In late 2014 Eyre Peninsula brigades including Greenpatch and Kapinnie decided to protest again a rise in the ESL - and the disparity between what was paid by city residents compared to country landowners – by refusing to fight fires on government land.
Other brigades across the state also decided to take the same stance.
Greenpatch brigade captain Mark Modra said this position had not changed, particularly in the wake of an announcement of another 1.5 per cent hike.
“We’re still unhappy and it’s not so much on what’s being spent on the ESL but the way we’re all paying for it,” he said.
“It’s a land tax and farmers and anyone with large land holdings and properties are paying much more – and these are the guys who are mostly doing the volunteering, the guys who jump in their ute to go out and help their neighbours.
“You’ve got farmers paying ten times more than the average, who fight their own fires and fight fire for other people, it just doesn’t seem very fair.”
Mr Modra questioned the government’s justification that the rise was going towards training and equipment upgrades for emergency services.
“I’m extremely sceptical the funds are going to the CFS, I think it’s an excuse to raise the ESL,” he said.
Mr Modra is concerned about the potential effect the rise could have on volunteer numbers.
“It’s almost like the government killed volunteering,” he said.
“The government needs to encourage volunteers, not discourage them, and that’s what they are actively doing.”
