News 
Issue 5, 19 May 2013
Quick snapshot of the priority issues and actions worked through at the most recent Joint Committee meeting between CFA and VFBV.
SPECIALIST VEHICLE INSPECTION
The committee held its May meeting, at CFA’s commissioning factory in Dandenong South. New appliances are housed at this factory whilst they await operational approval, equipment fit out, ergonomic assessments and the development of training materials.
The committee inspected the new Technical Rescue pods, Heavy Hazmat, new Forward Operations Vehicle, Aerial Pumpers and the 2 new Mobile Communication Buses.
The delegates provided CFA with feedback on each vehicle, but were equally impressed with the stowage and ergonomic work that has taken place that will rank these vehicles very highly in safety and manual handling.
The committee is seeking to ensure there are no barriers to volunteer use or training on any of these vehicles, and to ensure their placement is both strategic and risk based.
CREW PROTECTION
All 844 tankers that were originally identified for the crew protection retrofit sprays have now been completed. Work is now continuing on a further 74 tankers that were not originally identified, that will see the entire Tanker fleet now fitted with crew protection sprays bringing to a close a highly successful and ambitious project to roll this protection out across the fleet.
RED PLATING
State Council has endorsed the committee’s recommendations that were submitted to CFA that will see all brigades provided the opportunity to red plate their brigade owned vehicles, and have their registrations managed and renewed through a centralized system. CFA is now in talks with the Department of Treasury and Finance and VicRoads with regards to the offsetting of stamp duty and vehicle transfer fees. The committee continues to work with CFA to assist with the design of a changeover strategy that will see DMO’s used to manage the changeover, alleviating the needs for brigades to have to visit a VicRoads office. Work continues to progress.
2013/14 PRODUCTION PLANNING
CFA reported to the last meeting that no additional government funding had been provided for the planned 2013/14 production run. Historically, only one third of the yearly vehicle production budget comes from CFA base funding, with the remainder normally being sourced by intergovernmental (BERC) bid funding. CFA has advised its BERC bids for the 2013/14 production run was unsuccessful.
If no further funding will be provided, this will have major implications on the fleet age and profile. At present CFA would have to build 110 new vehicles per year, just to maintain a maximum age of 20 years. At present, CFA are already still running 21 Tankers built in 1986 tankers – making them the oldest in the fleet. They will be 27 years old this year.
VFBV has written to CFA seeking confirmation of their bid to government, and the VFBV Board will consider further action upon receipt of confirmation.
