When the pager sounds, these young Western Victorians drop everything and prepare to face the fire

Daniel Bullen remembers standing on a hill at his neighbour’s dairy farm, watching the flames roll over the paddocks near Timboon during the St Patrick’s Day fires in 2018.

“I just thought to myself, what’s a 21-year-old doing standing here when he could be down helping?” he said.

Seven years later, 28-year-old Bullen is still volunteering with the Scotts Creek–Cowleys Creek and Timboon brigades. 

His first major deployment was as part of a strike team to Pomonal in 2023. The CFA says a strike team “represents the front line of attack” in fighting bushfires. Strike teams are made up of 20-30 people, enough to crew four or five tankers and a command vehicle.

“You meet a lot of people when you go to fires,” Bullen told the Brolga. “It’s very impactful for the people, because we see a lot of stuff that others might not see for another three, four or five days when they’re actually allowed back in.”

Bullen is one of many young volunteers stepping up across south west Victoria, part of a new generation keeping the CFA’s legacy alive while balancing work, family and study.

For 24-year-old Hannah Whytcross, that legacy runs deep. A member of the Camperdown and Weerite brigades, she’s the third generation in her family to don the yellow overalls.

“I’ve been involved with the CFA my whole life, but more officially since 2019, when I turned 18,” she told the Brolga. “It’s been passed down from my dad and my grandfather.”

By day, Whytcross works at Bulla Dairy Foods in Colac and at the Mortlake cattle yards, and helps out on her family’s farm. But when the pager sounds, everything else stops.

“During summer, depending on the incident, I probably put CFA above work, which might not always be the best thing,” she laughed. “But if the pager goes off and I’m home or nearby, I’ll go. The adrenaline starts pumping, you just run.”

A qualified breathing apparatus operator, she’s responded to incidents including car crashes and major bushfires in the Grampians and Otways.

“In the Grampians, we were up there for a weekend evacuating people and assisting those who were staying,” she said. “Then we got sent back on Boxing Day. I was lucky enough to go with my dad, and we nearly got overrun by fire that day.” 

“We saw a lot of fire that day. It was very heated, that was a big day.”

In the Otways, she helped with evacuations and patrols while aircraft worked overhead. 

“Both experiences were pretty life-changing. It was confronting, but it reiterates the fact that we've got to get to an incident in a timely manner to protect others,” she said. 

“You’ve got to think about your own safety, at the end of the day, we are putting our lives on the line.”

She said it was “a great way to do something for your community - and you make a lot of great mates out of it too”.

Brodie Hanks, 18, is a member of the Jancourt brigade. He joined two years ago, following his dad into the brigade, and has already been elected first lieutenant and training officer.

CFA leadership positions, like lieutenants and captains, are typically decided by vote at annual general meetings by the brigade’s volunteers.

Hanks runs regular training sessions for new recruits and long-time members.

“This time of year, we do burn-over drills and pre-season fire training,” he said. “It’s a good refresher to get ready for summer.”

His first callout was a small scrub fire, but the thrill stayed with him. 

“Mum was a bit worried,” he said. “It ended up being the most basic call ever, but it helped me gain confidence. I was lucky I wasn’t thrown into the deep end straight away.”

Now, with more responsibility, Hanks says leadership is about trust.

“It’s confronting making sure everyone’s safe and that everyone gets home,” he said. “When things don’t go quite right, it can be scary, but you’ve got to back yourself and trust the people around you.”

Across the district, more young volunteers like Hanks are taking on leadership roles as older members retire. In Brucknell, 21-year-old Jack Roberts is preparing to take over his small rural brigade.

“Our captain recently stood down because he’s shifting out of the area,” Roberts said. “We’ve got an election meeting coming up, and there’s not really anyone else to stand up for the position. I was happy to take it on.”

Roberts joined at 16 after family friends encouraged him to check it out. Now a third lieutenant and communications officer, he hasn’t missed a callout this year.

“If everyone thinks someone else will go, then no one goes,” he said. “I’m proud that I push myself to show up. You never know what difference it might make.”

Like many brigades, Brucknell is struggling for numbers.

“It’s hard to say why membership is dropping off,” Roberts said. “Families are smaller, farms are bigger, so there are fewer people around. But I’m always pushing for more young ones to join.”

One of those could soon be his younger brother, who turns 16 this month and plans to sign up. “He thinks it’s so cool,” Roberts said.