Volunteer Firefighters Continue To Help Protect NSW Communities As Bushfires Declared An Emergency
As fires burn across northern NSW, the NSW Rural Fire Service Association (RFSA) has been out in force, supporting the hundreds of volunteers who are battling blazes in extraordinary conditions.
Hundreds of volunteer firefighters have been working to tackle fires right across the state as the number of homes that have been threatened by the fires continues to rise.
RFSA President, Brian McDonough, said the RFSA continues to support volunteer firefighters, who risk their lives to save others.
“The RFSA is committed to supporting our volunteer firefighters as they risk their lives while working to keep local communities safe,” Mr McDonough said.
“Our members drop everything during an emergency to assist the community, whether the threat is in their local area or hundreds of kilometres away. We are committed to providing immediate and ongoing support for these heroes,” he said.
Over recent weeks the RFSA has supported firefighters in the following NSW Local Government Areas where the conditions have triggered emergency declarations under section 44 of the Rural Fires Act:
· Armidale Regional
· Clarence Valley
· Glen Innes
· Inverell
· Kempsey
· Kyogle
· Lismore
· Lithgow
· Mid Coast
· Nambucca
· Port Macquarie-Hastings
· Richmond Valley
· Tenterfield
· Uralla
· Walcha
“Ultimately, our number one job is making sure our volunteer firies are supported as they go about their work protecting the public. We will continue to rally behind our members and fellow emergency service workers as this bushfire season continues,” Mr McDonough said.
S44 of the Rural Fires Act 1997 is used to describe a localised ‘state of emergency’ for a specific district suffering severe fire conditions that cannot be managed without drawing in extensive resources from other areas.