A GREENBANK rural firefighter with close to 30 years of experience has weighed in on the issue of government compensation for volunteers amid a difficult bushfire season.
This comes after Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced NSW and Queensland volunteer firefighters would receive compensation capped at $6000 for extended periods of service.
Mr Morrison initially announced NSW volunteers would receive the payment and extended the offer to Queensland following discussions with Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.
The Prime Minister said the payments were available to all other states and territories who wished to take it up.
Self employed volunteers and employees of small and medium businesses are eligible for the payments.
Greenbank Rural Fire volunteer Bernard Savage said his personal view was that the money should go to the businesses that allow volunteer firefighters to take the time off work.
"As long as the business keeps paying your normal salary they should be compensated," he said
"One of the biggest things is that if the government makes the offer (for compensation) it shows people appreciate what you are doing, but we don't do it for the money.
"The only out of pocket expenses we have is fuel and some gear you buy yourself. The community has been very generous and donated water and food to the station."
Mr Savage said firefighters have been kept busy trying to control fires in areas including Beenleigh, Chambers Flat and Greenbank over the past few months.
"We need some good steady rain to get the grass going and heavy rain to fill the water tanks and dams," he said.
"There is no rain forecast for a while so I don't see it getting better yet."
The Bureau of Meteorology's seven day forecast for Logan and Beaudesert shows only a 20 per cent chance of rain on January 6 and 7 with temperatures soaring as high as 32 degrees in Logan and 35 degrees in Beaudesert.
Every other day has a less than 20 per cent chance of rain.
