Volunteers have long been at the forefront of Australia’s bushfire defense, but as NSW brigades age, the number of younger recruits is dwindling.
Gerringong Rural Fire Service (RFS) volunteer, Matilda Walmsley, 19, responds to callouts as much as she can.
“I live in Wollongong, so I’m usually marked unavailable on the app,” she said.
“But if I get a call when I’m in Gerringong, I’ll go.”
Ms Walmsley is one of the youngest members in her brigade — by decades.
“I’m the youngest member, probably by 20 years,” she said.
“We also only have three other women in the brigade.”
Ms Walmsley’s experience is increasingly common for brigades across NSW.
Despite the NSW RFS citing a volunteer force of roughly 70,000 members, recent data this year from the Productivity Commission suggests the deployable volunteer workforce in NSW has declined to between 20,000 and 45,000 members.
Other volunteers are either inactive or not operationally qualified.
In Ms Walmsley’s brigade of around 30 members, only eight consistently respond.
“Lots of people are older and contribute in other ways — like being treasurer or helping around the station — but there’s been quite a few times where we’ve had a callout and no one has gone,” she said.
Data released in a 2025 report from the NSW RFS has revealed ashrinking workforce.
It has shown a 16 per cent decline in volunteer personnel over the past decade, with volunteer membership applications in NSW declining by more than 4,500 since 2014–15.
According to the report, roughly over 38,000 RFS volunteers are aged over 50 years old, including 26,000 in their 60s and 70s.
The declining recruitment of younger able-bodied volunteers has raised serious concerns about the state’s bushfire response capacity for the near future.
Beyond volunteers, the recruitment challenge extends to salaried NSW firefighters. Productivity Commission workforce data shows salaried firefighters under the age of 30 has declined in NSW since 2015 suggesting broader difficulties in attracting enough younger Australians to replace retirees.
So, why aren’t young people joining?
Economic pressures have changed the nature of volunteering. It is more common for younger Australians to work casual jobs or have longer commutes, making it more difficult to financially balance unpaid emergency responses.
“As a generation, I also wonder about our willingness to volunteer because we all have to work jobs and keep up with things,” Ms Walmsley said.
NSW Rural Fire Service spokesperson Kristine Wendtman told the ABC of the involved training.
“It’s a real balancing act because the need for training is increasing…but people’s time is more limited,” she said.
“It is quite a big commitment because you’re expected to go to training and meetings, maintenance nights, and then callouts as well.”
Furthermore, changes to rural demographics have hindered potential volunteers. With the merging of neighbouring properties and dissipation of farming communities, there are fewer working-age people. This has created a shortage in younger people to join their local fire brigades.
Despite the decline, the NSW Government continues encouraging more volunteers to join local brigades.
NSW Premier, Chris Minns recently urged more Australians to consider volunteering with the RFS.
“I reckon there’s tens of thousands of people across NSW who’d make incredible RFS volunteers,” Mr Minns said.
“If you’ve ever thought about becoming a hero, then this is a great opportunity for your community and for yourself.”
Additional reporting: Caleb McDonald and Foo Tubsang
