Imagine being a first-responder to an emergency situation.
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Whether it be a light plane crash, a pedestrian hit by a car, a house fire or a car crash.
For those living in the city, the people who attend such scenes first are career emergency service personnel.
It’s their job to be faced with the possibility of attending these scenes every day.
It’s probably one of the only career paths that you wish for them to be sitting for eight hours every day doing nothing.
Because to do something potentially means a tragedy.
It’s one of those careers that takes a special person to sign up for. It’s a job that calls you.
For those living in a regional areas, these first-responders are not always career emergency service personnel.
Often the first people on the scene are volunteers.
Their day jobs are in the office, on the farm or raising children.
The majority of the incidents they attend are those in their community.
Often they are supporting people who they went to school with or frequent the business where they work.
Like the career emergency service workers, the volunteers are a special breed of human.
That’s why it was pleasing to see funds allocated to the Tasmanian Fire Service and State Emergency Services volunteers.
In Tasmania there are 230 volunteer fire brigades and 35 State Emergency Service units.
The volunteers have received $500,000 a year for four years to assist with equipment and training.
While basic needs are met with core funding, those additional items are often fundraised by the volunteers.
The additional funding is about $1800 per volunteer unit.
Public safety can never have too much funding.
It’s one of those areas where technology and social changes demand additional investment. It’s similar to the area of health and in similar vein education.
Add in the fact it is often a case of life or death, the funds would never be disputed.
But it’s not all about the dollars.
As a region we can support our emergency service workers by treating with them respect and even consider volunteering yourself.