VFBV

SEEKING PUBLIC DONATIONS - DONATE VIA MYCAUSE cheque or bank deposit

Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria has launched a crowdfunding campaign to give the public the chance to support the work we are doing to protect, advocate and represent CFA volunteers, including our Supreme Court action.

The campaign ‘Supporting and Valuing our CFA Volunteers’ is now live on Australian crowdfunding platform, mycause at www.mycause.com.au/cfa

To donate by cheque:

Cheques should be made out to:

VFBV – Valuing Volunteers Fund

And posted to:

VFBV

PO Box 453

Mt Waverley Vic. 3151

You can also donate via Direct Deposit to this account:

As you know, VFBV is fighting to maintain CFA as a volunteer based and fully integrated fire and emergency service with employees fully integrated with volunteers to provide seamless public safety services to Victorians. This is what CFA is under our CFA Act.

The community volunteer nature of CFA is under attack from the industrial deal done by the Andrews Victorian Government and Peter Marshall of the United Firefighters Union. The deal negatively impacts on CFA as a volunteer based and fully integrated organisation, its operations and support for volunteers including consultation.

It is an attempt to change the nature of CFA by using an anomaly in the Commonwealth Workplace Relations Act which enables an EBA to override state legislation once the EBA is registered by the Commonwealth Fair Work Commission.

The Supreme Court trial on the lawfulness of the new CFA Board adopting the proposed CFA/UFU Enterprise Bargaining Agreement will begin on 22 September 2016 and should run for up to five days.

The CFA/United Firefighters Union Enterprise Bargaining Agreement, approved by the new government-appointed CFA Board, would see:

• The powers of the Chief Officer overridden;
• The union given power of veto on issues affecting volunteer based and fully integrated organisation, operations and support;
• Restrictions in the EBA on effective volunteer consultation rights under the CFA Volunteer Charter;
• Other clauses that are contrary to the CFA Act, and
• Volunteers treated as second class just because they are not paid.

Only Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria is left to defend CFA from the deal and its detrimental effect for CFA services to the Victorian public.

The Emergency Services Minister Jane Garrett shared our volunteer concerns, refused to support the deal and resigned in June. The CFA Board that was opposing the deal was sacked by the Andrews Government. The CEO, Lucinda Nolan and Chief Officer, Joe Buffone subsequently resigned in protest over the deal. The current CFA Board and administration are failing to stand up for CFA volunteers and kow-towing to unlawful UFU demands.

The campaign, particularly through the courts, costs money. Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria does not intend to use government grant funds or individual brigade affiliation fees to pay for the campaign, so we are asking the community that we serve to support us. This funding will be used to pay for Supreme Court and other action to preserve and protect the powers of the CFA Act.

VFBV and volunteers have made it very clear that we are not against our paid colleagues and have no interest in interfering in their legitimate pay and conditions.

Our vision is for CFA to be a modern and contemporary emergency service where volunteers and paid staff work side by side as equals and respect one another.

Encouraging, maintaining and strengthening the capacity of volunteers is vitally important for Victoria, and we are calling on those who value the capacity, determination and service of the volunteers to please support our campaign in the Supreme Court on September 22 by donating to our campaign on mycause.

Members of the public can learn more and make a donation online here.

See the media release here.

VFBV MEDIA RELEASE - Friday, 8 May 2015

BUDGET A MIXED BAG BUT TRUCK FUNDING IS NEEDED AND WELCOME – CFA VOLUNTEERS

CFA volunteers say the State Budget’s $33.5 million for new fire trucks is needed and welcome, and the $1 million allocation to continue the program of providing amenities at all rural fire stations will be very welcome at those Brigades that don’t currently have toilets.

Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria (VFBV) CEO Andrew Ford says the truck funding announcement is an encouraging sign the State Government is hearing the concerns that volunteers have raised over CFA’s ageing fleet of front line fire and rescue vehicles.

“There are hundreds of CFA trucks over the nationally accepted age limit of 20 years that are still in use as first response emergency vehicles, and VFBV’s research shows it will take around $30 million a year to gradually bring the fleet up to accepted standards,” Mr Ford said.

“The State Budget’s allocation of $33.5 million for 70 new fire trucks funded in the 2015/16 year is a good start; now it’s important to work towards an ongoing funding commitment and a rolling five year fleet replacement plan that gradually brings the CFA fleet under the 20 year age limit,” he said.

“While CFA’s older trucks are well maintained, they don’t have the speed, handling, crew safety and bigger firefighting capacity of newer trucks – a younger fleet will benefit volunteers and the communities they protect.”

“This year’s budget funding for trucks is a welcome acknowledgement of the volunteers’ concerns, and VFBV will continue to work with the Government on this important issue,” Mr Ford said.

On other fronts, there is some welcome funding but well short of what is needed, particularly considering the urgent need to replace the large scale training capacity lost with the closure of CFA’s Fiskville Training College. The State Budget has allocated $300,000 for planning of a new local CFA training facility near Ballan.

“It is vital that Fiskville’s training facilities and capacity be replaced as soon as possible, and volunteers are concerned that the State Budget did not include strong measures to achieve that,” Mr Ford 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.

“There must be serious and immediate attention paid to meeting the training needs of CFA’s tens of thousands of firefighters,” Mr Ford said.

VFBV has also welcomed the expansion of the Emergency Medical Response (EMR) program to all integrated, staff/volunteer CFA Brigades, but is concerned the funding in the Budget is not enough.

“The funding allocated is certainly not sufficient to train and equip all of the state’s 33 integrated, staff/volunteer Brigades to deliver EMR,” Mr Ford said.

“And there is still no mention of funding to continue implementing EMR in more volunteer Brigades,” he said.

CFA Brigades, including five all-volunteer Brigades, have been providing EMR since 2008 and have saved a number of heart attack victims by dispatching specially trained crews who provide CPR in the vital first minutes until paramedics arrive.

“VFBV welcomes the expansion of EMR so far, but will continue to work with the Government to encourage funding for its introduction to more volunteer Brigades, particularly in country areas where the ambulance service is stretched or needing support,” Mr Ford said.

Ends…

Background information on EMR:

Emergency Medical Response (EMR) was first introduced in 2008 as a pilot program involving five volunteer Brigades, with five integrated, staff/volunteer Brigades joining the program later.

EMR Brigades are specially trained and equipped to deal with heart attack patients and use their shorter response times to begin CPR in the vital minutes before the ambulance arrives and paramedics take over.

The program has resulted in increased survival rates for heart attack victims in areas where Brigades provide EMR.

LABOR’S PRE-ELECTION COMMITMENTS

Taken from Labor media releases;

• $141.3 million to recruit an additional 350 CFA firefighters and 100 Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) firefighters over the next four years
• Legislation to give career and volunteer firefighters presumptive rights to compensation for cancer claims arising from their service
• A Parliamentary Inquiry into the pollution, contamination and unsafe practices at the training college at Fiskville to examine health effects on employees
• Ensure that the Fire Services Property Levy is used to support firefighters and improve emergency response
• Implement Emergency Medical Response at all integrated CFA stations
• Re-establish a CFA/MFB Board of Reference to resolve staffing and station needs
• Examine options for the establishment of a Career Firefighters Registration Board
• Honour all agreements
• Also train and equip firefighters with the latest technology to battle brown coal fires
• Expand support services for firefighters suffering Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
• $18 million to purchase 50 new fire trucks… …to fund the new medium tankers in its first budget
• $1 million to install toilet and wash room facilities at up to 100 rural CFA stations, with grants of up to $25,000 to brigades (while contributions from brigades will be welcomed, they will not be mandatory)

Every brigade should be talking with the community and local MPs about funding to bring CFA’s ageing frontline fleet up to date.

We’ve taken a good step forward on fleet funding, but the job is not yet finished.

State Government’s announcement of $29 million for 78 new trucks - mostly the new Medium Tankers which were designed with VFBV and volunteer involvement - was great news but the funding boost only lasts for one year.

Hundreds of frontline CFA trucks are over the 20 year age limit that is common practice among Australia’s fire services, and there needs to be an ongoing replacement program and reliable ongoing funding to enable CFA, brigades and the truck manufacturing industry to plan ahead.

VFBV is keen to continue working with all political parties towards a long term fleet funding solution, and your Brigade’s representations at the local level will help keep the issue uppermost in MPs’ minds.

See VFBV’s News Note for MPs on Fleet Funding for all the facts and figures, available for download below.

MEDIA RELEASE - 1 MAY 2014

$29 MILLION FOR CFA FIRE TRUCKS IS GOOD NEWS - VOLUNTEERS

The CFA volunteers’ association says today’s announcement of $29 million and 78 new trucks for volunteer Brigades is good news for CFA volunteers.

<Click here to see video from the official announcement>

Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria (VFBV) CEO Andrew Ford says the trucks are being directed to the right end of the fleet.

“Seventy-four of the new trucks will be modern medium tankers, which were designed with VFBV and volunteer involvement and will go to volunteer Brigades in country Victoria and the outer suburbs, where the need is greatest,” Mr Ford said.

“Volunteers have been working hard to inform State MPs on the need for CFA’s fleet of front line fire trucks to be brought up to date, and today’s announcement is a welcome sign that we are being heard,” he said.

“Seventy-eight new trucks and $29 million dollars is a good start, and VFBV is keen to continue working with Government towards a long term solution to the ageing of the fleet.”

CFA’s fleet of 2,200 front line fire trucks is well maintained, but currently includes more than 500 that are over the 20 year age limit that is common practice among Australia’s fire services.

“With a fleet that size, there needs to be an ongoing replacement program and reliable ongoing funding to enable CFA, Brigades and the truck manufacturing industry to plan ahead,” Mr Ford said.

“CFA volunteers will be pleased with today’s announcement, it is a sign that the Government is listening, and a good start towards an ongoing solution that better protects the Victorian community,” he said.

Victoria has 60,000 CFA volunteers in 1,200 Brigades, protecting 60% of suburban Melbourne, regional cities and all of country Victoria every day and night of the year.

See below to download VFBV’s Fleet Funding News Note for volunteers, issued 1 May 2014 and the earlier VFBV News Note for MPs - the briefing sent to all Victorian Members of Parliament.