Stuart Henry (Hasluck, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to recognise and praise the heroic and valiant efforts of those who volunteer to serve Australia as volunteer bush firefighters. Last week I was invited to attend the annual general meeting of the Association of Volunteer Bush Fire Brigades of Western Australia Inc. by the president, Mr Terry Hunter, and secretary, Mr Eddie van Rijnswoud—an invitation I gladly accepted. The Association of Volunteer Bush Fire Brigades is an organisation run by volunteers for all members of volunteer bush fire brigades in Western Australia whose main objectives are:

• Promote the safety and welfare of volunteer bush fire-fighters
• Promote public awareness regarding fire prevention, fire suppression and fire safety
• To advise and consult with bush fire brigades members, FESA, Local Government and State Government
• To liaise and co-operate with kindred bodies

This organisation has 25,000 volunteer members who put their lives on the line every summer in fighting the many thousands of bushfires that break out across the state of WA. Last year I believe there were some 8,000 bush fires that these men and women fought on behalf of their communities to protect life and property, for no other reward than their own personal satisfaction.

Indications are that this summer will provide an extremely high fire risk across Australia, given the drought, below average winter rainfall and accumulated fuel loads of dense undergrowth in our forests and wooded areas. These bush fire brigades are, in the main, formed and managed by the local government or shire, such as the Kalamunda Bush Fire Brigade. This brigade is the primary agency responsible for responding to fires in the shire of Kalamunda, including areas such as Bickley, Canning Mills, Carmel, Hackett’s Gully, Piesse Brook, Pickering Brook, parts of Gooseberry Hill, Kalamunda, Lesmurdie and Walliston.

The area where I live is largely a rural-urban interface with a mix of housing and bushland. Within this area are approximately 750 households housing nearly 3,000 people. Significant risks include two primary schools, a boarding school, factories, the state observatory, four television towers, a petrol station, a sports club, three churches and numerous cool stores. There are also significant swathes of orchard land and state forest within the brigade’s area.

The brigade attends approximately 120 emergency incidents each calendar year. About 75 per cent of these are bushfires, 15 per cent are vehicle fires, three per cent are structural fires and seven per cent are other incidents. The average duration of an emergency is three hours, but large bushfires can potentially burn for days, if not weeks. Most bushfires occur between October and April each year, such as the fire we had in the Perth Hills area last year.

Typically, the brigade is made up of a membership of volunteer firefighters. None of these volunteers are paid or receive any form of remuneration for their services. These generous and heroic volunteers have various motivations for volunteering, but they have the good of the community at heart. It is well recognised that bushfire fighting is a very dangerous business, with 20 of these brave volunteers having lost their lives since 1957. Indeed, those who take on the task of combating these bushfires truly take on the Anzac spirit in securing our communities. They never give up and they look after their mates.

These volunteers come from all sections of the community. By gender, there are about 65 per cent male members and 35 per cent female members. There is no maximum age for membership—some are as old as 80 and as young as 17. Older members must have a yearly medical to ensure they remain fit enough to fight fires. The youngest age is 16, but firefighters cannot attend emergency incidents until they are 17. The average age of a member is about 35.

The Association of Volunteer Bush Fire Brigades of WA operates a benevolent fund which provides rapid emergency relief to the families of bushfire fighters who have been injured in the line of duty. Given the incredible public service these volunteers provide, I urge our communities to make a contribution to this important fund.