A police investigation is under way and the NSW Rural Fire Service commissioner has promised an overhaul of the complaints process for volunteers, after members said harassment and bullying claims were being swept under the rug.
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More than a dozen current and former volunteers sent shocking stories to colleague Jeff Condren over the weekend after he posted in the official RFS volunteers Facebook group.
The claims include harassment of female volunteers, sexual assault, and sustained bullying, all of which the complainants say was not acted on appropriately when they contacted the RFS about it.
Mr Condren, who has volunteered with the service at Kingstown in the New England region for the last five years, told AAP he had been agitating internally about the organisation's complaints process for the past six months.
After he wrote to NSW politicians about the issue, he posted last Friday in the private Facebook group for RFS volunteers asking them to write to politicians about bullying, harassment and discrimination in the RFS. The group has more than 10,000 members.
"Almost immediately I started getting people pouring in, private messaging me and saying, 'I've been sexually assaulted', 'I've been assaulted', 'I've been stripped of my rank', 'I've been intimidated', I've been this, I've been that," he said.
"You name it, it was there."
After receiving the disclosures, Mr Condren on Monday wrote to politicians again, including Minister for Police and Emergency Services David Elliott, outlining the range of problems that had been raised with him.
"Correspondence has been forwarded to NSW Police for further consideration and an investigation is underway," Mr Elliott told AAP in a statement.
NSW Police confirmed on Wednesday that an investigation has been launched into two complaints made by volunteers.
Commissioner Rob Rogers wrote to volunteers on Tuesday to respond to the concerns.
"Since becoming Commissioner I am concerned with instances of workplace conduct by both staff and volunteers. In particular the issues of sexual harassment and violence, which have come to me directly," he wrote.
"It genuinely disturbs me that in 2021 we still have instances where female members of the NSW RFS, being paid or volunteer, are not treated with respect and dignity and in some cases do not feel safe at the RFS."
The organisation's executive will speed up a review of how it deals with grievances and disputes involving volunteers, Mr Rogers wrote.
"I am determined to ensure a fair and consistent approach to dealing with these serious and complex matters, and to give the membership confidence to raise these issues directly," he said.
Mr Condren said he was sceptical of the organisation's response and that the cultural problems had persisted for years.
An RFS spokesperson told AAP the organisation "has not directly received any list of allegations as posted by individuals on its members' social media group".
"The Service is aware that correspondence has been forwarded to NSW Police for further consideration, and will assist in any investigations that relate to its members."
Mr Elliott said the government "takes incidents of sexual assault, harassment and bullying seriously" and that he support the RFS "in continuing to build a workplace that is safe and respectful".
Australian Associated Press
