The FBEU’s coverage of all professional firefighters throughout NSW is enshrined in the Union’s registered rules made under the Industrial Relations Act, 1996. These rules grant the Union coverage of all employees engaged in or in connection with firefighting and fire prevention in the State of New South Wales.
The vast majority of the Union’s 6316 members are employed by the state’s professional fire service – Fire and Rescue NSW – on either a permanent (full time) or retained (part time) basis. The FBEU also represents the interests of non-FRNSW industrial firefighters employed at a variety of public and private sector worksites located throughout the state.
Union membership density rates amongst NSW’s professional firefighters is extremely high, particularly amongst FRNSW permanent firefighters (more than 99%). There has been a significant growth in both the density and number of retained Union members in recent years, with more than 85% of the state’s retained firefighters now members of the Union.