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This theme, more than any other, has generated survey responses relating to specific brigade or individual member issues. Issues raised, include the lack of CFA support for the resolution of management issues at brigade level, a high level of CFA staff turnover at Region and District level impacting on support to brigades and budget cuts impacting on resources for volunteers.

Survey comments for this theme are consistent with previous themes in relation to perceived differences in the level of support provided by CFA to paid and volunteer members, and the general feeling that CFA volunteers are being treated as ‘second class’.

Other notable survey respondent comments include a desire to see more CFA staff working in support of brigades rather than in CFA headquarters on projects, a concern regarding the lack of training for volunteers in administrative roles, and a number of comments that CFA is too focussed on the metropolitan area and not providing sufficient support to regional Victoria brigades.

Whilst performance has improved over the past three years (6.4 to 7.0) resulting in a smaller gap, importance has remained consistently high, reinforcing the fact that support from CFA remains a high priority for volunteers.

The gap improvement from 2.5 to 2.0 is driven by improved performance across all statements within the themes. Statement performance scores all improved between 0.2 and 0.7 in 2014 as compared to the 2013 results.

The statement “CFA paid personnel in my local brigade/district area are committed to supporting and empowering volunteers” improved in performance score by 0.7 from 2013 to 2014 – the equal highest statement performance improvement in the 2014 survey.

There are minor variations in the Region scores as compared to other themes. As previously discussed in the Cooperation theme observations for Regions, further analysis of the factors influencing these results may reveal more valuable information.

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Within the Cooperation theme, the poorest performing aspect relates to how volunteers feel about the way they are consulted and involved in decision making at the CFA corporate level.

Despite improvements in the performances scores for all four statements in this theme in 2014, scores for this theme are generally low for both 2013 and 2014 results as compared to the rest of the survey.

The statement “volunteers are effectively consulted and involved in decision making at CFA Corporate level” had the lowest performance score of the survey in 2013 and created the largest gap, however the gap score against this statement has improved. In 2014 this statement ranked second lowest in performance scores and had the second largest gap score, therefore is still an issue of concern for volunteers and should be an equal issue of concern for CFA.

It is important to note however, this aspect also shows the best improvement since the 2012 survey, indicating that whilst volunteers still feel there is a lot more to be done – things are improving.

The survey results confirm volunteers place a high value on being consulted and involved in decision making at all levels of CFA and expect CFA to perform well in this area. Volunteers’ place a very high importance on all CFA people (volunteer and paid staff at all organisational levels) working cooperatively towards shared goals.

The written survey responses in this theme discuss issues relating to perceptions of volunteer poor treatment and lack of respect from paid CFA staff. A common theme is about CFA staff attitude to volunteers on integrated stations, and in some cases the conduct of Operations Officers in the field. Negative comments are also made in regard to CFA management’s lack of connection with volunteers.

Some survey responses also refer to an established ‘them and us’ culture amongst CFA paid staff and volunteers, manifesting in the service and treatment of paid staff at major incidents as compared to volunteers.

A significant improvement in the performance score over the past three years has seen the gap reduce from 3.2 to 2.5. This improvement is mainly influenced by the decrease in the 2014 gap scores for the statements “volunteers are effectively consulted and involved in decision making at CFA corporate level” and “CFA’s workforce arrangements allow the paid staff and volunteers to work cooperatively as a team”.

Survey result variations between Regions show West and North East Region gap scoring less than the other Regions, it would be insightful to explore the factors or initiatives underpinning this result.

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For 2014, the largest individual survey question gaps for this theme appear against the statements “CFA recognises and utilises the skills and experience that I bring to CFA” and “CFA proactively provide opportunities for me to progress and develop my skills to more senior/diverse roles as part of an individual volunteer career pathway”.

This is consistent with the survey results generally poor performance in the survey questions relating to CFA training (see Training by CFA).

The survey comments are along similar themes to respect and professionalism, with a focus on low levels of support to volunteers, the desire for recognition and appreciation, and comments on poor treatment by CFA paid staff.

The increasing non-operational workload for volunteers continues to be an issue, with a number of survey responses citing the increasingly unsustainable workload around meeting attendance and participation in CFA projects.

These comments include statements that volunteer activity outside the traditional response activity, is not adequately recognised and supported by CFA.

Survey comments indicate that undertaking strike team activity as an emergency response and then spending considerable time on scene waiting to be tasked, continues to frustrate volunteers who then feel, that the limited time they have available to volunteer, is not being effectively used by CFA.

In some cases, these comments are followed by a statement that the problems are repeated year after year and if not fixed, the volunteer will not attend strike teams in the future and only support local brigade call outs.

Some of the positive comments relating to this theme were that respondents enjoy being a volunteer member of CFA and state, how joining a volunteer brigade ‘was the best thing they ever did’. These positive comments cover both male and female respondents and include statements from both new and long serving members.

The 2014 survey results indicate that volunteers think CFA could do better with regard to recognition of the skills and experience volunteers bring to CFA. The results also suggest volunteers believe that CFA could improve its efforts in developing volunteer skills and providing individual volunteer pathways across the diverse roles required in CFA.

Overall performance in this theme has improved slightly over the past three years. Respondents indicate that the statements listed in the survey are growing in importance and pleasingly also reported a sense that things have improved since the 2012 survey.

As discussed in Respect and Professionalism, initial Regional variations in the former eight Region model showed variation between outer metropolitan Regions and other Regions.

Regional gap variations across the theme are similar in range to the previous theme, with gaps ranging from 1.9 to 2.1 in the more urbanised Regions as compared to 1.6 to 1.7 in the less urbanised Regions.

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The 2014 survey results for this theme are reasonably consistent with previous years, a notable trend however, is that the respondents feel the issues underpinning respect and recognition of their professionalism are even more important than previous surveys.

Survey results within this theme indicate CFA performing strongest in the statement ‘CFA consistently and proactively promotes the public understanding of community confidence in the role and professionalism of CFA volunteers and their brigades’ and conversely, poorest in the statement ‘the respect and value of the contribution of volunteers is evident in CFA’s actions and culture’.

The majority of the comments on respect and professionalism were about how volunteers feel they are being treated within CFA. A number of negative comments referred to being treated as ‘second class’ by CFA organisationally, when compared to the way CFA manage and support their paid operational staff.

This is also expressed in the way volunteers see themselves treated as ‘second class’ by CFA operational staff in the field. The comments express a frustration with an established culture amongst some CFA paid staff, in the way they treat volunteers.

Specific major incidents were mentioned in the negative comments as examples of where volunteers felt they were not treated with respect, provided the same regard as paid staff to contribute to the event response or given the same level of support as that received by paid staff.

Importance has increased steadily over the past three years, with an initial improvement in performance from 2012 to 2013 then remaining the same for 2014. This has resulted in a marginal gap increase in 2014.

The 2014 survey data was collected against the eight former CFA Regions, and when tabulated by those Regions, it showed significant differences in survey results between the former three ‘Outer Metropolitan’ Regions (Eastern, Northern and Western Metro and South East Metro) and the five other Regions.

When reallocated against the new CFA five Region model, the survey result differences become less apparent as they are ‘absorbed’ into the new Regions’ geographic coverage.

Regional variation should be of concern to CFA, given that the more urbanised areas can generate a higher CFA service demand. Volunteers are generally managing higher activity levels and certainly requiring highest possible levels of volunteer motivation, satisfaction and a feeling their volunteer skills and experience are utilised optimally and their capacity and professionalism is respected and welcome.

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The 2014 VFBV Volunteer Welfare and Efficiency Survey results have provided valuable information direct from CFA volunteers which is vital to informing the emergency management sector on what volunteers need to remain viable and valuable contributors to community safety.

Key observations from the survey results that may warrant further investigation and possible actions include the following.

Training needs and expectations.

The 2014 survey results identify training by CFA as the biggest issue, with the survey gap at 3.0. This remains the most important issue for CFA volunteers and the issue least meeting volunteer expectations.

Variation between brigades.

Brigades with an integrated volunteer/career mix of personnel are more concerned with performance in relation to people management within their brigade, cooperation, respect and professionalism.

Equity, diversity and workplace behaviour.

Survey results show that equity and diversity across gender, race and religion are important issues to volunteers. When tested against gender – female respondents rated both importance and performance lower than male respondents in relation to the statement “there are no barriers to the roles women can occupy in my brigade”, and the gap between importance and performance for female respondents was higher than male, signalling that male respondents are more optimistic about how gender, equity and diversity issues are being managed and may not realise areas of deficiency. Whilst CFA performance in this area is scored comparatively well against other areas, it remains an area that will require ongoing support.

The importance of consultation with brigades.

The value volunteers place on consultation both within their own brigade and with CFA, is expressed in the survey results where statements referring to consultation within brigades receive good performance scores whilst conversely, statements regarding effective consultation at CFA District, Region or Corporate level, receive the lowest performance scores and high gaps.

Written comments from survey respondents refer to issues where inadequate consultation may be the root cause, further suggesting that more work is required to improve consultation between CFA and volunteers.

The influence of volunteer length of service.

Volunteer length of service has created a distinct pattern across the question responses. Volunteers who have served with CFA for less than one year are the most positive about the organisation and their brigade on nearly every question. The gap sharply increases after their first year of service, i.e. their level of satisfaction drops sharply after one year and then again after more than five years’ service.

This warrants further investigation to determine the causes of the change in expectation.

Satisfaction.

80% of 2014 survey respondents are satisfied with their role as a CFA volunteer and 87% intend to continue their membership. The overwhelming reasons for being a CFA volunteer are “to help protect the community I live in” or “a sense of fulfilment in supporting my community in a meaningful way” (total 94%).

Only 59% of volunteers are satisfied with the way they are treated by CFA, this comparatively low satisfaction score suggests that the greatest potential impact on future volunteer welfare and efficiency sits with CFA in the success or otherwise of their partnerships with volunteer brigades.

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Strengths.

 In 2014, the ‘top three’ smallest gaps (i.e. highest satisfaction levels) between importance and performance, were for the survey statements listed above. When compared against importance scores for statements, the equal highest importance score was against the statement “there are no barriers to the roles women can perform in my brigade”.

For the performance scores, the two highest scores were against the statements “there are no barriers to the roles women can perform in my brigade” and “people from all cultural backgrounds, different religious, political and personal beliefs are all made welcome at my brigade”. 

This is consistent with 2013 survey results where the same questions scored highly in importance and performance, as well as having small gaps.

Written comments from respondents support the overall CFA approach to encouraging diversity and addressing poor workplace behaviour, but some of the comments refer to ongoing workplace behaviour issues at specific brigades that are being poorly managed or ignored.

The statement “I feel the time I devote to CFA is productive and worthwhile” scores consistently high on importance and performance and records the third smallest gap across the last two surveys. This is reflective of the survey results for volunteer satisfaction with their role in CFA.

 
Weaknesses.

In 2014, the ‘top three’ largest gaps (i.e. lowest satisfaction levels) between importance and performance, were for the survey statements listed above.

The largest gap between importance and performance for a single statement was a score of 3.0 for the statement “CFA provides enough training opportunities in formats, at times and locations that make it easy for me to participate”. This is consistent with 2013 survey results for the same statement having the largest gap and low satisfaction levels.

The two statements considered as the worst performing by 2014 survey respondents were “CFA provides enough training opportunities in formats, at times and locations that make it easy for me to participate” and “volunteers are effectively consulted and involved in decision making at CFA corporate level”. Both statements scored below 6 for performance, the only two to do so in 2014.

The biggest improvement in gap, between importance and performance for a statement from 2013 to 2014 survey results, was the decrease in gap for the statement “volunteers are effectively consulted and involved in decision making at CFA corporate level”.

Whilst this may be seen as a positive, this is the only statement to score below 5 in importance in 2013 and the improvement to a score of 5.8 in 2014, the improvement is coming from a very low base and remains an issue for volunteers.

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To take part in the 2015 VFBV Volunteer Survey, send your name, Brigade and email address to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The first survey in 2012 attracted responses from 805 CFA volunteers. Subsequent surveys using the same format have seen the survey result increase to 1,652 volunteer responses in 2014.

Given the high number of survey responses against the number of CFA volunteers, this represents a very robust sample of the views of CFA volunteers and can be treated as a ‘statistically significant’ response.

Sample size calculators indicate that 1,652 valid survey responses from a CFA volunteer ‘population’ of 60,000 provides a 95% level of confidence (getting the right answer 95 times out of 100) in the survey results, as representing the views of CFA volunteers.

Previous survey analysis for VFBV by Dawson McDonald demonstrated the statistical significance of the survey results against well-known Australian surveys. The VFBV survey results in 2013 achieved a 95% confidence level with a confidence interval of +/- 2.6%, considerably greater than many national surveys.

Confidence interval comparison table - VFBV 2013 Volunteer Welfare and Efficiency report.

Survey respondents were given the option of responding anonymously or leaving their email address if they wished to be kept informed on progress with the survey results. This ensured that the survey respondents could provide their honest and open opinions in their written responses to the survey statements.

For security purposes, all online survey responses are entered into a securely encrypted electronic survey record system. All physical survey responses are also entered into the online system and destroyed once the data is recorded.

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Notes on Data Collection

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The VFBV Volunteer Welfare and Efficiency Survey was from the outset, designed and detailed by CFA volunteers.

In 2012, with the assistance of a professional survey development consultancy, VFBV workshopped with volunteers from across Victoria, to identify key issues considered to be the key factors underpinning their welfare and efficiency. Key recurring themes emerging from the workshop with this group were then used to construct the survey.

The survey consists of 33 statements addressing the welfare and efficiency of CFA volunteers. Survey respondents are asked to score each statement twice: firstly on how important it is for the statement to be true and secondly, how they perceive performance against that statement. Scores are applied to a 0 – 10 sliding scale where for importance, 0 is ‘not at all important’ and 10 is ‘very important – and in the case of performance, 0 is ‘strongly disagree’ and 10 is ‘strongly agree’.

Scores for importance are regarded as the expectations of CFA volunteers. Where scores for performance are lower than those for importance, the result suggests that expectations are not being met. The difference between importance and performance in the survey results for each question is referred to as the gap.

The chart below indicates a typical survey response against a given statement, where the total number of responses to the statement produce an average gap between importance and performance (in this case ‘2’).

The 33 survey statements are grouped into seven themes for analysis of the results. Statements are randomly listed in the survey to avoid leading the results. The results are then re grouped under seven themes for analysis purposes.

The seven survey analysis themes are:

• Respect and professionalism
• My role as a volunteer
• Cooperation
• Support from CFA
• Training by CFA
• Recruitment and retention
• People management – my brigade

The survey design allows each theme to be explored for variations between respondents, including brigade service/risk environment (rural, urban or integrated), gender, volunteer age and length of service.

The results can also be analysed from Region to Region, with CFA’s Regional structure allowing for the identification of examples of good practice or conversely, areas where a lacking performance needs most attention.

Whilst the survey collects quantitative data that is easily expressed in results that measure importance, performance and gap, the survey also provides the respondent the opportunity to reply to any of the statements with their own thoughts and opinions.

In this way the survey also collects some qualitative data than can be used to gain insight into what sits behind the numerical results.

With survey results from the past three years, VFBV is now able to observe trends over time.

Recently, further work has also been undertaken with the assistance of university researchers with expertise in quantitative survey analysis to drill down into the survey results and explore specific demographic trends or patterns that emerge.

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Notes on Data Integrity

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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.

The Country Fire Authority (CFA) is a community and volunteer based emergency service, consisting of 60,000 volunteers and 1,300 paid operational and support staff. CFA Brigades protect 60% of suburban Melbourne, regional cities and all of country Victoria every day and night of the year.

CFA’s volunteer based resource model is the only approach capable of economically and practically dealing with the quantum, scale, spread and simultaneous occurrence of fire and other emergencies experienced in Victoria while still providing day to day emergency response.

CFA’s unique integrated volunteer and career staff operating model is fundamental to the surge capacity required to deal with large scale incidents while still providing professional standards of emergency response in Brigade service areas across the state.

The CFA volunteers’ contribution to the community is incalculable – the value of their labour alone is estimated at one billion dollars a year, without considering the replacement cost of their expertise, local knowledge, fundraising, leadership and the substantial losses that would be suffered through fires and other emergencies if the volunteers were not there.

CFA volunteers work at all levels of emergency response, from the frontline crews, through experienced volunteers in specialist and support roles, to the highest of senior incident management roles.

The need for that resource of trained, experienced volunteers is growing. Already one of the most wildfire prone areas in the world, Victoria faces the twin challenges of a rapidly growing population and increased urbanisation within an expanding metropolitan Melbourne and regional cities.

In 2012, the Victorian Parliament unanimously supported changes to the CFA Act to enshrine the requirements for volunteer support and recognition in legislation. 

These important changes recognise that CFA is first and foremost a volunteer-based organisation, in which volunteer officers and members are supported by career staff in a fully integrated manner.

Sections 6G, 6H and 6I of the CFA Act also reinforce the requirement for Government and CFA to encourage, maintain and strengthen the capacity of volunteers to provide the Authority's services, and to consult with VFBV on all matters which may impact upon volunteers.

Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria (VFBV) is the voice of CFA Volunteers. It is established under Victorian law, the Country Fire Authority Act, to represent the volunteers on all matters that affect their welfare and efficiency.

As an organisation made up of the CFA volunteers it represents, VFBV works in partnership with the State Government, Emergency Management Victoria, the CFA Board and Management, Members of Parliament, official inquiries, municipal councils and instrumentalities, business and the public to proactively shape the future of emergency management.

VFBV is active in partnering with Government and emergency management agencies to ensure that volunteers remain actively involved in emergency management decision making at every level; through day to day practical work in VFBV/CFA Joint Committees, through the Ministerial level Volunteer Consultative Forum, and in working to ensure positive, practical results from reviews such as the Jones Inquiry and the Victorian Auditor General’s Office (VAGO) report on Managing Emergency Services Volunteers.

The VFBV Volunteer Welfare and Efficiency Survey takes this important work another step forward, by addressing a significant gap in the information available to the state’s decision makers.

The VFBV Volunteer Welfare and Efficiency Survey, now in its third year, is designed to better understand the issues as volunteers see them, and is used by VFBV to bring the frontline volunteers’ opinions and advice on matters affecting their welfare and efficiency directly to the state’s decision makers.

The purpose of the VFBV Volunteer Welfare and Efficiency Survey is to ensure that volunteers’ needs and expectations are sought, analysed and available to Government and CFA so the very foundation of this volunteer-based emergency service continues to be recognised and supported to meet the future emergency services needs of the Victorian community.

The VFBV Volunteer Welfare and Efficiency Survey presents an opportunity for Government and CFA to embed performance measures linked to volunteer welfare and efficiency into CFA organisational, departmental and individual work plans, to the benefit of the Victorian community.

Because volunteers are fundamental to Victoria’s emergency management capability, fundamental to community resilience and at the core of communities sharing responsibility for their own safety, it is vitally important to measure and deeply understand how satisfied volunteers are with arrangements in place to support, encourage and enable them to do their work.

If the CFA and State Government wish to retain what is a highly valuable volunteer fire service, the expectations of volunteers, identified by them through this survey, need to be understood and acted upon. A commitment must be made by CFA, VFBV and State Government to meet or exceed the expectations of volunteers on all 33 items. This is fundamental to ensuring the welfare and efficiency of volunteers and their continuing availability as an unpaid emergency service.

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Notes on Data Collection

Notes on Data Integrity

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Observations from the survey results that may warrant further investigation and possible actions include the following:

1. Training needs and expectations.

 The 2014 survey results identify training by CFA as the biggest issue, with the survey gap at 3.0. This remains the most important issue for CFA volunteers and the issue least meeting volunteer expectations.

2. Variation between brigades.

Brigades with an integrated volunteer/career mix of personnel are more concerned with performance in relation to people management within their brigade, cooperation and respect and professionalism. Survey comments point to ongoing issues at integrated brigades that require further attention.

The integrated volunteer/career survey responses consistently scored lower on importance and more so on performance. Integrated brigades scored poorly on performance in relation to workplace bullying, conflict resolution, volunteer consultation, morale and supporting new volunteers. These particular statistical results point to ongoing issues within integrated brigades that require specific attention.

3. Equity, diversity and workplace behaviour.

Survey results show that equity and diversity across gender, race and religion are important issues to volunteers. Generally, female survey respondents rated CFA respect, professionalism, volunteer support and brigade support more highly than males across both importance and performance. The differences occur when the questions relate to CFA’s performance in conflict resolution, bullying and harassment, in which case, females rate the management of such issues lower than males.

When tested against gender – female respondents rated both importance and performance lower than male respondents in relation to the statement “there are no barriers to the roles women can occupy in my brigade”. The gap between importance and performance for female respondents was higher than male, signalling that male respondents are more optimistic about how gender, equity and diversity issues are being managed and may not realise areas of deficient approach.

Whilst CFA performance in this area is scored comparatively well against other areas, it remains an area that shows that a gender perception gap still exists in brigades and will require ongoing support.

4. The importance of consultation with brigades.

The value volunteers place on consultation both within their own brigade and with CFA is expressed in the survey results where statements referring to consultation within brigades receive good performance scores. Conversely, statements regarding effective consultation at CFA District, Region or Corporate level, receive the lowest performance scores and high gaps.

Written comments from survey respondents refer to issues where inadequate consultation may be the root cause, further suggesting that more work is required to improve consultation between CFA and volunteers.

5. The influence of volunteer length of service.

Volunteer length of service has created a distinct pattern across the question responses. Volunteers who have served with CFA for less than one year are the most positive about the organisation and their brigade on nearly every question. The gap sharply increases after their first year of service, i.e. their level of satisfaction drops sharply after one year and then again after more than five years’ service.

6. Satisfaction.

80% of 2014 survey respondents are satisfied with their role as a CFA volunteer and 87% intend to continue their membership. The overwhelming reasons for being a CFA volunteer are “to help protect the community I live in” or “a sense of fulfilment in supporting my community in a meaningful way” (total 94%).

Only 59% of volunteers are satisfied with the way they are treated by CFA, this comparatively low satisfaction score suggests that the greatest potential impact on future volunteer welfare and efficiency sits with CFA in the success or otherwise of their partnerships with volunteer brigades.

7. Overall.

Overall results across the survey themes (see the graph to the right) show the greatest gaps to be in the training and cooperation themes, and the smallest gap in the recruitment and retention theme. Specific responses within each theme are explained in greater detail in the body of this report.

The analysis of the survey results shows that there are still differences of opinion between genders as to how women are treated in CFA, between volunteer and integrated brigades on how CFA staff treat volunteers, and difference of opinion on how well CFA is performing depending upon how long the volunteer has known CFA.

These differences point to an ongoing need for CFA to improve its culture. The attitudes and norms across CFA need to become more inclusive and more respectful – in terms of volunteer value to the organisation.

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This report provides comment and detail on matters considered to be important to CFA Volunteers' welfare and efficiency, as measured through the Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria (VFBV) Volunteer Welfare and Efficiency Survey.

The report uses survey data provided by a series of statements rated by volunteers for importance and performance. The report also uses information gathered from written response comments against the survey statements.

Observations against the 2014 survey results are presented by survey theme, with comments on both the survey scores and the written comments received.

As with the previous two years, survey data is collated and analysed for trends, outliers and exceptions that guide us to particular issues warranting further analysis. The survey results are compared against demographic profiles that include gender, age, length of time as a volunteer and brigade type.

The survey data is also compared to previous years' results to determine if changes have occurred and whether reasons for these changes can be identified.

Click on the links below to see each of the detailed sections of the 2014 VFBV Volunteer Welfare & Efficiency Survey report;

• Foreword, by VFBV Chief Executive Officer Andrew Ford
• Executive Summary
• Introduction
• Observations
• Respect and Professionalism
• My Role as a Volunteer
• Cooperation
• Support from CFA
• Training by CFA
• Recruitment and retention
• People Management - My Brigade
• Demographic Variations
• Volunteer Satisfaction
• Conclusion and Survey Questions Gap Scores

The 2015 survey will open in July - you can sign up to take the online survey here or request a paper copy of the survey by calling (03) 9886 1141.  Your comments will be confidential.

All members and families are invited to the Annual Memorial Service for Firefighters on Sunday, 3 May 2015, at 2.00 pm.

The service will be held at St Patrick’s Cathedral, 3 Lyons Street, Ballarat, VicRoads Map 566 Ref C8.

The dress code is CFA uniform or smart casual, and anyone wishing to attend should RSVP by Thursday, 16 April 2015, via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 1800 232 636.

The CFA Chief Officer has released his Uniform Discussion Paper, with feedback and comment due no later than Friday, 17 April.

This issue has been going on for some time and VFBV has been pressing for a result, so we urge Brigades and individual volunteers to make comment direct to CFA as soon as possible (see below).

VFBV has supported the Chief Officer’s decision to release his initial thoughts and position before making a final decision, with a reasonable period for comment by members. We feel this is an open and transparent process that enables informed decision making, and gives all members the opportunity to advocate their position, and influence the final decision. VFBV respects the final decision being that of the CFA Chief Officer.

VFBV has for some time pressed for one uniform design for all CFA members (paid and unpaid) that supports the ‘One CFA’ principle. VFBV has also pressed for volunteers who meet the service requirement for a uniform and wish to have one, to be supplied with a uniform funded by CFA.

VFBV at the state level will likely be providing a submission on the discussion paper. The submission is likely to stick to general principles regarding fairness and equity, so we urge Brigades and individual volunteers to have their say on the details.

Feedback can be provided by all members via http://cfa.engagementhq.com/cfa-uniform-position

Now is the time to speak up on uniforms, so discuss this with your Brigade and fellow volunteers, and you are encouraged to send a copy of any submission to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Application deadline for this year’s Emergency Services Foundation’s Volunteer Leaders Forum is this Friday, 10^th April.

There are a few spots still available, and it’s all free.  All you have to do is get yourself there.

Again, it will be based at the St Kilda Novotel on Saturday 2^nd and Sunday 3^rd May 2015.

Delegates will meet top people in emergency services, from the Victorian Minister for Emergency Services to the Director-General of Emergency Management Australia.  And they’ll also hear from some pretty amazing people, volunteers who’ve achieved great things in their sector.

They will also visit the State Police Operations Centre, Airservices Australia’s training centre at Tullamarine and the Department of Environment’s special Equipment Development Unit.

The full program is contained in the flyer, which you can download at http://www.hpe.com.au/esf/esfvols.html

Delegates will receive free accommodation at the hotel (generally twinshare) on the Friday and Saturday nights.  All meals are provided on Saturday and Sunday, including the BBQ and USAR display on Saturday evening.

If you have ‘leadership potential’, complete the Application Form in the flyer, and get it back to the secretariat immediately.  We expect more applicants than places, so make sure you get in quickly.

Successful applicants will be advised by Friday 17^th April.

UPDATED 10 April 2015 - Answers to volunteers' questions

Download the FAQ sheet below

CFA has moved to drop the service award upgrade kits that have been in use since 2008 - volunteers reaching milestones such as 15, 20 and 25 years’ service will now receive a complete new service medal, ribbon bar and lapel badge to replace their old one.

The upgrade kits required the member to have a new bar sewn onto their existing medal ribbon, and were seen by many members as an inappropriate way to recognise such significant service to CFA and their communities. 

VFBV has been working with CFA for some time now, advocating our desire for the awarding of complete medals and not expecting members to sew on their own medal bars.  VFBV is grateful to CFA for approving this request, and agreeing to fund it, as we believe this change to be a significant improvement to the way long serving members are recognised.

This change will be automatic for all new medals awarded as of now.

For any questions or feedback, email: cfa‐This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 1800 232 636.

Frequently Asked Questions (Provided by CFA)

From the 1^st May 2015, members eligible for Service Awards (including Life Members) will now receive a full award set in place of the service award upgrade kits which were introduced to CFA in 2008.

1. Will members who have their medals court mounted need to have them re-mounted every five years to incorporate the newly award medal?

No, members will not have to have their medals re-mounted. Medal mounting companies may purchase clasps for the main size medal directly from CFA at $2.00 each +GST. This would mean that the member could keep the newly presented award set in full. The medals which are mounted can then be updated with the clasp of the appropriate years of service.

Rosettes for the ribbon bars are also available for purchase at $1.10 each +GST.

2. Will members be required to return their previous medal?

No, members who have previously received CFA Service Awards or Life Member award may keep them and do not have to return them to CFA. Upgrade kits that were previously awarded will not be recalled.

3. Will other members get my second hand award set?

No, second hand award sets will not be presented to members. Each member is eligible for a new award set at each anniversary date.

4. Do members have to remove their previously awarded service medal?

Yes, Brigades are required to ensure that members remove past service awards at the presentation of the new service award. In accordance with CFA tradition, the new award/medal replaces the previous service medal. It is not appropriate to wear multiple CFA service medals at the same time.  Further information on wearing honours, please refer to the ‘How to wear Honours and Awards’ booklet which is available through Brigades Online.

File path: Brigades Online > Brigade > Service History & Awards > About the Awards

5. Will members who have previously received the upgrade kit be retrospectively awarded a full award set?

No, Members will receive the full award set at their next anniversary date from 1^st May 2015 onwards. Members are to continue to utilise the upgrade kits until they will be awarded the full award set at their next anniversary date.

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.

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.

The SA Volunteer Fire Fighters Museum is arranging a Reunion for all past and present (staff and volunteer) members, including families of the SA Country Fire Service.

It will take place on the long weekend of October 3rd -5th, at Naracoorte Showground.

The event will include; dinner on the Saturday evening, family breakfast on Sunday, trade displays, competition display and mini events, BBQ dinner on the Sunday night, entertainment and plenty of time to relax, reminisce and enjoy a great weekend

You can contact the Museum Chairman Rex Hall AFSM on (08) 8762 1424 or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

To all participants in the 2014 VFBV Volunteer Welfare and Efficiency Survey, thank you for taking part.

The Survey Report is available for download at the bottom of this page (Note: the top of the first page is white - if it looks blank on your screen, scroll down a little).

Now in its third year, this survey continues to grow in importance as it captures trends in CFA volunteers’ opinions on matters affecting their welfare and efficiency.

VFBV and the CFA Board have both studied past years' results and will use the survey to highlight aspects of volunteer support that need attention.

The survey would not have been possible without the support of CFA volunteers, in particular the 1,652 – another record number - who participated in 2014.

Please consider the trends revealed in the survey report and encourage your fellow volunteers to do the same. Printed copies are available by mail if you need them, call (03) 9886 1141.

Please also encourage the volunteers around you to sign up for the next VFBV volunteer survey, by emailing their name and Brigade to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or calling (03) 9886 1141 if they would like the paper version of the survey posted to them.

Click here for the VFBV Rural Championships page and the 2015 VFBV State Rural Championships program

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.

See CFA's announcement, with contact numbers for support services and the Fiskville Enquiry Hotline here.

CFA has announced that water sampling has concluded at Fiskville and the results are expected within the next week.

Click here for more details, including and the Fiskville Enquiry Hotline and Members Assistance Program numbers, on the CFA website.

The Emergency Service Foundation has announced that applications are now being accepted for this year’s Emergency Services Foundation’s Volunteer Leaders' Forum.

The event will be based at the St Kilda Novotel on Saturday and Sunday, 2/3 May 2015.

The program includes leadership talks and workshops, bus tours to some major emergency management sites around Melbourne and the always popular Chief Officers’ panel.

Click here for the full program

Delegates will receive free accommodation at the hotel (generally twin share) on the Friday and Saturday nights. 

All meals are provided on Saturday and Sunday, including the BBQ and USAR display on Saturday evening.

Numbers will be tight this year, so you are urged to complete the application form in the flyer and get it back to the secretariat as soon as possible.

Successful applicants will be advised by Friday, 17 April 2015.

<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.  

EVENT RESULTS - FINAL

SATURDAY, 7^th MARCH

Click here to download Aggregate Spreadsheet and Champion Competitor event scores

Event 1, DISCIPLINE CONTEST

Section A:      

Section B:      

Section C:      

Event No. 2 – Ladder Race - One Competitor 

Event  3 - Hydrant Race - One Competitor 

Event 4 – B Section Pumper & Ladder – Five Competitors

Event No. 5 - C Section Marshall - One Competitor 

Event No. 6 - A Section Hose and Ladder Eights

Event  No. 7 - B Section Marshall - One Competitor 

Event No. 8 - C Section Hose and Reel Fours

Event No. 9 - A Section Marshall - One Competitor 

Event  No. 10 - B Section Hose and Reel Sixes 

Torchlight Procession

SUNDAY, 8^th MARCH

Event 11– C Section Pumper & Ladder – Five Competitors

Event 12 - A Section Marshall - Two Competitors 

Event 13 - B Section Hose and Ladder Eights 

Event 14 - C Section Marshall - Two Competitors

Event 15 - A Section Hose and Reel Eights

Event 16 - B Section Marshall - Two Competitors

Event 17 - C Section Hose and Reel Sixes

Event 18 - A Section Hose, Hydrant and Pumper

Event 19 - B Section Y Coupling and Ladder Eights 

Event 20 - C Section Hose, Hydrant and Pumper

Event 21 - A Section Y Coupling and Ladder Eights 

Event 22 - B Section Hose, Hydrant and Pumper  

Event 23 – C Section Y Coupling and Ladder Eights 

Event 24 - A Section Hose and Reel Sixes 

MONDAY, MARCH 9^th  

Event 25 – A Section Pumper & Ladder – Five Competitors

Event 26 - B Section Y Coupling - Four Competitors

Event 27 - C Section Hose and Ladder Fives 

Event 28 - A Section Y Coupling - Four Competitors 

Event 29 - B Section Hose and Reel Eights

Event 30 - C Section Y Coupling - Four Competitors 

Event 31 - Champion Fours 

FINAL AGGREGATE RESULTS

Dry Aggregate

Wet Aggregate

SECTION AGGREGATES:

‘A’ SECTION

‘B’ SECTION

‘C’ SECTION

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:

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

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…

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.

The Statewide 2015 IMT calendar is now available at Brigades Online - members from emergency service agencies, including CFA, DELWP, MFB, SES and EMV, can access a variety of courses.

The courses are designed to provide technical skills necessary to undertake a number of IMT roles. Following training, there are agency specific requirements that must be met in order to become fully accredited in a particular role.

To nominate for one of the courses in the calendar, you need to complete the course nomination form before the course closing date. Both training and role pre-requisites are outlined. You must have all pre-requisites before nominating for a course.

If you have been identified by your district for a course, you need to complete the IMT training nomination form authorised by your District Operational Manager. If you are a staff number, you will have to speak to your functional manager for approval.

Click here for the calendar at Brigades Online

Click here for the course nomination form at Brigades Online

Tatura's juniors have dominated the 2015 VFBV Urban Junior Championships at Horsham, with a strong win from Benalla and Drouin/Bunyip.

Click here for full results.

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

1^st TATURA A 37 points

2^nd SWAN HILL A 16 points

=3^rd EUROA A & MOE A 13 points

UNDER 14 YEARS AGGREGATE

1^st TATURA A 43 points

2^nd DROUIN/BUNYIP 26 points

3^rd BENALLA 18 points

UNDER 17 YEARS AGGREGATE

1^st TATURA A 29 points

2^nd SWAN HILL A 24 points

3^rd MOE A 22 points

GRAND AGGREGATE

1^st TATURA A 72 points

2^nd BENALLA 28 points

3^rd 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

Click here for the events program, list of competing Brigades, championship rules and media contact detaills.

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

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

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 1^st October 2015. Tom Brodie will retire on the expiration of his term on 1^st 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.

Applications closing soon.

The Emergency Services Scholarship Foundation awards fellowships and grants under the ESF Scholarship Scheme to members of the Victorian emergency services that provide assistance to the Victorian community, to aid them to undertake advanced studies in Australia and overseas.

Scholarship proposals can focus on a range of areas containing a primary interest in pre-hospital emergency health or emergency services including but not limited to:

           - Pre-hospital emergency patient treatment

           - Emergency prevention

           - Preparedness, response, recovery and risk management elements of their agency’s roles

           - Lessening hazards experience by emergency service workers

           - Pre-hospital care.

Although relevance across a range of agencies is an advantage, it is not mandatory.

For more information, see the Emergency Services Foundation website;  http://www.esf.com.au/scholarships.htm and see the ESF Application Information Pack.

INTERESTED VOLUNTEERS should contact Jenny Davis (Executive Officer Emergency Services Foundation) on 0406 003 765 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Applicants should avoid submissions that duplicate research undertaken by previous scholarship winners.

Congratulations to CFA members Ivan Smith, Jamie McKenzie and Gary Harker on being awarded the Australian Fire Service Medal (AFSM) on Australia Day.

Ivan and Jamie are both volunteers, as are several of the members who have been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).

There’s a story on each recipient on the CFA website at http://news.cfa.vic.gov.au/news/top-honours-for-cfa-members.html

The Australian Federal Police have raised the National Terrorism Threat Level for police officers to “HIGH”.

However, Victoria Police advise that there is no change to the threat level for firefighters, which remains at “LOW”.

Click here to see the CFA Chief Officer's advice to all members;

The Australian Federal Police have raised the National Terrorism Threat Level for police officers to “HIGH”.

However, Victoria Police advise that there is no change to the threat level for firefighters, which remains at “LOW”.

Click here to see the CFA Chief Officer's advice to all members;

The State and Federal Governments have announced additional assistance to local councils in areas affected by bushfires in December 2014 and January 2015.

The councils include; Ararat, Benalla, Hindmarsh, Horsham, Mildura, Moira, Southern Grampians, Strathbogie, Wangaratta, West Wimmera and Wodonga.

For details, see the State Government’s media release at http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/additional-disaster-assistance-for-victorian-bushfires

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:

UPDATED 29 January 2015 - Now includes Concessional Loans for Primary Producers

The Victorian Government lists financial assistance, health and safety advice, and local recovery support for residents affected by the 2015 Victorian Bushfires at its Emergency Relief and Recovery Victoria website:

http://www.recovery.vic.gov.au/2015-victorian-bushfires

The site also includes phone numbers for Lifeline (13 11 14) and Nurse On Call (1300 60 60 24).