国际英语资讯:Feature: Aussie firefighters to spend Christmas on front lines_时事

国际英语资讯:Feature: Aussie firefighters to spend Christmas on front lines

NSW RFS Deputy Commissioner Rob Rogers said that the Christmas period will be vital for getting a handle on the fires in that region if further homes and lives are to be saved.

"The next few days are going to be very important to try and get (back burns) in place and then hopefully it won't be so much of a risk as we go into the next batch of warm weather," Rogers said.

Statewide, the NSW RFS consists of over 70,000 highly trained volunteers, who despite being a vital line of defence between communities and fires, are largely uncompensated for their work.

Last week, two NSW RFS personnel were killed when a falling tree caused their truck to veer off the road -- tragically both men left behind young children who will spend this Christmas, and many more without their Dads.

While generally representatives of the organization say that the RFS is proud to be volunteer based, the scale of this season's emergency has placed uNPRecedented strain on many firefighters and their families.

The sacrifice has added to calls for better compensation of volunteers, some of whom have been using annual leave entitlements from work to maintain an income, although this uses time intended for personal holidays.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that volunteer firefighters who are also federal government employees will be given four weeks' paid leave to help fight the blazes.

"With bushfire seasons starting earlier, one of the things I've heard on the ground is that some people are dipping into their other leave entitlements to stay out there battling blazes," Morrison said.