Minister Constance,
I appeal to you as my local member, to act on behalf of all volunteer fire fighters in NSW.
VOLUNTEER FIRE FIGHTERS LOSE INCOME DUE TO TRAINING!
Of late we hear well deserved accolades for our courageous volunteer fire fighters.
These ‘guys’ volunteer their time, effort and expertise to protect people and property in the most dangerous situations.
Imagine the impact of bushfires without them!
As a Rural Fire Service volunteer, it is a mandatory requirement to undertake and complete a host of various training courses. There are also additional courses for those aspiring to leadership positions.
What many in our community may be unaware of, is that our volunteers have to sacrifice income or leave entitlements in order to attend these training courses.
I believe this to be not only UNFAIR, but WRONG.
Our fire fighters volunteer to protect the public.
They fulfill a vital role.
They do not get paid.
They should not suffer loss of income in order to do so.
I believe it is incumbent upon the NSW Government to compensate volunteer fire fighters for loss of income/leave entitlements due to attending training courses.
And NO, training courses should not be consigned to weekends, thereby infringing on family time of volunteers.
Our volunteer fire fighters are invaluable. It's time to value their input, by ensuring their training is not an out of pocket expense.
Yours Sincerely,
Patricia Gardiner
Deua River Valley
