Most volunteers that I know are "tradies". Their contracts don't just go away because they are volunteering. Same with the farmers. Cows still have to be looked after.It must be particularly galling when the NSWF&R and NP firies and the RFS white shirted supervisors are being paid and you have to go home and earn money.
As far as the large air tankers are concerned, it seems they are particularly good at knocking down fires to a manageable situation in the early stages. At least that how it works outside Australia. As I said in an earlier post, US,,Canada and Europe seems to see it that way and have for over 50 years. I watched the disastrous Springwood fire in its earlier stage from my parents village. The RFS never even had a chance with vehicles as the single road soon turned to gridlock, as did the Great Western Highway. The helicopter attack that day never even touched the sides. However having later watched the DC10 at the Maddon's Plain fire, its obvious to me that a couple of DC10s would have stopped the early Springwood fire in it's tracks, at least to a level that the ground attack would have been successful when they eventually managed to get there.
Maybe if we had converted our Neptunes in the 60s we would have a better working understanding of how to use them large aircraft now?
As far as our Lancasters and Halifaxes, I think that you will find that Australia never owned any in the first place.
Wunwing.