VFBV

Emergency Management Commissioner Craig Lapsley has posted his National Volunteer Week video tribute to emergency volunteers on YouTube – you can see it here.

There are close to 100,000 emergency volunteers in Victoria, including 60,000 CFA volunteers.

Here are some CFA volunteer facts and figures: 

• There are nearly 60,000 CFA volunteers in more than 1,200 Brigades statewide
• Emergency volunteering is a professional field, with volunteers trained to nationally recognised standards, and CFA Brigades protecting 60% of suburban Melbourne, regional cities and country Victoria, every day and night of the year
• CFA Brigades deal with all manner of emergencies all year round, including house fires, industrial fires, road accidents, floods, chemical spills and rescues, as well as the bushfires of summer
• There are approximately 10,000 CFA volunteers in the outer suburbs of Melbourne
• The CFA’s volunteer firefighters are emergency services professionals with nationally recognised qualifications, working to the same response standards as paid firefighters
• There are also thousands of non-operational CFA volunteers, performing vital support roles, handling equipment maintenance, fundraising, administration and community education
• CFA volunteers are more than 90% of the state’s fire fighting force and 97% of CFA. The great capacity of the volunteer system allows CFA Brigades to provide thousands of trained, experienced firefighters to combat bushfires and other emergencies such as floods, while still providing round-the-clock protection to their own communities
• CFA Brigades protect 3.3 million Victorians and one million dwellings every day and night of the year.

CFA has just received a letter from Emergency Management Commissioner Craig Lapsley, expressing his thanks to all involved in supporting South Australia's efforts to fight major fires in the Adelaide Hills.

Commissioner Lapsley also commended the Victorian Emergency Services personnel who at the same time have been fighting major fires in central and western parts of Victoria, and everyone providing support to those on the front line.

See below for the full text of the letter: