International Firefighters' Day

Ms HUTCHESSON (Waite) (12:24): I move:

That this house—

(a) notes that 4 May is International Firefighters' Day;

(b) remembers the firefighters who have lost their lives whilst protecting the community;

(c) shows its support and appreciation for firefighters who put themselves at risk and work hard every day to protect our community as well as to the families of our first responders who have to worry about their family member; and

(d) acknowledges that firefighters can experience traumatic events through the course of their duties.

This Sunday 4 May is International Firefighters' Day. It is a day to pause and recognise the extraordinary courage, commitment and compassion of our firefighters, not only here in South Australia but across the nation and across the world. This day is a powerful reminder of the sacrifices made by those who protect our lives, our homes and our communities from the ever present danger of fire and natural disaster.

International Firefighters' Day sets aside a moment to honour firefighters for their service across the world, to remember firefighters who lost their lives during service and to commemorate firefighters killed in the September 11 attacks. It was established after a proposal by a female Australian firefighter, JJ Edmondson, and it was made on 4 January 1999 following the deaths of five firefighters fighting a bushfire in Australia on 2 December in 1998.

JJ Edmondson, a volunteer firefighter and lieutenant in Victoria, deeply understood both the camaraderie and risks of being a firefighter. This awareness became painfully real when five firefighters, Matt, Stuart, Jason, Garry and Chris from Geelong West, tragically lost their lives. Though they were from different brigades, their death resonated deeply with JJ, highlighting the universal bond shared among firefighters.

The loss underscored the danger inherent in the job firefighters do with pride, dedicated to protecting lives and property. Motivated by this tragedy and the outpouring of global support, JJ set a 1999 New Year's resolution to create an internationally recognised symbol and a day of remembrance for all firefighters.

She coordinated global discussions via email and decided on a meaningful date and symbol, receiving enthusiastic support from the international firefighting community. This collective effort led to the establishment of International Firefighters' Day, a tribute made possible through the shared input and endorsement of people worldwide, turning JJ's vision into a globally recognised event. We thank her for bringing it all together as we recognise International Firefighters' Day here today.

However, the roots of this profession's honour actually stretch back centuries to St Florian, the patron saint of firefighters. Florian was a Roman officer who organised and led fire brigades. He is remembered not only for his leadership and skill but for his refusal to renounce his values and for sacrificing his life in the name of service and integrity. Today, his name stands as a symbol of protection, valour and selflessness, qualities embodied by every firefighter who dons the uniform.

Internationally, we do not need to look back very far to see how far individuals will go to protect homes and their communities. The 2025 California wildfires were among the most devastating in US history, igniting over 250,000 acres across the state. The Palisades and Franklin fires in Los Angeles County ravaged the Santa Monica Mountains.

The fires caused an estimated $250 billion in economic losses, making them the costliest natural disasters in the nation's history. Firefighters and emergency responders faced extreme conditions, battling intense flames and hazardous terrain. Despite the challenges, their efforts were instrumental in protecting communities and wildlife, highlighting their resilience and dedication.

Back here in South Australia, our firefighting services represent some of the finest examples of that legacy. We are proud to support and stand beside the brave men and women of the Metropolitan Fire Service, the Country Fire Service and our National Parks and Wildlife Service crews. As a member of the CFS and of a community for whom the risk of major bushfires is very real, I see today, and indeed every day, as an opportunity to champion the unwavering commitment of our firefighting community.

This has been the first fire season since the devastating 2019-20 summer in which South Australia has experienced a level 3 fire incident, this time in the rugged terrain of Mount Remarkable National Park. It served as a stark reminder that our climate remains volatile and that the need for preparedness and responsiveness remains urgent. I thank all of the first responders for their courage across that fire, including members of brigades in my own community.

In fact, this season the fire risk has extended well beyond summer months, with the Mount Lofty Ranges fire season officially extended now until 14 May, a clear sign of the ongoing danger posed by dry fuels even in cooler months. Fire does not wait for summer anymore, it is ever present and we must always be vigilant.

I would like to take this opportunity to recognise the critical work of our national park firefighters. These are specialists who manage fuel loads, coordinate controlled burns, and protect South Australia's natural treasures under often difficult and dangerous conditions. Their work, largely unseen by the public, is vital to preventing and reducing the severity of larger fires, and we thank them sincerely.

The MFS, with its 1,200 personnel and 37 fire stations—20 in metropolitan Adelaide and 17 in our regional centres—are equally critical. Brigades like the St Marys and Glenside MFS, who are often called into action in our Mitcham community, serve with exceptional commitment, working around the clock and protecting lives and property.

The CFS continues to be the beating heart of regional and rural firefighting in this state, including in the Hills areas of the community that I serve. With over 13,500 volunteers, including cadets and operational support members across the state, and a fleet of over 800 trucks, they have responded to 5,155 incidents this fire danger season. They contribute an astounding one million volunteer hours annually; that is a million hours of selfless service to our communities, large and small.

This year strike teams from my community were deployed to combat fires in Wilmington, Langhorne Creek, Happy Valley, the South-East, and many more. Their response was professional, rapid and deeply courageous. We also extend our heartfelt thanks to the almost 200 emergency services volunteers who put their lives, work and families on hold to assist interstate during national disasters. This is Australia at its best, states supporting one another, communities uniting through adversity.

In our own backyard the Sturt and Mount Lofty CFS groups are a shining example of local strength and unity. The Belair, Blackwood, Eden Hills, Coromandel Valley and Cherry Gardens brigades, which all belong to the Sturt group, along with our Mount Lofty crews, including my own brigade of Upper Sturt, and also the Ironbank and sometimes Stirling crews, all come to assist our community when in need. They, as well as our air ops crews and those who work the radios and logistics in our support and operations roles, as well as paid staff in HQ, are all integral to our Hills community's safety.

It should be noted, though, that these volunteers are not abstract heroes. They are our friends, our neighbours, and they are our family members. They are everyday people doing extraordinary things, and their presence is deeply felt and deeply valued.

I was very happy and relieved to join our federal member just recently—last week, in fact—as she revealed the two new QRVs, the quick response vehicles, that are heading up to the Sturt group in the not too distant future. QRVs are incredibly important, a piece of equipment that allows our brigades to be able to get down really narrow driveways, but also, if a truck driver has not arrived at the station yet for a call-out, then they are able to leave the station and get onto a fire very quickly. I am very happy that these will be coming our way, and I know how grateful our brigades are to be receiving these. I am sure they will put them to good use, and I thank Louise for her advocacy for these.

It should be remembered, though, that our firefighters do more than just hold a hose. They are often first on the scene at terrible car accidents, having to support drivers and passengers, working to extract them and sending them on their way to paramedics, never knowing the outcome. This can and does weigh heavily on our firefighters, no matter their ability to deal with it, and it stays with them.

Firefighters are also called on to assist other emergency services, be it the SES with trees that have fallen, rescues when people get into trouble, and also in support of our paramedics, often again being first on scene and having to administer life-saving treatment such as CPR. They share in the pain of property loss with those who face having lost everything they own and comfort families who arrive on the scenes of accidents.

They get called out for all sorts of things, even strange things, even recently in our own community assisting a young student who got his finger stuck in a drink can at school. Our Coromandel brigade, who also went to that one and saved the child's finger, assisted a resident with a possum that was stuck in their roof space. Our Belair brigade often has to head down to our trails and pull out our mountain bike kids. They come to grief—whether they fall over or whether their bike has a stack—and the fire brigades have to come in, extract them and send them on their way, and I thank them for being there to support our kids. Such is their sense of community that they attend these kinds of events with professionalism and commitment, and I thank all our brigades and their members.

While we celebrate the bravery and commitment of our firefighters we must also remember those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice, those who never make it home from the fireground, those whose families miss them every day. The tragic death of Louise Hincks, a cherished member of our emergency services and a good friend to many in my community, still weighs heavily on our hearts. We honour her memory and the memory of all fallen firefighters on International Firefighters' Day and every day we get on a truck. Their courage lives on in every siren, every act of service, and in the example they set for us all. Behind every firefighter is a family though, a support system that stands strong through nights of worry and days of sacrifice. These are quiet heroes: the partners who wait by the phone and the children who wave goodbye with pride and a touch of fear. On International Firefighters' Day we recognise you too.

As a parent of a firefighter, one who holds no fear, I understand what our families go through when their loved ones answer the call, and the instant worry that sets in. I understand you and I thank all of our families who worry waiting for their treasured firefighter to come home. They rely on your support.

To those children of firefighters, many of whom grow up watching their mums and dads rushing out the door to protect others, you are part of this story. You carry the legacy of Florian. For those who go on to become CFS cadets, training hard and preparing for a future of service, we salute your early commitment. You are the future of firefighting in this state.

I would like to pay a special mention to the cadets who stood out in the cold holding ground at our Blackwood War Memorial and, more broadly, at youth vigils across the state on ANZAC Eve. Your commitment to service has started young and I hope continues, and also that you are good role models for your friends and siblings. I look forward to being out on a fireground with you, side by side, protecting our community into the future, as I am sure all of our volunteers across the state do.

As we look ahead following what has been an incredibly dry summer, we know the risks are still real. The threat of bushfire is growing in intensity and duration, but so too is our resolve. Our firefighters continue to train, our agencies continue to plan and our government remains committed to ensuring that every firefighter, urban and rural, full-time and volunteer, has the tools, training and support that they need to keep us safe.

So today, in honour of International Firefighters' Day, let us honour those who serve, those we have lost and those still preparing to answer the call, and let us all commit to standing shoulder to shoulder with the men and women who protect us so bravely.

This Saturday, at election booths across the state in regional areas and areas where CFS protect life and property, you will find trucks and volunteers because election day is collection day. I encourage everyone to take along what they can, what they can afford to give, and support our fireys. Finally, to all our firefighters, we see you, we honour you and we thank you. May the fourth be with you.

The Hon. A. PICCOLO (Light) (12:37): I will make a few comments in support of this motion by the member for Waite. I will make only a few comments because I will also acknowledge the contributions made by the other members in the member for Chaffey's earlier motion. This Sunday is International Firefighters' Day, which is also known amongst Catholic people as St Florian's Day. St Florian was the patron saint of firefighters and all emergency service workers—and by workers I mean both paid and volunteers.

In speaking to this motion, I would like to acknowledge not only the firefighters but also all those other services that support our firefighters, for example, our SES, our ambulance, our police, people often involved in animal welfare during a fire and other volunteers and people who actually make a contribution when fire strikes our land.

I would also like to acknowledge that when we have a major event, there are a number of other volunteers who actually come and support our firefighters. There are the CWA ladies who make food, the local Lions clubs, the Rotary clubs and all those service clubs who come out and prepare and support the firefighters to enable them to take on the task of fighting the fires.

One issue I would like to touch on, particularly in our regional areas at the moment, is the impact of the drought not only on our farmers but on all our community organisations, and that would also be true of our CFS volunteers. The distress and pressures caused by the drought would also be reflected in the volunteers who, despite those stresses, are still out there protecting our communities. I would like to pay particular gratitude to those firefighters in our regional areas who are not only battling everyday pressures of life but are there working hard to protect our community as a whole.

I think it is really important to note that as a government we are, through the South Australian Fire and Emergency Services Commission, also providing additional support for mental health and wellbeing to support our emergency services volunteers and staff and their families. I think it is really important, because while the volunteers are doing it tough in our regional areas we need to make sure that we are providing as much support as we can to them.

We are very fortunate to have a strong force of volunteers throughout our state. The CFS has around thirteen and a half thousand volunteers, including cadets and operational support members, and a fleet of over 800 appliances across the state. When you look at the average annual volunteer hours, it is quite staggering. It is estimated that on average there are over a million volunteer hours provided by CFS volunteers each year. The MFS also makes an important contribution in terms of our safety, including in regional areas. Of the 37 stations operated by MFS, 17 are located in our larger regional centres and are covered across the state by 1,200 personnel, both full-time and retained—those regional part-time firefighters in some of our smaller communities.

Even though St Florian's Day is a day of celebration and it is important to celebrate the dedication of our firefighters to their communities, it is also a day of commemoration in that we commemorate the sacrifice that some have made to their communities as well. Once again, I would like to put on record my thanks to the state's firefighters and emergency services as a whole for dedicating their time to keeping our community safe.

Mr BELL (Mount Gambier) (12:41): I rise again to support this motion recognising International Firefighters' Day on 4 May. I thank the member for Waite and previously the member for Chaffey for bringing these motions to the house, which give us the time to pause, reflect and honour the courage, commitment and sacrifice of our firefighters across South Australia.

We do owe an immense debt of gratitude to these men and women: those serving in the MFS, and especially our CFS volunteers, who day after day and often night after night place themselves in harm's way to protect lives, homes, businesses and the environment. They do not seek recognition; they do it because they care deeply for their neighbours and communities. As this motion rightly acknowledges, some have paid the ultimate price in the service of others. We remember them and we honour them.

But while we stand here today to express our thanks, we also have a responsibility to listen to our firefighters. In my electorate alone, there are over 10 Country Fire Service brigades, all operated entirely by volunteers. These are local residents who give up their time and often take leave from their jobs and their families to answer the call when emergencies strike. This was powerfully illustrated last year during the Grampians National Park bushfire, which is just across our border, when more than 250 CFS volunteers gave up Christmas Day with their families to go and fight those fires in Victoria.

Yet, despite their extraordinary commitment, many of our local brigades are being asked to do their work with ageing and inadequate equipment or facilities. They are being stretched further under increasing pressure without the modern resources they need. One local station is still operating with an appliance that is more than 20 years old.

Just last month, during severe lightning storms, the station attended 25 per cent of their average annual callouts in just five days, while members continued working their regular jobs and balancing the two. It is a remarkable effort by any measure. Yet the promised additional appliance—a smaller four-wheel-drive 14 unit, vital for reaching rugged terrain—has now been put on hold. Another brigade that was also promised one of these vehicles has faced the same delay and has been informed that there is no money for capital works or vehicles. This is not about a luxury; this is about basic, essential infrastructure. It is about making good so people can do their job safely and effectively.

The solution is simple: we must provide our volunteers with modern equipment and fit-for-purpose facilities. The commitment is already there. The skills and dedication are there. What is missing is the support from us. We must also consider the broader health risk firefighters face, particularly exposure to hazardous contaminants, as mentioned earlier. These risks are magnified when crews are forced to work with outdated appliances and in stations that do not meet modern standards for decontamination or equipment storage.

We often say thank you, we often speak proudly of the Aussie spirit of our volunteers, but words without actions are hollow. If we truly value our firefighters, we must back up our gratitude with real support, in funding, in equipment and in long-term planning. Let International Firefighters' Day be more than just a day of recognition. Let it serve as a reminder of our ongoing responsibility to act, to invest and to ensure our firefighters have the tools they need to continue protecting us all.

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (12:45): I rise to support International Firefighters' Day. It is a very important motion that the member for Waite has brought before us. On 4 May, many of us will hear the sirens ring at noon. It is a very small recognition to honour those who have lost their life protecting others.

What I must say is that I have made quite a contribution in the previous motion, but there is always one station I miss when naming many stations in the electorate, and I think I have done that. I just want to put on the record my thanks and gratitude to the volunteers at the CFS stations in Chaffey, and there are many: Renmark, Paringa, Berri, Barmera, Loxton, Waikerie, Swan Reach, Morgan, Monash, Blanchetown, Glossop, Taylorville and Cadell. I seriously apologise if I have missed anyone but do not think I have at this point in time.

I also want to thank the volunteer firefighters, but the unsung heroes in many instances are the landowners—those farmers and community members who go out there at their own will with their makeshift farm firefighting units and do whatever they can do, whether they are using communication in their own vehicles or whether they are helping. A lot of community people are always supplying food, drinks, sustenance for those people fighting fires, so they cannot go unnoticed.

I also want to mention the aerial firefighting teams. It is an incredibly dangerous circumstance flying a rotary-wing aircraft into fires. It comes with great uncertainty. We know that fires present their own weather patterns, their own wind. You just have to further understand the uncertainty of flying an aircraft into a plume of smoke, into gusts of wind that are unknown. Over a period of time around the world we have seen many aircraft whose pilots have succumbed when putting their life on the line fighting a firestorm, so I want to make sure that they are recognised.

Also, I want to thank the interstate teams that come from far and wide. Some come from overseas, some come from interstate, but they all come to help keep our community safe, to reduce the risk the fire presents into the lands it is burning, and so I really do want to express my gratitude.

The member for Finniss touched on some family history with some fires. I want to put on the record that the state is currently a tinderbox. We know that fire needs fuel. In many instances when the country is as dry as it is, we see vegetation burn, but we also see the soils burn. Some soils with high content of fibre always present a risk of fire.

For the majority of my life, I have lived on farms. I have witnessed fires. I have fought fires. I have supported firefighting personnel. As a young fellow, we were shearing in the middle of summer down in the South-East. We were going out to bring in sheep and we had a lame sheep, so I got out of the vehicle to put that sheep in the back of the vehicle, and then noticed a fire underneath the vehicle. That was a tell-tale of vehicles in dry situations. That was a fire that continued to burn. We lost a lot of country, about 1,000 hectares in total, and that is a lot of a farm. It really did give me a wake-up call as a young fellow.

There was another incident on my family farm down in the South-East, just outside of Keith at Mount Charles. We had a large feedlot down there and my father had a large hay shed of about 10,000 small bales, as I remember. Next to that hay shed was a furnace or an incinerator—a 44-gallon drum, if you like—which was where the strings went from the hay when loading up the equipment to make feed. All of a sudden, the hay shed caught on fire. Just about every local in the district came to help fight that fire because it was a big fire. It was a big shed with a lot of hay. My father came back with a ute-load full of beer and a lot of meat to feed the troops and thank them for their efforts, but in the same footsteps came the fire sergeant with a fine. He gave him the fine and said, 'Don't light fires next to a hay shed.' That was something that was a little bit lighter; there was no injury and no life lost.

I will touch on the Kangaroo Island summer fires. That was devastating, as it was for all of the other regional areas to have those summer fires. For me to go over to Kangaroo Island and witness the devastation and witness the trauma that fire presented to the Kangaroo Island community was profound. My partner's family have a farm on the island. A lot of the surrounds, the pine and blue gum forests, were all burnt and a lot of the paddocks were all blackened, but both houses and some shedding were saved.

I went over there to visit some family friends and to better understand. I knew that they were not in a good way. I went over there and took it upon myself to call in to the local pub and fill up the back of the car with beer, and I went out there and visited a few people just to see how they were. Before I knew it, I could see that the mental strain was so immense from what they had experienced. They had been traumatised. What they needed most was a little bit of help to distract from what they knew was inevitably the next task at hand, so I spent the next few days out in the paddocks on a front-end loader with a rifle shooting sheep.

It is something that still really does clog up the works when I think about it today, but it was something that I felt I could do to contribute and help those landowners just to take a little bit of pressure off them because they had lost almost everything. They had lost their homes. They had lost their vehicles. They had lost the majority of their livestock. They had lost just about anything that was worthy left on the farm. That was a contribution that a volunteer like myself could make in that particular period.

I visited a number of family farm owners and it really did scar me for life, as it would have for the people who had seriously experienced that fire. Seeing the livestock that could barely breathe—their airways were burnt, their feet were burnt—they had to be put out of their misery and that was just something that we had to do.

Their mental health is also something that needs to be recognised in firefighters. People who are experiencing that trauma, doing what they know they need to do in protecting and mitigating the fire and the impact, but there are mental health pressures on our firefighters, as well as the people who have been traumatised by the effect of that fire. I commend the motion. As the shadow minister for emergency services, on behalf of the Liberal Party of South Australia, I say to all our volunteers, all our frontline firefighters: thank you, thank you, thank you.

Mr TEAGUE (Heysen—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (12:55): I rise to support the motion. Much has been addressed in support of the shadow minister's motion previously. By reference to paragraph (c) of this motion, on 24 May, just a few weeks hence, Bradbury brigade will celebrate its 70^th anniversary, and I look forward very much to joining with the brigade on that very special day. I would single out the dedicated service and leadership of Lisa Knight, serving the Bradbury CFS brigade. It will be an occasion to celebrate all those who have been at the centre of Bradbury CFS. Lois Allen I am sure will be there among so many who have dedicated decades of service, but I am especially thoughtful of Bradbury CFS brigade celebrating 70 years—they are amongst so many in the Hills who continue to provide dedicated service, including on that terrible day in January 2021, making the difference between a community being saved from disaster and a disaster devastating a community.

Ms HUTCHESSON (Waite) (12:56): As a member of the CFS family and a representative of a community that knows the risks of bushfire very well, it was really important for me to give my thanks by moving this motion today. I thank everyone who spoke in support of the motion and those who have given their contributions to the previous motion.

Member for Heysen, I will join you at the Bradbury Country Fire Service celebrations, and I look forward to celebrating with them and Upper Sturt, which also will be celebrating next year a significant number as well. It goes to show that some of our firefighters in these brigades have been there almost since the start of the brigades, giving so many decades of service. They still continue to give, even when they are unable to get on a truck anymore. Not only do we thank all our frontline firefighters who continue to serve, but it is those support crews and those who still continue to come along to training and support the crews—thank you.

Thank you to all our firefighters who have been honoured here today. It is great that our parliament has been able to come together and show our appreciation for our firefighters. They drop whatever they are doing and head towards the danger, they head towards fire, they head towards sometimes very confronting scenes, and we thank them. We thank their families and communities—they miss your events to go along to fires, and we know how much sometimes that can cause a problem, so thank you to you as well. So thank you everybody, thank you to our firefighters, thank you for all you do and thank you for being you.

Motion carried.