Australian Volunteer Bush Fire Brigades

A Nation Built on Shared Sacrifice

Australia’s volunteer fire brigades emerged out of the (imperfect, and racially inflected) egalitarian ethos that characterized the nation’s early colonial era, when farmers banded together to combat fires and other threats to their land. By the 1840s and 1850s, loosely organized groups in the states of Victoria and New South Wales (NSW) began coordinating efforts to protect their land and livestock against the bush fires that frequently threatened the region. In 1900, the first official volunteer firefighting brigade was established in the rural community of Berrigan, NSW. In the years that followed, the Australian Parliament passed legislation aimed at encouraging other municipalities to organize their own firefighting forces along the same volunteer model. 

Over the next half century, volunteer bush fire brigades formed throughout the continent. By 1950, New South Wales alone had 1,378 registered volunteer firefighting units, comprising more than 26,000 volunteers. While the Australian government began to play a greater role in funding firefighting efforts in the ensuing decades, most local groups struggled to acquire the tools and gear they needed. As late as the 1960s, many brigades still operated out of Land Rovers with water pumps attached to the roofs. 

Bound by Mutual Dedication and Courage

Today’s volunteer firefighters have access to state-of-the-art equipment, but the requirements of the job remain as demanding as ever. Belonging to a bush fire brigade involves considerable personal sacrifice of time, money and health. Volunteers receive no compensation for their service and  regularly take unpaid leave from their jobs or businesses to fulfill their obligation to the brigade. Firefighting duties also take volunteers away from their families for uncertain lengths of time, occasionally straining personal relationships. In addition to health problems associated with smoke inhalation and other fire-related hazards, volunteers commonly experience the enormous physical and mental toll of long, grueling hours working in the field. 

The impact of climate change on the length and intensity of the Australian fire season has only exacerbated these issues. While bush fire volunteers once donated less than a week of their time each year, dramatic increases in the numbers of fires mean that firefighters may spend a month or more in the field. At the same time, the extreme nature of large fires can overwhelm volunteer firefighters, who often lack the skill and experience to combat aggressive conflagrations. In the face of these changing conditions, many volunteers have begun advocating for improved training and more substantial investment in gear and equipment.

Conclusion

Despite the increased risks involved with fighting fires in the 21st century, large numbers of Australians remain committed to upholding this tradition of volunteering. As of 2020, nearly one percent of the population belonged to a bush fire brigade – in rural areas, this figure can approach 4.5% – while the total number of volunteers exceeded 195,000 nationwide. In the national imagination, the courage of these volunteer firefighters in the face of adversity has come to symbolize the solidarity, commitment and community spirit of the Australian people. 

Contributor: Stephen Meyer