and do a 14hr night shift as well to make sure it doesn't break containment lines.

But it's is a great joy to be able to help people out when they in the shit. So i say go for it.

[Julie]

Good on u guys who volunteer, u guys do an awesome job! our place would have been ashes a few years ago if it weren't for the RFS. Which reminds me its getting near that time of the year were u fellas get on the fire engine dressed as santa and throw lollies to the kids better make sure theres cold beer in the fridge and plenty of change