Tens of thousands rush to become volunteer firefighters amid bushfires

The NSW Rural Fire Service has received more than five times its usual amount of annual enquiries in less than three months, as fire services in Victoria and South Australia also report an increase in people wanting to volunteer.

Volunteer fire fighters on duty at Menai Rural Fire Service Station, in Sydney. Source: AAP

People in Australia are rushing to join volunteer firefighting services in record numbers as bushfires continue to rage across the country, with more than five times the usual yearly number of applicants expressing interest in joining the NSW Rural Fire Service since November.

The massive spike in membership enquiries comes as five volunteer firefighters have died in NSW and Victoria in the same period.

In the two-and-a-half months since the start of the fire season, the RFS has received more than 25,000 membership enquiries, community engagement manager Anthony Bradstreet told SBS News, compared to an average annual application intake of approximately 4,000.