General News
16 November, 2023
Dunolly CFA put call out for new volunteers
Encouraging local residents to volunteer, the Dunolly CFA have put a call out for firefighters and support staff — urging people with a diverse skill set to give it a go. With around 16 members currently on the unit, and with the threat of...
Encouraging local residents to volunteer, the Dunolly CFA have put a call out for firefighters and support staff — urging people with a diverse skill set to give it a go.
With around 16 members currently on the unit, and with the threat of a potentially dangerous fire season looming, the Dunolly brigade is eager to operate with more volunteers at the helm.
Hoping to establish a team of at least 25, Dunolly CFA Captain Greg Humphrey said residents could choose to fill in a position that suited them best — with roles available in a firefighting capacity as well as in the community engagement and brigade support field.
“We’d like to see more people come along, especially younger ones,” he said.
“Anyone that can volunteer and help us out in different ways should try volunteering — they don’t have to be firefighters, there’s a lot of other things they can do.
“If we had about [two dozen] volunteers on our crew, we’d be doing really good. With a [heightened risk of fire this season], it’s really important we have additional volunteers to support and help the community — that’s the most important thing.”
According to the brigade’s secretary Karina Colquhoun, volunteering with the contingent is akin to joining a tight knit group, with plenty of support on offer for all members.
“All of us are volunteers and the reason we do that is because we’re very community-minded,” she said.
“What it comes down to at the end is protecting our community and it’s not just about fighting fires, we do so much more than that — we’ve a catering trailer as well, we’re involved with pretty much everything.
“Everyone in the unit really supports each other. You can always count on each other too and in that sense we’re like a family and once you’re in, you become a part of that.”
Ms Colquhoun said that joining the Dunolly CFA would not only be an enriching experience but would also help alleviate the burden on current volunteers.
“More people would mean more manpower on the trucks and it would mean that the same crew doesn’t have to go out for another eight hour shift,” she said.
“We won’t have that pressure of having to go back out as soon as we come back and if we have those extra hands on board we could rotate all the time and no one would struggle.
“Especially now, they’re predicting it could be a bad fire season and so we don’t want to be in a position where we’re fatigued — we do need that support because if we don’t have volunteers, we don’t have a local CFA and that’s not what you want.”
Interested people can apply to volunteer across multiple areas — with no experience necessary and training provided.
To join the Dunolly CFA or to find out more contact Captain Greg Humphrey on 0467 601 338.