VFBV News (201)
VFBV's Handy Pocket Book
The VFBV Handy Pocket Book will arrive at Brigades over the next few days with the regular VFBV mailout.
The Pocket Book includes contact details for your District’s VFBV officials, important dates and information on championships, volunteer welfare, the VESEP grants program and issues resolution.
This is a first of its kind for VFBV and your feedback is welcome at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
VFBV Leadership Course in Demand
Places in this year’s VFBV Leadership Program course have been in demand, with 92 applicants for 50 positions.
The program is funded by VFBV, with additional funding from the Department of Justice to assist with our multi-agency approach, but with such strong demand we were able to make a successful application to Emergency Management Victoria for top up funding sufficient for an extra 10 participants for this year’s course, taking the total to 60.
This is the sixth course, and includes volunteers from CFA, VICSES, Lifesaving Victoria, the Australian Volunteer Coast Guard, Ambulance Victoria CERT and St John Ambulance.
The successful applicants have been advised and the Lilydale and Werribee groups have had their first session.
The VFBV Leadership Program has equipped more than 200 successful participants with Certificate IV in Frontline Management, a nationally recognised qualification provided under the auspices of Chisholm Institute of TAFE.
2015 VFBV State Rural Championships
Torquay A achieved the highest points overall at the 2015 VFBV State Rural Championships, which brought 600 competitors from 46 Brigades to St Arnaud for the weekend’s competition.
Napoleons/Enfield A won Division A with 38 points and Dunrobbin/Nangeela D won Division C with 42 points. St Arnaud, Strathdownie and Hurstbridge all appeared among the placings, District 22 won the Discipline Award, and Greta runners Sarah Hooper and Nathan Hooper won the sprints.
At the 2015 VFBV State Rural Junior Championships, Willaura A won the Champion Team title and the 11-15 Years Aggregate.
Springhurst A won the 11-13 Aggregate, Slaty Creek won the VFBV State President Encouragement Award, Willaura won the Stan Ross Conduct Trophy, Erin Munro of Dunrobbin/Nangeela and Lachlan Peck of Miners Rest won the 11-13 Years sprints, and Tiffany Bussem-Jorgensen of Beazleys Bridge and: Cooper Nelson or Irrewarre won the 11-15 Years sprints.
There will be a full report in the April edition of the Fireman, there are more pictures on the VFBV Facebook page www.facebook.com/cfavol and you can download the full results from both Championships by clicking here.
Reminder: AFSM Nominations for 2016 close on Friday, 1 May.
The Australian Fire Service Medal recognises distinguished service by members of Australian fire services. It is awarded to paid and volunteer members. The AFSM is awarded by the Governor-General on the recommendation of the responsible minister. For CFA and the other Victorian fire services, the responsible minister is the Minister for Police and Emergency Services.
The awards are announced on Australia Day (26 January) and the Queen’s Birthday (June) of each year. Recipients of the Australian Fire Service Medal are entitled to use the letters “AFSM” after their names to show that their outstanding service has been formally recognised.
All volunteers, auxiliary members and full-time staff of CFA are eligible for the medal.
The sole criterion for the award of the Australian Fire Service Medal is distinguished service.
Visit http://cfaonline.cfa.vic.gov.au/mycfa/Show?pageId=aboutAwards for the CFA Honours & Awards Manual and the Nomination Form.
If you need assistance, contact the CFA Awards Secretariat at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or on 1800 232 636.
VFBV Rural Championships Program available now
Fiskville Must Be Replaced
VFBV MEDIA RELEASE 26 March 2015
Downloads below - the closure announcement, VFBV's response and VFBV's submission to the Fiskville Inquiry
FISKVILLE MUST BE REPLACED, SAY CFA VOLUNTEERS
Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria (VFBV), the association representing CFA volunteers, says the closure of the Fiskville training facility is a blow for firefighter training in CFA, and will leave a major hole in the State’s capacity to train Victoria’s firefighters.
Firefighting involves inherent dangers and unpredictable hazards. In an organisation like CFA, training is critical. Fiskville was a critical component of Victoria’s emergency service training network, and its closure will leave a significant gap.
VFBV President Hans van Hamond AFSM said CFA volunteers want to know there is a plan to replace the large scale and sophisticated training capacity Fiskville has been providing. Easy, frequent and cost effective access to training is critical for fire services, particularly organisations such as CFA.
“VFBV’s major concern through the Fiskville saga has been the safety of all CFA members, but now that the facility is closed, there must be serious and immediate attention paid to meeting the training needs of CFA’s tens of thousands of firefighters,” Mr van Hamond said.
“Fiskville has had a critically important role in CFA’s network of facilities, training local Brigades in that part of Victoria and providing live-in training and specialist programs for CFA personnel from all over the state,” he said.
“Even the recent temporary closure of the facility has led to some Brigades having to travel three to four hours away to visit a training facility with spare capacity.”
CFA’s large, geographically dispersed workforce and the volunteer-based nature of that workforce means that training needs to be available as close as possible to the volunteers’ home location, and where there is a need for multi-day training, long duration experience simulation or learning, accommodation facilities become a necessary component of the state’s training capability.
There is much public attention and emotion now involved with the Fiskville facility, but regardless of how these factors weigh into ultimate decisions, several things are certain;
- Any training ground used for hot fire or other training must be safe to use
- Investment to replace Fiskville’s significant state training capability will be required, as the rest of the fire services training network will not cope with the overall training load
- Firefighters who currently rely on Fiskville as their local training facility must have locally available access to state of the art training
- Support for any members who have been exposed to health hazards at Fiskville must continue; the closure of the facility does not mean their needs are at an end.
“CFA Brigades protect 60% of suburban Melbourne, regional cities and all of country Victoria every day and night of the year, and Victorians have a right to expect that their volunteers can access and continue to be trained to the professional standards to which the community is entitled,” Mr van Hamond said.
Download the State Government's media release here.
Download VFBV's media release here.
Web Streaming of CFA Radio
<News on listening sets & scanners coming soon>
The VFBV/CFA Joint Communications Committee is pleased to advise that you can now tune in to regional radio dispatch traffic from anywhere in the state by using the free website Broadcastify.
This web streaming service allows you to receive radio comms via your computer, smart phone or tablet, without the need for a listening set, or an upfront cost.
To hear CFA traffic, go to www.broadcastify.com/listen/stid/152 and select your region. Official CFA streams are identified by a white star inside a red circle. For those using smartphones, you may need to install a player from the app store. Be aware that some free apps might have time restrictions which will stop the streaming after several minutes.
Anyone listening via their mobile phone or tablet should keep track of their data usage to avoid the extra cost of exceeding their monthly data limit. The VFBV/CFA Joint Communications Committee has requested that CFA publish streaming rates and estimated data use per hour to ensure people can factor that into their decision to use the service.
This service is not designed to replace listening sets, but the streaming service will provide a convenient way to listen for those that prefer a smartphone or computer. The committee is still working very closely with CFA as they progress to tender, and will have news on listening sets very shortly.
2015 VFBV Urban Championships - results
EVENT RESULTS - FINAL
SATURDAY, 7th MARCH
Click here to download Aggregate Spreadsheet and Champion Competitor event scores
Event 1, DISCIPLINE CONTEST
Section A:
1st |
Mildura |
93.64 % |
2nd |
Melton A |
90.00 % |
3rd |
Bendigo |
87.27 % |
4th |
Kooweerup |
85.00 % |
5th |
Dandenong |
84.55 % |
Section B:
1st |
Patterson River |
88.64 % |
2nd |
Benalla |
86.82 % |
3rd |
Morwell |
85.91 % |
4th |
Maldon |
84.55 % |
5th |
Kyneton |
84.09 % |
Section C:
1st |
Knox Group |
89.09 % |
2nd |
Hoppers Crossing |
85.45 % |
3rd |
Whittlesea |
82.27 % |
4th |
Pakenham |
81.82 % |
5th |
Frankston |
81.36 % |
Event No. 2 – Ladder Race - One Competitor
1st |
Jackson Dargaville, Kangaroo Flat |
6.42 Seconds |
2nd |
Matt Royal, Maryvale |
6.60 Seconds |
3rd |
Andrew Norman, Narre Warren A |
6.65 Seconds |
4th |
Jake Rennie, Tatura |
6.69 Seconds |
5th |
Jon Murphey, Eaglehawk A |
6.88 Seconds |
Event 3 - Hydrant Race - One Competitor
1st |
Jackson Dargaville, Kangaroo Flat |
11.54 Seconds |
2nd |
Matt Royal, Maryvale |
11.67 Seconds |
3rd |
Thomas Germon, Wendouree |
11.75 Seconds |
4th |
Joshua Pike, Mildura |
11.75 Seconds |
5th |
Brendan Webbers, Kooweerup |
11.90 Seconds |
Event 4 – B Section Pumper & Ladder – Five Competitors
1st |
Corio |
15.52 Seconds |
2nd |
Benalla |
15.58 Seconds |
3rd |
Morwell |
16.49 Seconds |
4th |
Kyneton |
17.31 Seconds |
5th |
Maldon |
17.89 Seconds |
Event No. 5 - C Section Marshall - One Competitor
1st |
Maffra B: Mitch Hawkins |
25.57 Seconds |
2nd |
Warrnambool: A Bishop |
26.78 Seconds |
3rd |
Sebastopol: Shaun Parker |
27.06 Seconds |
4th |
Warracknabeal: Devon Winsall |
27.88 Seconds |
5th |
Eaglehawk B: Mason |
28.05 Seconds |
Event No. 6 - A Section Hose and Ladder Eights
1st |
Kangaroo Flat |
19.93 Seconds |
2nd |
Maryvale |
20.44 Seconds |
3rd |
Narre Warren A |
20.88 Seconds |
4th |
Eaglehawk A |
21.51 Seconds |
5th |
Tatura |
21.52 Seconds |
Event No. 7 - B Section Marshall - One Competitor
1st |
Benalla: Les Palpratt |
24.97 Seconds |
2nd |
Benalla: Cameron Green |
25.49 Seconds |
3rd |
Corio: James Mullins |
26.37 Seconds |
4th |
Corio: Dean Jordan |
26.65 Seconds |
5th |
Patterson River: Mark Mullins |
28.15 Seconds |
Event No. 8 - C Section Hose and Reel Fours
1st |
Warrnambool |
18.04 Seconds |
2nd |
Warracknabeal |
18.22 Seconds |
3rd |
Stanhope |
19.75 Seconds |
4th |
Pakenham |
19.75 Seconds |
5th |
Euroa B |
20.69 Seconds |
Event No. 9 - A Section Marshall - One Competitor
1st |
Kangaroo Flat A: Jamie Hart |
22.94 Seconds |
2nd |
Narre Warren A: Dale Hutchinson |
24.14 Seconds |
3rd |
Wendouree: Damon Sutton |
24.78 Seconds |
4th |
Moe |
25.04 Seconds |
5th |
Melton A: Bailey Rhodes |
25.38 Seconds |
Event No. 10 - B Section Hose and Reel Sixes
1st |
St Arnaud |
29.34 Seconds |
2nd |
Corio |
29.99 Seconds |
3rd |
Patterson River |
30.46 Seconds |
4th |
Sunbury |
32.33 Seconds |
5th |
Kyneton |
34.79 Seconds |
Torchlight Procession
1st |
Knox Group |
93.00 % |
=2nd |
Diamond Creek, Hoppers Crossing & Melton A |
90.00 % |
5th |
Mornington |
89.00 % |
SUNDAY, 8th MARCH
Event 11– C Section Pumper & Ladder – Five Competitors
1st |
Sale – NEW RECORD |
15.94 Seconds |
2nd |
Whittlesea |
19.14 Seconds |
3rd |
Stanhope |
19.28 Seconds |
4th |
Narre Warren B |
20.52 Seconds |
5th |
Warracknabeal |
20.78 Seconds |
Event 12 - A Section Marshall - Two Competitors
1st |
Kangaroo Flat: Thomas Dargaville & Jamie Hart |
14.29 Seconds |
2nd |
Narre Warren: Dale Hutchinson & Steve Miles |
15.31 Seconds |
3rd |
Bendigo: Leigh Schintler & Nigel Anderson |
15.55 Seconds |
4th |
Wendouree: Craig Briody & Thomas Germon |
15.62 Seconds |
5th |
Maryvale: Dallas Flowers & Chris Johnson |
15.65 Seconds |
Event 13 - B Section Hose and Ladder Eights
1st |
Pyramid Hill |
23.21 Seconds |
2nd |
Werribee |
23.71 Seconds |
3rd |
St Arnaud |
24.02 Seconds |
4th |
Patterson River |
24.22 Seconds |
5th |
Corio |
24.48 Seconds |
Event 14 - C Section Marshall - Two Competitors
1st |
Warracknabeal: Cameron Whelan & Shaune Winsall |
16.38 Seconds |
2nd |
Maffra B: Mitch Hawkins & Jess Clark |
16.51 Seconds |
3rd |
Sale: David Monck & Gil Aitken |
17.02 Seconds |
4th |
Stanhope: Lachlan Armstrong & Jack Cockroft |
17.21 Seconds |
5th |
Maffra B: Mitch Trail & Braden Hargreaves |
17.55 Seconds |
Event 15 - A Section Hose and Reel Eights
1st |
Kangaroo Flat |
26.32 Seconds |
2nd |
Drouin/Bunyip |
27.76 Seconds |
3rd |
Harvey |
28.15 Seconds |
4th |
Narre Warren |
28.91 Seconds |
5th |
Wendouree |
38.37 Seconds |
Event 16 - B Section Marshall - Two Competitors
1st |
Corio: Dean Jordan & James Mullins |
15.63 Seconds |
2nd |
Patterson River: Tim Mullins & Mark Mullins |
16.02 Seconds |
3rd |
Geelong West: Mark Simons & Ben Simons |
16.08 Seconds |
4th |
Benalla: David Smith & Mitch Beaton |
16.57 Seconds |
5th |
Horsham: Marcus Williamson & Paul Hollier |
16.79 Seconds |
Event 17 - C Section Hose and Reel Sixes
1st |
Warrnambool |
31.27 Seconds |
2nd |
Maffra B |
31.37 Seconds |
3rd |
Warracknabeal |
32.87 Seconds |
4th |
Pakenham |
33.92 Seconds |
5th |
Eaglehawk B |
34.27 Seconds |
Event 18 - A Section Hose, Hydrant and Pumper
1st |
Dandenong |
12.88 Seconds |
2nd |
Wendouree |
13.27 Seconds |
3rd |
Drouin/Bunyip |
13.52 Seconds |
4th |
Swan Hill |
13.87 Seconds |
5th |
Mandurah WA |
14.13 Seconds |
Event 19 - B Section Y Coupling and Ladder Eights
1st |
Corio |
34.73 Seconds |
2nd |
St Arnaud |
35.09 Seconds |
3rd |
Patterson River |
35.55 Seconds |
4th |
Morwell |
36.23 Seconds |
5th |
Sunbury |
38.53 Seconds |
Event 20 - C Section Hose, Hydrant and Pumper
1st |
Stanhope |
14.25 Seconds |
2nd |
Sale |
15.62 Seconds |
3rd |
Whittlesea |
16.72 Seconds |
4th |
Pakenham |
16.74 Seconds |
5th |
Seymour |
17.13 Seconds |
Event 21 - A Section Y Coupling and Ladder Eights
1st |
Tatura |
31.44 Seconds |
2nd |
Harvey WA |
33.31 Seconds |
3rd |
Narre Warren A |
33.77 Seconds |
4th |
Eaglehawk A |
35.13 Seconds |
5th |
Swan Hill |
36.16 Seconds |
Event 22 - B Section Hose, Hydrant and Pumper
1st |
Geelong West |
14.33 Seconds |
2nd |
Benalla |
14.82 Seconds |
3rd |
Corio |
14.84 Seconds |
4th |
Morwell |
15.16 Seconds |
5th |
Horsham |
15.38 Seconds |
Event 23 – C Section Y Coupling and Ladder Eights
1st |
Warracknabeal – NEW RECORD |
34.28 Seconds |
2nd |
Sale |
39.63 Seconds |
3rd |
Hoppers Crossing |
41.99 Seconds |
4th |
Stanhope |
42.23 Seconds |
5th |
Eaglehawk B |
42.67 Seconds |
Event 24 - A Section Hose and Reel Sixes
1st |
Drouin-Bunyip |
28.01 Seconds |
2nd |
Bendigo |
28.16 Seconds |
3rd |
Maffra A |
28.33 Seconds |
4th |
Wendouree |
29.33 Seconds |
5th |
Kangaroo Flat |
33.02 Seconds |
MONDAY, MARCH 9th
Event 25 – A Section Pumper & Ladder – Five Competitors
1st |
Drouin/Bunyip |
14.28 Seconds |
2nd |
Eaglehawk A |
14.48 Seconds |
3rd |
Wendouree |
14.76 Seconds |
4th |
Swan Hill |
14.84 Seconds |
5th |
Kangaroo Flat |
14.89 Seconds |
Event 26 - B Section Y Coupling - Four Competitors
1st |
Corio |
8.08 Seconds |
2nd |
Benalla |
8.11 Seconds |
3rd |
Bairnsdale/Lakes Entrance |
8.19 Seconds |
4th |
Geelong West |
8.52 Seconds |
5th |
Morwell |
8.85 Seconds |
Event 27 - C Section Hose and Ladder Fives
1st |
Whittlesea |
23.28 Seconds |
2nd |
Hoppers Crossing |
23.34 Seconds |
3rd |
Maffra B |
23.59 Seconds |
4th |
Sale |
24.22 Seconds |
5th |
Knox Group |
25.15 Seconds |
Event 28 - A Section Y Coupling - Four Competitors
1st |
Kangaroo Flat |
7.55 Seconds |
2nd |
Eaglehawk A |
7.67 Seconds |
3rd |
Narre Warren A |
7.80 Seconds |
4th |
Swan Hill |
7.93 Seconds |
5th |
Harvey W.A. |
7.98 Seconds |
Event 29 - B Section Hose and Reel Eights
1st |
Morwell |
29.51 Seconds |
2nd |
Kyneton |
30.83 Seconds |
3rd |
Corio |
31.22 Seconds |
4th |
Patterson River |
31.53 Seconds |
5th |
St Arnaud |
32.54 Seconds |
Event 30 - C Section Y Coupling - Four Competitors
1st |
Warracknabeal |
8.13 Seconds |
2nd |
Euroa B |
8.47 Seconds |
3rd |
Maffra B |
8.57 Seconds |
4th |
Narre Warren B |
8.58 Seconds |
5th |
Sale |
8.80 Seconds |
Event 31 - Champion Fours
1st |
Maryvale |
16.53 Seconds |
2nd |
Wendouree |
17.03 Seconds |
3rd |
Moe |
17.24 Seconds |
4th |
Traralgon |
17.55 Seconds |
5th |
Bendigo |
17.77 Seconds |
FINAL AGGREGATE RESULTS
Dry Aggregate
1st |
Kangaroo Flat |
40 Points |
2nd |
Narre Warren A |
16 Points |
3rd |
Maryvale |
10 Points |
Wet Aggregate
1st |
Corio |
56 Points |
2nd |
Drouin/Bunyip |
48 Points |
3rd |
Sale |
40 Points |
SECTION AGGREGATES:
‘A’ SECTION
1st |
Kangaroo Flat |
76 Points |
2nd |
Drouin/Bunyip |
48 Points |
3rd |
Wendouree |
40 Points |
‘B’ SECTION
1st |
Corio |
77 Points |
2nd |
Benalla |
45 Points |
=3rd |
Morwell, Patterson River & St Arnaud |
34 Points |
‘C’ SECTION
1st |
Warracknabeal |
52 Points |
2nd |
Sale |
44 Points |
3rd |
Warrnambool |
37 Points |
2015 CHAMPION BRIGADE: Kangaroo Flat
The team members of Kangaroo Flat are Coach David Dargaville, and competitors:
Jackson Dargaville
Tomas Dargaville
Shane Every
Shane Harris
Tyler Harris
Jamie Hart
Jack Mactier
Adam Mellis
James Murphy
Craig Peters
Andrew Smith
Results for the 2015 Champion Competitor:
1st |
Jackson Dargaville (Kangaroo Flat) |
16 Points |
=2nd |
Jamie Hart (Kangaroo Flat) & Thomas Germon (Wendouree) |
15 Points |
=4th |
James Hall (Drouin/Bunyip), Steve Forrest (Drouin/Bunyip) & Matt Royal (Maryvale) |
13 Points |
The Victoria / Western Australia Challenge took place after the final event, the Champion Fours, and was won by the Western Australian team in a time of 29.15 seconds with the Victorian team 29.96 seconds. The competitors of the two teams for the Victoria / Western Australia Challenge were:
Western Australian:
Tim Egerton-Green Harvey
Cory Goodhill Mandurah
Scott Hendon Mandurah
Phil Johnson Mandurah
Luke Jones Harvey
Levi Pope Harvey
Steve Rees Harvey
Jarrod White Mandurah
Catcher Vaea Peterson, Carterton N.Z.
& Coach - Richard Epplett, Carterton N.Z.
Victoria:
Jackson Dargaville,
Tom Dargaville &
Jamie Hart Kangaroo Flat
Evan Bramley Drouin/Bunyip
Michael Coleman Maffra
Dale Hutchinson Narre Warren
Nathan Rennie Tatura
Matt Royal Maryvale
Catcher Peter Fiddes, Tatura
& Coach David Dargaville, Kangaroo Flat
Emergency Medical Response Program a Winner – CFA Volunteers
VFBV MEDIA RELEASE 25 February 2014
The CFA volunteers’ association, Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria (VFBV), has welcomed the State Government’s decision to extend Emergency Medical Response (EMR) to more CFA fire stations.
With EMR, CFA crews trained in advanced first aid and equipped with oxygen and defibrillators are despatched to urgent ambulance calls, arriving and starting resuscitation of the patient minutes earlier, significantly increasing the patient’s chances of survival.
VFBV Chief Executive Officer Andrew Ford says five volunteer Brigades have been providing EMR response since 2008 under the pilot program, with five Integrated Brigades joining them in late 2011.
“CFA volunteer and paid firefighters at ten brigades across the suburbs of Melbourne and provincial centres have achieved great success with Emergency Medical Response, saving a number of lives,” Mr Ford said.
“The official study that shows EMR can significantly increase the patients’ survival rate matches the volunteer Brigades’ experience, and expansion of the program can only be a good thing, especially in country areas, where ambulance response times can be quite high,” he said.
“The State Government’s announcement of $5 million to extend the program is a good start; the cost of EMR equipment and training for a volunteer Brigade is quite modest, especially for the considerable benefits it can produce.”
The volunteer Brigades achieving success with EMR since 2008 are; Berwick, Edithvale, Mornington, South Morang and Whittlesea. Dozens of volunteers contributed and responded to the evaluation study, indicating they were extremely happy in performing the EMR role, and reporting the extra skills to be useful at other fire related call types, such as car accidents and rescue events.
Ends…
Emergency Medical Response Program a Winner - Media Release
VFBV Media Release - Wednesday, 25 February 2015
The CFA volunteers’ association, Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria (VFBV), has welcomed the State Government’s decision to extend Emergency Medical Response (EMR) to more CFA fire stations.
With EMR, CFA crews trained in advanced first aid and equipped with oxygen and defibrillators are despatched to urgent ambulance calls, arriving and starting resuscitation of the patient minutes earlier, significantly increasing the patient’s chances of survival.
VFBV Chief Executive Officer Andrew Ford says five volunteer Brigades have been providing EMR response since 2008 under the pilot program, with five Integrated Brigades joining them in late 2011.
“CFA volunteer and paid firefighters at ten brigades across the suburbs of Melbourne and provincial centres have achieved great success with Emergency Medical Response, saving a number of lives,” Mr Ford said.
“The official study that shows EMR can significantly increase the patients’ survival rate matches the volunteer Brigades’ experience, and expansion of the program can only be a good thing, especially in country areas, where ambulance response times can be quite high,” he said.
“The State Government’s announcement of $5 million to extend the program is a good start; the cost of EMR equipment and training for a volunteer Brigade is quite modest, especially for the considerable benefits it can produce.”
The volunteer Brigades achieving success with EMR since 2008 are; Berwick, Edithvale, Mornington, South Morang and Whittlesea. Dozens of volunteers contributed and responded to the evaluation study, indicating they were extremely happy in performing the EMR role, and reporting the extra skills to be useful at other fire related call types, such as car accidents and rescue events.
More...
VFBV Urban Junior Championships Results
Tatura's juniors have dominated the 2015 VFBV Urban Junior Championships at Horsham, with a strong win from Benalla and Drouin/Bunyip.
More than 700 junior CFA volunteers from Victoria and WA took part, in events involving fitness, skill and speed with hoses and equipment, and putting water onto a target.
One thousand spectators and supporters were there to see 75 teams from 46 Brigades competing, in events hosted by Horsham Fire Brigade and Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria.
Aggregate results are;
WET AGGREGATE
1st TATURA A 37 points
2nd SWAN HILL A 16 points
=3rd EUROA A & MOE A 13 points
UNDER 14 YEARS AGGREGATE
1st TATURA A 43 points
2nd DROUIN/BUNYIP 26 points
3rd BENALLA 18 points
UNDER 17 YEARS AGGREGATE
1st TATURA A 29 points
2nd SWAN HILL A 24 points
3rd MOE A 22 points
GRAND AGGREGATE
1st TATURA A 72 points
2nd BENALLA 28 points
3rd DROUIN/BUNYIP 26 points
2015 -Champion Brigade Members – TATURA A
Coaches Martin Rennie, Darren Rennie & Damian Briese, and competitors:
Leigh Dann
Guilz Meola
Hayley Rennie
Matthew Rennie
Nathan Rennie
Grady Tyson
Floyd Vincitorio
Jeremey Withal
Urban Championships program & teams now available
Programs and teams for the 2015 VFBV Urban Championships and Junior Urban Championships are now available for download.
Click here for the Urban Championships page
Fiskville Research Released
On 21 January, the Victorian Premier announced the release of the Fiskville Firefighters’ Health Study by Monash University. You can download it from the Fiskville Investigation page of the CFA website www.cfa.vic.gov.au
The study was commissioned by CFA in November 2012 and led by Monash Universities Associate Professor Deborah Glass. It adds to the already well established evidence showing connections between firefighting and cancer that led to VFBV’s continuing campaign for presumptive cancer compensation legislation to cover all Victorian firefighters, in line with federal legislation.
It is important to note in relation to the Fiskville training facility in particular, that in announcing the details of the study, the Premier Mr Andrews said that for those who work and train there now, there are very low risks associated with the site today because remediation work has been done.
Whilst acknowledging that issues relating to Fiskville are largely historical, the Premier went on to say that there is ongoing oversight and monitoring of those risks – and that vigilance is critically important.
VFBV has worked with CFA since questions were raised about the safety of training practices at the site, supervising onsite inspections alongside the EPA and successfully pressing for greater monitoring and easier access to information for members, including the posting of regular water testing results on the CFA website for the information of all members. VFBV has also been advocating and supporting changes to new training foams to be used at all training grounds.
VFBV continues to closely monitor the situation and advocate on behalf of our members. If you have concerns or questions, or would like to provide us with feedback, talk to your VFBV State Councillor or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Invitation to apply for a position on the VFBV Board
Invitation to apply
Four VFBV Board vacancies – for a 2 year term until 1 October 2017
Closing date for written applications is Friday 31 July 2015
VFBV advances the interests of all Victorian fire brigade volunteers and advocates on their behalf to CFA and other key stakeholders. The VFBV Board drives policy development based on volunteer input and is involved in management of issues of central importance to all CFA volunteers.
Vacancies for Four Board Members will arise when the terms of Tom Brodie, Gary Lyttle, Mick Nunweek and Hans van Hamond expire on 1st October 2015. Tom Brodie will retire on the expiration of his term on 1st October 2015; all other members are eligible for re-appointment.
The term of appointment will be for two years and applications are invited from interested volunteers to be considered for these vacancies.
The role of a VFBV Board Member involves contributing to VFBV direction, policy determination and monitoring the performance and governance of the Association. Also actively contributing to policy discussion at Board Meetings, networking with others about policies and issues management, and not only making decisions but being prepared to actively advocate for the benefit of all CFA volunteers and ultimately the Victorian community.
Click here for a Board Member Role Statement including the key selection criteria.
This is an honorary position; no honorarium is paid.
If you are motivated by the prospect of making a difference for CFA volunteers, then send your written application addressing the key selection criteria in the role statement, plus an outline of your CFA activity including the names of two referees.
Applications must be lodged with VFBV by Friday 31 July 2015, to:
VFBV, P O Box 453, Mt Waverley 3149
Tel: 9886 1141; Fax: 9886 1618
Email: j.laingThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.