Brave teenagers on the path to becoming volunteer firefighters

Living on the lower slopes of New South Wales’ Blue Mountains with a swath* of bushland known as The Devils Wilderness on his doorstep, five years ago Flyn Morgan was preparing to start high school when the Gospers Mountain bushfire came barrelling towards his town.

The million-hectare “mega-fire” which burned for 15 weeks between 2019 and 2020 was one of the most catastrophic events of Australia’s devastating Black Summer* bushfires. It was also the spark that drove young men and women like Flyn, now 17, to sign up for the Rural Fire Service’s high school cadet program*.

“Because I live in Bowen Mountain, it came quite close to impacting our area, so my family evacuated – those big fires, they definitely make you want to help out,” the Year 12 student said.

“(I’m) obviously just hoping that we don’t have another thing like that, but if we do … I know … being part of the RFS, that we’re pretty well prepared.”

Two years after completing the Secondary Schools Cadet program at Colo High School, Flyn and classmate Alex Carpenter have become fully-fledged members of their local volunteer firefighting brigades – Grose Vale and Kurrajong respectively – and have each spent time on firegrounds*, from working on hazard reduction in the bush to extinguishing vehicle fires in the local area.

Black Summer “made me look at the RFS differently, and want to join even more,” North Richmond resident Alex said.

“I’ve always wanted to be a firefighter since I was in primary school, and I enjoy helping people and volunteering my time, so it was a good fit.”

The pair have even started training the latest fleet of graduates – five younger classmates who are now themselves working their way towards basic firefighter accreditation*.

Among them are 16-year-old Michael Buckett, who will become a fourth generation firefighter and counts one of the founding members of the Kurrajong brigade among his family, and Year 10 classmate Finn McKinnon.

“I love volunteer organisations – my dad was a member of the RFS, and my sister was too. It’s a big family thing for me,” Finn said.

“I just really enjoy giving back to the community that’s kept us safe.”

The RFS has begun the year with more than 1360 junior members among its ranks, a number that has slowly increased over the past two years, including volunteers as young as 12. Junior members are allowed to respond to incidents from the age of 16.

More than 12,800 students have completed the Secondary School Cadet program, which focuses on fire safety and prevention rather than active firefighting skills, since it began 20 years ago, including 670 who graduated in 2024.

Hawkesbury District cadet co-ordinator Phil Hurst said it was a point of pride knowing several of the region’s deputy captains were once trainees in the program and that the Rural Fire Service needed all the young talent it could get.

“In the RFS there’s a big proportion of us who are well and truly retirement age, and it’s getting worse,” he said.

“The average age of an RFS member is getting older, so … the more we can encourage the younger guys to come through (the better).”

VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTING AROUND AUSTRALIA
Different states and territories have their own emergency firefighting services. Each state-based authority has regional or local chapters where volunteer firefighters can do their part to protect their local community whenever a bushfire breaks out.

Some offer training programs for young teens who are interested in becoming a volunteer firefighter once they are older.

RFS (NSW) – The RFS offers cadet opportunities to students as young as 12 in some chapters, according to the RFS website. It also offers a secondary school cadet program to Years 9 and 10 students that is run through schools.

Visit rfs.nsw.gov.au/volunteer/youth for more information.

Junior members aren’t allowed to respond to incidents until they become fully fledged members at the age of 16 and with their parent’s consent.

CFA (Victoria) – The CFA runs a Junior Volunteer Development Program (JVDP) for kids aged 11-15 that teaches fire and hazard safety, emergency response skills and teamwork and leadership skills. The minimum age to become a volunteer firefighter with CFA is 16 but parental permission is required. cfa.vic.gov.au

RFSQ (Queensland) – The Rural Fire Service Queensland has a minimum age of 16 for volunteers. Visit fire.qld.gov.au to find out more.

CFS (South Australia) – The CFS runs a cadet program for 11-18 year olds. Cadets can become full members once they are 18.

DFES (Western Australia) – The Department of Fire and Emergency Services in Western Australia allows volunteers to join some services from the age of 16 with parental consent. They also provide cadets and juniors programs between the ages of 11 and 18 as well as the Emergency Services Cadet Corp (ESCC), which is offered through some high schools in the state. dfes.vol.org.au

TFS (Tasmania) – Volunteers must be 18, however, there are programs offered for both junior members (10-14) and cadets (15-17). fire.tas.gov.au/volunteer

NT AND ACT – The minimum age for volunteering with the NTFRS is 16. The ACTFRS also accepts volunteers from the age of 16 however they are operationally restricted until they turn 18.

Visit pfes.nt.gov.au/join-us/become-fire-volunteer and esa.act.gov.au/join-us/volunteering to find out more.

POLL

GLOSSARY

• swath: a broad strip of something
• Black Summer: one of the most catastrophic bushfire seasons on record in Australia, lasting from June 2019 to May 2020, the Black Summer bushfires saw hundreds of fires burn 24.3 million hectares across much of the country, destroying 3000 buildings and claiming at least 34 lives
• cadet program: a training program that teaches young people skills in preparation for becoming a volunteer firefighter
• firegrounds: an area where firefighting operations are being carried out
• accreditation: the official recognition of something

EXTRA READING
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Kid poets published in bushfire book
Join Australia’s army of volunteers

QUICK QUIZ
1. What was the name of the devastating group of bushfires that burned across Australia in 2019 and 2020?
2. How old do you need to be to volunteer as a firefighter in NSW?
3. Which states offer youth volunteer or cadet training programs?
4. What event inspired 17-year-old Flyn Morgan to sign up for the RFS high school cadet program?
5. Why is it important that more younger recruits are signing up to volunteer as firefighters?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Volunteer heroes
Volunteering is a great way to increase your own skills base and help out the community you live in.

Work with a classmate and write a list of the pros and cons for volunteering your time for training and skills in your community (not just firefighting)

PROS:

CONS:

Do the pros outweigh the cons, do you think?

Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Civics and Citizenship, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

2. Extension
What are some ways and where could you volunteer around your community at your current age and as you get older? Think of community service organisations, sports clubs, etc.

Draft a letter to this organisation to offer your volunteer services that you might want to follow up with your parents.

Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

VCOP ACTIVITY
Read this!
A headline on an article – or a title on your text – should capture the attention of the audience, telling them to read this now. So choosing the perfect words for a headline or title is very important.

Create three new headlines for the events that took place in this article. Remember, what you write and how you write it will set the pace for the whole text, so make sure it matches.

Read out your headlines to a partner and discuss what the article will be about based on the headline you created. Discuss the tone and mood you set in just your few, short words. Does it do the article justice? Will it capture the audience’s attention the way you hoped? Would you want to read more?

Consider how a headline or title is similar to using short, sharp sentences throughout your text. They can be just as important as complex ones. Go through the last text you wrote and highlight any short, sharp sentences that capture the audience.