Effects of fire service volunteering on the families of volunteers

A primary purpose of the current research is to inform fire agencies on ways to better support the families of their volunteers.

The major anticipated outcomes of the project will include reports to fire agencies detailing the experiences of families of volunteer firefighters, their needs, and ways in which organisations might meet these needs more effectively. Informing these reports will be data produced by the current research.

Specifically, interviews with CFA staff will provide insight into the state of knowledge about volunteer families within fire-agencies, and will indicate which areas of awareness require most development and education.

See media release.

Questionnaire and diary studies, in contrast, will provide a more systematic and comprehensive account of the experiences of families of volunteer firefighters, and will provide direct information on the needs of these families.

These studies will also provide information which can be used to better inform and prepare families for their likely experiences when having a family member who is a volunteer firefighter.