VFBV

Having waited since 2012 for the latest CFA review to strengthen the role of the Group, the VFBV/CFA Joint Operations Committee is disappointed with the lack of progress or CFA leadership, and has endorsed a plan for a volunteer-led review instead.

The review will gather feedback from all Groups to arrive at a formal position for which volunteers can advocate.

Starting after the Fire Danger Period, we will need representatives from all Districts to lead and coordinate discussion.  We will also use the feedback from CFA’s previous review as well as discussing the many ideas that may have been rejected by CFA at the time.

In the previous review, VFBV advocated for;

• Greater support and recognition from CFA to Groups and the Group structures in local command and control
• Greater flexibility in how Groups can structure themselves to accommodate and respect local and regional differences and flexibility to match operating models to local risks.  A ‘one size fits all’ model is not supported.
• Strengthening the chain of command to empower and enhance the capability and capacity for local command and control being exercised by CFA members at the local level ensuring that local participation continues as incidents grow in size and complexity
• Systems of work that recognise and enhance how Brigades, Groups, OOs and RDOs interact and support each other in Operational Readiness & Response, Training & Mentoring and Community Education
• Strengthening the role of Groups in assisting Brigades building local capability for Incident Management and volunteer upskilling and mentoring for Level 2 and 3 incident management roles
• Greater support and recognition of the important role of Group Comms including role, systems and processes in supporting local incidents and deployments, and recognition in CAD processes and procedures of this vital role
• Greater support and recognition of the important role Groups play in readiness, pre-incident planning & coordination, strike team resourcing & deployment, maintaining situational awareness and training delivery

All members can share their thoughts, and VFBV will help Groups and Districts to participate in structured discussions and share information from neighbouring Groups and Districts.

To get involved, contact VFBV at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.or (03) 9886 1141 and we will record your details.

Delegates of the CFA/VFBV Joint Operations Committee were pleased to receive a report from the Chief Officer on the beginning of his review into the Role of Group.

The first meeting of the Role of Group project team took place on the 31st July 2012.

The Role of Group Working Party have now completed a Draft Concept Document for consultation and discussion with the field regarding the Role of Group. Whilst the role of Group is much broader than just readiness and response, the first phase of the review was to consider the role of group in strengthening local command and control within CFA.

The CFA/VFBV Role of Group Working Party is about to begin consultation on the review’s first phase; strengthening local command and control within CFA.

BACKGROUND

On the 12th July 2012, the Chief Officer signed off on to the Terms of Reference for his review of the role of the group. A working party was formed to progress the review;