By Colin MacGillivray
MITCHELL Shire leaders have extolled the importance of volunteering as emergency services across the north of the municipality face a shortage of participants.
In the wake of record floods that struck Seymour, Broadford and other towns in October last year, former Mitchell Shire Council mayor Bill Chisholm called for council to advocate to all levels of government, the Municipal Association of Victoria, MAV, and all relevant politicians to address perceived emergency response issues.
Cr Chisholm, a volunteer with the Country Fire Authority, CFA, said with the increasing effects of climate change becoming more apparent, it was critical that emergency response agencies were adequately resourced and staffed.
“I regard it as important that we recognise the serious shortfall in volunteer numbers, especially the mean age of volunteers in emergency roles, and instigate a state and federal level combined response and recruitment campaign,” he said.
“I’m involved in a small fire brigade and the age of many of the participants is extremely old.
“We’ve got a growing community, so people should be more aware of their responsibilities. If you expect a fire truck or the SES [State Emergency Service] to turn up, it’s really good if you contribute in whatever way you can to that organisation.”
Cr Chisholm’s call came after the Victorian SES experienced its busiest month on record responding to October’s floods.
SES volunteers responded to a staggering 13,705 requests for assistance statewide during October, representing a 28 per cent increase on the previous monthly record of 10,740 requests set in June 2021.
Leaders of Seymour SES said the unit responded to more than 200 requests for assistance in the days following the flooding.
Cr Louise Bannister backed Cr Chisholm’s call, saying emergency services would see skyrocketing demand as Mitchell Shire’s population grew.
“It’s [unfortunate] … that the volunteering age is getting higher and higher and we’re getting fewer volunteers in the younger generations,” she said.
“It’s a scary prospect when that includes the CFA. There are many people out there who owe their lives and the safety of their homes to our CFA members, so it’s a very important community volunteer group that we need in the country.”
One group that has bucked a trend of volunteer numbers declining is the Kilmore SES unit, which has more than tripled its membership base in less than three years.
Unit controller John Koutras said it was important for emergency services to be inclusive when seeking to attract younger volunteers.
Mr Koutras said he made a concerted effort to make everyone feel welcome at the unit when he took over as part of a new management team.
“I think organisations really need to look at themselves and ask ‘are we inclusive? Are our doors open? Are we a true community organisation?’” he said.
“We’ve specifically opened our doors to everyone, no matter what your skills are.”
Mr Koutras said he was particularly proud to emphasise gender diversity at the unit.
“We’ve tripled our numbers in the past two years, and I would like to double them again from where we are now, because our town and the towns that we go to in Kilmore, Broadford and Wallan are all growing,” he said.
“There are housing estates going up everywhere, so the amount of people and traffic that goes through here is increasing year by year.
“At the minute we have 44 members. We needed every one of those 44 members during the floods. It’s important to have what is called surge capacity so that when a major event happens we can help as many people as we can in the community.”
Cr Chisholm also pointed to outdated CFA equipment as a concern.
“Currently in the CFA, the replacement period for fire trucks is 30 years. This used to be a 20-year replacement cycle, and it’s getting longer,” he said.
“We’re putting volunteers in extremely hazardous and dangerous situations with old equipment, and it definitely needs to be addressed.
“Hopefully we can use this motion to bring those issues to the attention of State Government.”
