Recruiting fresh talent will be key to ensuring CFA brigades are ready to meet the growing challenges of facing summer bushfires, particularly in smaller communities where populations are ageing or commuting to work.
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Deputy chief officer for the Western Region, Brett Boatman, said the western region had endured only small declines in volunteer numbers in the past 12 months.
"Some of it is natural attrition and some is related to the pandemic," he said.
Mr Boatman said the region from the Wimmera to Bacchus Marsh had 4900 operational volunteers - and bigger volunteer brigades often had waiting lists.
The latest CFA annual report said the authority lost about two per cent of its workforce during the year ending June 30.
Mr Boatman believes the CFA has come a long way in adapting and developing.
"The training now is more flexible and modularised - and to help with practical experience our programs are increasingly based on local mentoring within the brigades themselves."
The Codys of Beaufort are proof that the CFA is like a family.
Captain Mike and secretary Mariah - and possibly one day little Ava - are active members of the same brigade - and they're hoping to welcome more volunteers into the fold.
"We have about 30 members here at the moment and 15 or so are operational," Ms Cody said.
"I joined as a non-operational member at first - just to be doing something with my time and aware that going forward (the community service) would look good on my resume.
"I became a firefighter just by chance. I did the course. It's been an amazing experience."
The 31-year-old is mum to eight-year-old Ava and has served on strike teams with dad: Captain Mike.
"We're certainly building a really good team together," she said.
"The more you put in, the more you get out.
"I've been here for five years now and as a younger person it's getting better all the time."
The brigade has a juniors section which begins at age 11 and Ms Cody said they were aiming for a smoother transition into the senior ranks.
"Like many country towns, young adults sometimes leave for work or study," she said.
Ms Cody also sits on a CFA Young Adults Advisory Committee - and said the story was the same in every region.
"Not many people work locally anymore and we need firefighters who can do that 9am-5pm stuff," she said.
"We can really struggle to get a crew on weekdays.
The brigade attended 90 call-outs in 2022 - a big jump on 2021.
They've also launched a social media campaign - and so far picked up members transferring from other areas, plus others who have lodged expressions of interest, wanting to get more involved in the place where they live.
Mr Boatman said it was a common story in smaller regional centres.
The region from Bacchus Marsh to the border had a total of 10,200 volunteers - but he said only 4900 were operational.
"The training now is more flexible and modularised - and to help with practical experience our programs are increasingly based on local mentoring within the brigades themselves."
And that's definitely happening at Beaufort.
"Our members range in age from 16 to 90," Ms Cody said.
"The 90-year-old is a non-operational member - but he comes to every single meeting and passes on some valuable local knowledge."
For many blink-and-you-miss-it localities, the CFA shed can be the last government agency left.
On top of that, many carry out the work normally done by the SES in a larger centre.
"The CFA is not just about fires," Mr Boatman said.
"You might be removing trees over the road in a storm.
"A lot of people were also deployed to the floods last year. I know Beaufort trucks were sent to Skipton a few months ago and helped remove water from premises there."
The Beaufort brigade - established in 1874 - is one of Victoria's most photographed stations, and serves as a backdrop to the town's iconic main street rotunda.
Its three current trucks are housed in different neighbouring buildings - including an urban rescue vehicle in the historic timber station.
But plans are under way with Pyrenees Shire Council for a new station which will be funded along with a new truck.
The photogenic timber station building will be retained.
But for now, volunteers are needed.
"You don't really know what it's like until you give it a go," Ms Cody said.
"That's why we have Sunday morning come-and-try sessions from 10am.
"We work around the station - and we welcome members of the community to come on down and see what it's all about.
"No obligation."
Mr Boatman's own journey, which began when he was 11-years-old, is an example of how sometimes volunteer service can turn into a long and rewarding career.
Starting out as an Elmhurst junior, he has just been named deputy chief officer (West Region).
The job covers 230 brigades across 11 council areas from Bacchus Marsh to Benayeo.
The past two years have been spent commuting to CFA headquarters in Burwood - but now the experienced firefighter is back home, based at the Wendouree headquarters and hoping to encourage more of the right people to put their hands up to defend the communities where they live and work.
"We can only support communities if we have strong viable CFAs behind them," he said.
"One of my jobs will be to make sure brigades have the resources they need and work with the asset management department in Melbourne. Every community is different and has different community needs."
Mr Boatman said while the west was full of firefighting complexity and risk, he loved its diversity: from rapidly urbanising areas to vibrant tourism towns.
While a handful of brigades have waiting lists, Mr Boatman said almost every brigade was open to new members and not necessarily in firefighting. Counselling and debriefing are some of them.
"We always come together after a fire and debrief on what we did well, what didn't go to plan and what we can improve on.
"The CFA is a pretty unique organisation in that it has a presence in every community - and sometimes we are the only thing there.
"We also look at rural communities that are getting smaller.
"We have to work out how to support them to support their community."
Mr Boatman volunteered alongside family at Elmhurst - and later worked as a career firefighter with brigades including Ballarat City, Doveton, Dandenong, Wodonga, Mount Hotham and more.
He worked closely on aviation coordination before moving back to Ballarat in 2015 to become the District 15 manager.
"I'm excited to be supporting volunteers across the west," he said.
"The CFA is a pretty unique organisation in that it has a presence in every community - and sometimes we are the only thing there.
"We're keeping good people doing good things in their communities."
People interesting in volunteering should register their interest via www.cfa.vic.gov.au
Gabrielle Hodson
'All-rounder' journalist since 1993. I've worked in print, radio, TV & online as well as radio & TV producing and radio presenting. Working on Wadawurrung land. There are 7.9 billion stories out there. I'd love to hear yours...
'All-rounder' journalist since 1993. I've worked in print, radio, TV & online as well as radio & TV producing and radio presenting. Working on Wadawurrung land. There are 7.9 billion stories out there. I'd love to hear yours...
