South Australian Country Fire Service Promotions Unit

Raising awareness of the roles, training and activities of CFS Volunteers state-wide


Joining the CFS
Submitted On	Sunday, February 8, 2026
Submitted By	Pip

Have you been following images from the Deep Creek fire and though Thats so cool - Id like to do that" or maybe thought about joining the CFS before but life got in the way? Now could be a good time to actually join as a firefighter. BUT before you do, you need to be aware of the following: You generally need to live near to the station - some brigades have specific limits on how far away you can be from the station - being too far away means the truck cant get out the door to emergencies in a timely manner. (Different brigades have different requirements re how far away you can be) Some brigades are full and are not currently accepting new members. You cant just turn up, fill in the paperwork and expect to go out to calls - there is a process to follow and specific training to be completed before being allowed out to calls. While the Deep Creek fire looks exciting and scary, the majority of calls attended by CFS are far more mundane. There is an expectation (and in some brigades an absolute requirement) that you attend regular brigade training - some weekly, some fortnightly or monthly, depending on the brigade and the time of the year. If you understand the points above, you need to determine your closest brigade. If you arent sure, go to Find a Station on the menu to your left and put in the name of the station nearby to you. If you arent sure, click on the find a station button, which takes you to the next screen, where you can put in your postcode, which will show you the brigades that cover that area. Click on the brigade name and it takes you to the details of that brigade. When joining the CFS, you will require a current police check - brigades will supply the relevant forms to you. There is no cost to you. (Note: A police check obtained through CFS will not give you a police check for the purposes of paid employment). Specific training - Basic Firefighter 1 (BF1) - is required to be completed before you are permitted to attend callouts on an appliance. You dont need to bring any specific skills with you - just a willingness to learn and work as part of a team. All PPC is supplied to members at no cost to them. Anyone who joins a brigade is on probation for 6 months, whereby the brigade can choose not to take a member on permanently. A number of brigades are planning an information night for new members - so keep an eye out on your local brigade socials and other communications. Otherwise, if you are interested, make contact with your local brigade to find out if joining the CFS is for you. Thanks Coromandel valley CFS for the photo.

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