Army of 72,000 volunteers fights Australia’s wildfires

TOMERONG, Australia — The wildfire was behaving erratically last week, and Doug Schutz and his team needed to make a quick decision. So they moved a bulldozer from another job and used it to widen a firebreak. That likely helped prevent hundreds of homes from going up in flames.

If anybody was qualified to make that call, it was Schutz. He began volunteering with the Rural Fire Service in Australia’s New South Wales state some 53 years ago, at the age of 13, back when Land Rovers were used as firetrucks. Now captain of the Tomerong brigade, Schutz has been the victim of a wildfire that burned down his business Christmas Day in 2001.

Schutz is part of an army of 72,000 people from across the state who make up the world’s largest volunteer fire service. They’ve been at the forefront of fighting wildfires that have devastated parts of Australia since September. At least 26 people have been killed by the fires, including three volunteer firefighters.

“I’ve lived here all my life, and seen a lot of fires. And this one just doesn’t want to do what it’s supposed to do,” Schutz said. “This fire has its own agenda. In some ways, I nearly think it’s got a brain. When you think you’ve got a handle on it, it will sneak around the backdoor and bite you on the bum.”

The wildfires have destroyed 2,000 homes and continue to burn, threatening to flare up again as temperatures rise.

To rural folks around the state, people like Schutz are heroes. House after house in affected areas have hung makeshift banners offering thanks to the people they call “firies.” It’s a far cry from how many Australians view Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who has been widely ridiculed for his response to the disaster.

Like the other volunteers, Schutz has never been paid a cent for his work. This season he’s been fighting the wildfires every day since Nov. 29, neglecting his own business in the process. He smiles at the irony: In his day job, he produces and sells large quantities of firewood for residential homes on his 118-acre property.

People from other countries who are used to relying on professional fire services find the Australian volunteer model hard to understand, but Schutz said it’s how they like it.

Gary Creer, a volunteer firefighter for 20 years, said he was in the fortunate position of being employed by the government, which doesn’t dock any pay from people who take time off to fight fires.