Staffing levels at Boggabri Fire and Rescue were being stretched desperately thin and with further losses, the town risked losing the station all together.

Eight retained firefighters are currently on the books in Boggabri but they require more to remain sustainable in the long-term, particularly during daytime work hours.

Station captain Brian King said the the situation had become more urgent given they recently stepped up to the “primary responder” role, meaning firies were now first on scene for local emergencies.

The station has to be manned 24 hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week by four personnel – the minimum required to respond to an incident.

But recently that had not been possible during business hours which forced their Gunnedah colleagues to travel to Boggabri to spend a paid-day sitting in the station waiting for a phone call.

Fire and Rescue NSW Tamworth Superintendent Tom Cooper said station exchanges were a stop-gap measure only and not financially viable moving forward.

“We haven’t allocated [the extra wages] in the budget,” he said.

Most local firefighters work normal jobs in the community and respond to incidents when tasked. The Boggabri unit had 37 call-outs last year but average about one per week. The firefighters were paid an ongoing retainer wage and supplemented by call-out rates paid equivalent to their rank.

Supt Cooper said one of the biggest misconceptions was people think if they already had a full-time job or they are a stay-at-home parent they can’t be employed as a firefighter. 

“That is not the case,” he said. “Firefighters come from all sections of the community, they’re just everyday people who step up during an emergency.”

Women are also strongly encouraged to apply.

Typically firefighters were away from home or work for about an hour when called out and assist in many ways other than fighting fires including hazmat chemical spills, fire education for schools, assistance for ambulance staff and smoke alarm maintenance for the elderly.

The Boggabri station will host an information evening and recruitment drive on November 15 from 7-8pm. The event will be open to the public, even those not considering joining the service.