Once again I need to express my deep admiration for the hundreds and hundreds of CFA volunteers from around the state who dropped everything to provide vital surge capacity to those communities in need, including our friends from interstate.
There’s never really enough that can be said about how amazing and admirable our volunteers are. They provide such a huge contribution to the safety and response capacity of CFA and the protection of Victoria.
And as always, we thank the families of volunteers who put up with the disruption and the absences – you are also a major part of why the CFA can succeed.
I also want to thank employers. Some volunteers are self-employed and make personal sacrifices to join strike teams deployed across the state, and many have wonderful employers who are also part of Victoria’s response in their willingness to support the emergency services members who work for them – we thank them for being so understanding and generous.
A lot of people have lost property, pets and livestock in the fires – but importantly, a lot of them have been saved as well, as a direct result of Victoria’s volunteer and career firefighters providing their highly trained and professional response capabilities.
We are still in a very dangerous time of the year, with significant damage potential from the fires already burning and plenty of risk of further fire activity as we have many areas of bush that are still in peak dryness and with high fuel loads. I have received report after report of new fire starts being controlled very quickly and dozens of houses being saved directly because of our firefighters’ efforts. It is the work of CFA volunteers and our valued colleagues that have avoided greater losses and spared many residents from great loss. As with every fire there will be opportunities to investigate what learnings can be gained and that will happen in due course.
We all know how traumatising fires can be. We understand and sympathise with people who are facing the mountain of challenges that come when fire has ripped through their communities. We also understand that initial reactions come from grief and frustration, and some people need time and space to deal with their loss and the enormity of what they have been through. They deserve our compassion and empathy, and we grieve alongside them.
Victorians are a resilient people, and there’s a reason CFA is one of the most respected fire service models in the world and once again our response to these fires have proven why.
Take care of yourselves, keep safe and know that we and the people of Victoria are proud of you and have your back. Well done and keep up the good work, there is still much to do.
Andrew Ford
CEO, Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria
