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Update May 14th 2019: Final Reminder - that applications close Friday May 24th. Interested applicants are encouraged to submit their applications before the closing date. Applicants will need to be available for interview on Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th May.
Original Story posted: 28th February 2019.
The CFA legislation recognises that it is important that the CFA Board has strong volunteer expertise, knowledge and an understanding of CFA volunteers. To support this, CFA legislation provides for four of the CFA Board’s Members to be appointed from a panel of names submitted by Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria, two being representatives from brigades predominantly serving urban communities and two being representatives from brigades predominantly serving rural communities.
The terms of CFA Board Members Hazel Clothier, Lynda Hamilton, Peter Shaw & Tim Young expire 19th July 2019, triggering the need for VFBV to seek applications for a panel of names to be nominated for the next term commencing 20th July 2019.
VFBV is seeking applications for volunteers interested in filling one of the four VFBV nominated positions on the CFA Board.
CFA volunteers who believe they have the skills, experience and capacity to make a contribution to the Board of the CFA, are invited to apply for nomination to the CFA Board. In addition to volunteer experience and knowledge, selection will have regard to any of the following: knowledge of, or experience in, commercial, technical, operational, legal or financial matters; or expertise in fire or emergency management, land management or any other field relevant to the performance of the functions of the CFA.
From applications received and following interviews, VFBV will submit a panel of names to the Minister for Police & Emergency Services.
The CFA Board meets on a monthly basis and also operates a committee system which could require a commitment of one half day per month. Attendance at official functions is also expected.
The appointment to the CFA Board would be for a period of up to three years; the retiring members are eligible for re-appointment.
CFA Board members current annual remuneration is $58,598 (including superannuation).
The CFA Board Charter is available from the VFBV office, please phone (03) 9886 1141 to receive a copy. For other relevant information, interested volunteers should contact VFBV – contact details below.
Applications including a current resume must be emailed or faxed to VFBV by COB on Friday 24th May 2019 to: Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Fax 03 9886 1618. Postal applications can be sent to 9/24 Lakeside Drive, Burwood East VIC 3151
A Message from the VFBV State President - VFBV CEO Andrew Ford Stepping Down as CEO
Written by VFBVVFBV CEO Andrew Ford has advised the VFBV Board of his desire to step down as VFBV CEO as of end April 2019. While this is sad news for VFBV, I am sure you will share with me in recognising that Andrew has made an outstanding contribution to VFBV, CFA volunteers and the community over many years, and truly deserves our support as he chooses to pursue other career and family objectives.
Andrew was appointed to VFBV CEO in February 2007 and prior to that held various senior management positions as a CFA employee during a 15 year career commencing in 1992, and involving appointments as CFA Manager Corporate Planning and General Manager CFA Westernport Area.
Through Andrew’s leadership VFBV operates as a highly professional organisation and fortunately, in recognition that this time would eventually arrive, we have a well-established succession strategy in place. I am pleased to also announce that the VFBV Board has appointed experienced CFA volunteer and VFBV Executive Officer Adam Barnett as the new VFBV CEO from 1 May 2019.
Andrew has agreed to continue his outstanding commitment to CFA volunteers and stay on with VFBV in a part-time strategic advisory role. This will allow Andrew to focus his energy and expertise on driving VFBV’s focus on navigating the complex and challenging period ahead that will almost certainly see the Victorian State Government push ahead with its plans to create Fire Rescue Victoria. As members know, this involves plans to separate operational paid staff out of CFA and discontinue Victoria’s world-renowned model of integrating volunteers and paid staff working as one unified team and VFBV has been very clear that it poses significant risks to the sustainability and effectiveness of CFA.
The VFBV Board is extremely grateful to Andrew for remaining with us in this part-time capacity to support a smooth transition for our new CEO and enable an even stronger focus on navigating the very vulnerable times that the Governments fire service reform agenda will create. Freeing Andrew up from the day to day leadership of VFBV will allow him to dedicate his significant expertise to help us influence an outcome that can achieve the strongest possible CFA despite the significant downsides of a very flawed fire service reform proposition.
In addition to continuing part time with VFBV, Andrew will be pursuing some other career interests and taking the opportunity to establish a better family /work balance following what has been a very demanding role as VFBV CEO over the past 12 years. We wish Andrew well with these endeavours and will watch with interest as the next steps in his career evolve.
Andrew, I take this opportunity to thank you personally for your wisdom, leadership, integrity and courage. Your knowledge and expertise on matters relating to CFA particularly and Victoria’s emergency management sector generally is second to none. Your understanding and expertise on matters relating to CFA and other emergency management sector volunteers is an invaluable asset that we must somehow remain connected to. You will be sorely missed as VFBV CEO and greatly appreciated in the role you will continue to play with VFBV and CFA into the future.
I take this opportunity to welcome Adam Barnett into the VFBV CEO role. Adam is well known throughout both VFBV and CFA and is a highly experienced and well-regarded operator. Adam has acted as VFBV CEO on numerous occasions and performed excellently during these periods. Adam brings 13 years CFA experience to the role, joining VFBV in July 2007, and is well known to members through his role as VFBV Executive Officer since 2010. Adam has worked on behalf of CFA volunteers for many years and his preparation to operate in the CEO role has been underway as part of VFBVs ongoing strategic planning for some time.
Adam will hit the ground running with regard to the continued day-to-day leadership of VFBV, the strategic challenges presenting to us and the important ground work we must always do to support, engage with and advocate for CFA volunteers and the work volunteers do to protect Victorian communities.
Having Adam take on ongoing management and leadership of VFBV and at the same time being able to retain the expertise of Andrew during what will be a very challenging and vulnerable time for CFA in the year ahead is the best possible way to transition to Andrew’s departure from the CEO role. As VFBV President I am very proud that VFBV has established such a mature transition arrangement that provides continuity and stable leadership despite a period of significant vulnerability and upheaval in the emergency sector and CFA.
Further announcements will be made about an opportunity to recognise Andrews outstanding contribution to VFBV and to give him an appropriate farewell from his role as VFBV CEO.
Work will commence immediately to recruit a new VFBV Executive Officer to replace Adam. Rest assured that VFBV is well positioned to make this milestone transition.
VFBV’s strength comes not just from our leadership positions but from you our members, and I take this opportunity to express my ongoing gratitude to all of you for the contribution you make to ensuring the voice of volunteers is respected and heard. We remain steadfast in our commitment to represent volunteers on all matters that affect them so that on behalf of all Victorians we sustain strong volunteerism and the strongest possible CFA for the benefit of our communities.
Nev Jones AFSM
VFBV State President
Results from this weekends State Junior Championships in Kerang are being posted as they are available here: https://www.facebook.com/Volunteer-Fire-Brigades-Victoria-Championships-451309545285820/
You can also access a live photo feed from our Flickr account found here: https://flic.kr/s/aHskNY4FKc
Final Update (End of Day 2)
Interim Update:
The Aggregate results as at the end of Day 1:
Final Results can be downloaded from the bottom of this page under Attachments.
Full Results are now available at: https://vfbv.com.au/index.php/component/k2/item/670-2019-junior-championships-results-feed-and-photos
A reminder for everyone to consider getting along to the State Urban Junior Championships to be held at Kerang this weekend (Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 February).
Come and see tomorrow’s CFA volunteers proudly demonstrate their skills and if you are not involved with the CFA juniors program or haven’t witnessed the value the VFBV Junior Championships provide for young volunteers to develop practical skills and to be actively involved in CFA then get along and be inspired.
The Championships are being held at:
Atkinson Park
Corner Murray Valley Highway and Museum Drive
Kerang
To learn more about the history of the Championships, please visit: http://www.vfbv.com.au/index.php/champs/championships/history
2019 State Urban Junior Championships
The Kerang Fire Brigade is hosting the 2019 Urban Junior State Championships in Kerang, on 23/24 February 2019.
Urban junior fire brigade competitions have a proud 46-year history, with the annual State Championships attracting around 66 teams from across Victoria, and two teams as far away as Western Australia.
Each of us will deal with the memory in our own way, and we hope no one is doing this alone. This is a time for quiet reflection and a time to remember each single life impacted, each family impacted, and each community impacted. The quantum of loss was devastating and the impact on communities profound.
Our thoughts and prayers are with every person who suffered loss, every firefighter or emergency worker who did what they could to help, and every person feeling pain any time and particularly now as the events of 2009 and Black Saturday will raise in profile as this years 10-year commemorations take place.
We reflect on the incredible contribution of CFA volunteers and the CFA paid staff who work alongside them; the huge number of volunteers and paid staff from a whole range of agencies; and people across all parts of the community and business world who came together to combat the fires, deal with the impacts, recover and learn so that we could be better placed to deal with future emergencies.
A lot was learned both during and following these dreadful fires. Many of our lives did change forever after February 2009 and everyone put in an amazing effort to prevent what could well have been an even more catastrophic loss.
To everyone who remembers the fires referred to now as the Black Saturday fires and the other fires of the 2009 summer - take care and lean on someone if you need to talk or need support.
The Member Assistance Program is available through the support line, 24 hours a day on 1800-959-232.
Trained and experienced psychologists, counsellors, peers and chaplains are available to all members and their immediate families through this free and confidential service.
Take care of yourselves, and look after one another.
We are pleased to announce that the bid for additional Cold Climate Jackets through this year’s Volunteer Emergency Service Equipment Program has been successful. We thank CFA for their support for the bid.
Though the final amount approved was less than hoped – it is envisaged that the allocated funding will cover up-to an additional 1,900 jackets State wide.
VFBV has offered to run the ordering process so that Brigades and Groups can be assured of having the opportunity to order specific sizes relevant to their membership profile.
Brigades/Groups can download Order forms from the bottom of this page, and paper copies have been posted to all Brigade/Group secretaries in the January VFBV Mailout.
Completed order forms are due back by 28th February, so please follow-up with your Brigade/Group secretary ASAP.
VFBV will continue to advocate for additional funding to further increase allocations. Delivery of the new Jackets are expected late June early July ready for the winter season.
CFA Opens Volunteer Workwear Survey - Have your Say
Written by VFBVVFBV has been advised that the CFA Chief Officer has released CFA’s survey on Volunteer Workwear.
CFA’s proposal for volunteer workwear consists of a baseball cap, half zip jumper, polo shirt, cargo pants, belt and epaulettes. A Frequently Asked Questions is available by following the link below.
As per previous updates, VFBV has not been involved in the design of these garments – however we urge members to participate in the survey and have their say. According to the email sent out by the Chief on Friday, the survey will be open for six weeks.
You can participate in the survey by going to: https://cfaonline.cfa.vic.gov.au/mycfa/Show?pageId=volunteerWorkwear
This will require you to log in to Brigades Online.
Workwear has been a contentious issue for several years now – so members are urged to have their say. While VFBV has strongly advocated through our Uniform Working Party for workwear to have no impact on Uniforms and for CFA to consult with volunteers on workwear design – it is important members are aware we are not part of the decision-making process and CFA will be the ultimate decision maker. We have no representation on the Committee or Project panel dealing with this issue, therefore, it is critical that volunteers get involved and provide your feedback on CFA’s proposed designs.
If you have an opinion on workwear – good – bad or indifferent - please complete the survey and make sure your opinion is known. We encourage all members to participate.
Some members have reported that when they visited the survey they were told it was closed. CFA has advised they have tracked down what was causing this and have fixed it, so please try again.
Go to https://cfaonline.cfa.vic.gov.au/mycfa/Show?pageId=volunteerWorkwear to complete the survey today.
Recent VFBV Updates on Workwear can be found in the following Newsletter Archives:
November 2018: http://archive.aweber.com/awlist3520901/IRYyF/h/VFBV_Newsletter_November.htm
October 2018 - Detailed Update: http://archive.aweber.com/awlist3520901/ASa8_/h/VFBV_Newsletter_October.htm
August 2018: http://archive.aweber.com/awlist3520901/BLsZR/h/VFBV_Newsletter_August_2018.htm
Commemorating 20 Years since Linton - Remembering our fallen firefighters
Written by VFBVToday we recognises the sacrifice made by five Geelong West volunteer firefighters that died in the fire at Linton 20 years ago today. We honour and remember the loss of firefighters Christopher Evans (27), Garry Vredeveldt (47), Stuart Davidson (28), Jason Thomas (25) and Matthew Armstrong (17).
To commemorate the event Geelong West Brigade is conducting a memorial service this evening with family representatives, Geelong West Brigade members, CFA members and people from the wider emergency services community gathering at the memorial in West Park, Geelong West.
It was December 2nd 1998, when a bushfire burned through private land and State Forest near the township of Linton. At approximately 8:45pm two CFA tankers and their crews were trapped and engulfed in fire following an unexpected wind change. The crew of one of those trucks – the five men of Geelong West Brigade were tragically lost.
Members from Geelong West Brigade believe it is very important to not just commemorate the fallen firefighters, but also recognise that the five fallen firefighters did not die in vain as their deaths became the catalyst for improved changes in fire-fighting training and fire-ground safety which has potentially saved many lives since.
Some of the key improvements implemented as a result of the learnings from Linton have been the introduction of low water alarms on firefighting trucks to inform crews when water is low, the introduction of minimum skills for all firefighters, improved PPC and equipment as well as new operating procedures for mandatory wind warnings when wind changes are imminent.
The inscription on the path leading to the memorial reads:
This Path Leads To The Memorial Erected By The People Of Linton And Snake Valley To Honour The Five Geelong West Firefighters Who Died After Being Trapped By Fire On 2 December, 1998.
The Eight Pointed Star Represents The Qualities Required By A Firefighter : Tact, Loyalty, Dexterity, Observation, Sympathy, Explicitness, Gallantry And Perseverance.
On behalf of the VFBV Board, CEO and all members we pay our respects and honour the Geelong West crew of Chris, Garry, Stuart, Jason and Matthew. We give thanks to their devotion to duty, and offer our thoughts and prayers for those still mourning their sad loss.
A reminder that the CFA Wellbeing Support Line is 1800 959 232.
The service provides members, staff and their families with a single point of entry to the Member Assistance Program (24-hour counselling) as well as peer support, chaplaincy support, Centre Against Sexual Assault, Bullying and Harassment hotline, manager assist, and organisational wellbeing services. It is a free and confidential service available to all CFA volunteers, employees, and their immediate families.
VFBV welcomes and congratulates our new Minister, the Honourable Lisa Neville MP who has been appointed Minister for Police and Emergency Services. The Premier has also announced that the Department of Justice and Regulation will now be renamed the Department of Justice and Community Safety as of 1 January 2019.
Many members had an opportunity to meet Lisa during this years CFA Annual State Memorial service that was held at the South Barwon Civic Centre, Belmont back in May. The memorial service is an important time for members to reflect and pay tribute to those lives lost in the selfless sacrifice to the protection of Victorian communities, and this year we were honoured to be joined by Lisa to pay our respects to the Ash Wednesday and Linton incidents as part of the annual service.
Background
Lisa Neville was elected as the Member for Bellarine in 2002.
Lisa was previously the Minister for Police and Water in the Victorian State Parliament. Under the previous Labor Government, Lisa served as the Minister for Mental Health, the first in Australia, and as Minister for Community Services and Senior Victorians from 2006-2010.
Her work prior to being elected was in the community sector, including as Manager of the SpringDale Neighbourhood Centre in Drysdale, President of the Board of Barwon Health and Chairperson of the Barwon Network of Neighbourhood Houses.
She maintains a keen interest in issues and services for women and children, people with a disability and older Victorians.
Lisa continues to be committed to the people of Bellarine, listening to their concerns and working with them and community organisations on the issues that matter to them.
She is a strong advocate for improved services and infrastructure for the growing population on the Bellarine Peninsula.
Lisa is a single parent with a teenage son. They particularly enjoy watching the Cats win together!
Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria (VFBV) has wished a group of Victorian CFA firefighters well as planning is underway for a week-long deployment to Queensland to support local crews that have been battling almost 150 bushfires burning across the State.
On behalf of the VFBV Board, CEO and all members, we wish our crews safe travels for their deployment, and want them to know the Victorian community has their backs.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk explained the seriousness of the situation saying, “We have never ever in this state been in this situation before…. " She has described current conditions as "unprecedented" and "uncharted".
Victoria is privileged to have an emergency service like the CFA that delivers an extensive surge capacity of world-class volunteer firefighters that ensures backup is available whenever and wherever it is needed while still maintaining local service levels.
We have received many messages of support for the CFA and its volunteers recently, so we know the Victorian community is right behind these incredible women and men as they leave Victoria.
While many people around the world are in awe of the skills and commitment of our volunteers, this is simply what the amazing 55,000 volunteers of Victoria’s CFA do when someone needs help. Our members will be helping Queensland's very dedicated fire brigades and 34,000 volunteers.
CFA volunteers know that every so often something catastrophic happens that no one can manage alone and that’s when the value of our system really comes to the fore.
Two things we all ought to be extremely grateful for are the incredible women and men who so willingly volunteer to leave their homes and families to protect those of others and the service that enables them to do it.
We are all very proud to have the backs of those heading north today and send our thoughts and prayers with those travelling and the Queensland communities they will help.
More...
Whilst some of the more detailed results of the 2018 Victorian Election are yet to be confirmed, Victorians have strongly supported the election of a Labor Government led by Premier Daniel Andrews. VFBV congratulates Mr Andrews and his Labor team on what can only be described as an emphatic victory.
Since Saturday, members have asked a number of questions including what the election result means for the CFA; what are likely to be the next steps regarding previous reform proposals; if it will impact on the forthcoming summer fire season and if VFBV will continue its campaign to educate politicians on the importance of an integrated CFA and our volunteers. These are big questions and the reality is that many of the answers will evolve over coming days, weeks and months.
Although the ALP did not publish a formal policy about fire service reform as part of its election campaign, Premier Andrews did verbally respond to questions from journalists by suggesting he wanted to pursue it but hasn’t yet provided details regarding his proposed timing or approach. Regardless of the path ultimately taken, VFBV’s strong advice is that it would be unwise to cause disruption on the cusp of what is widely forecast to be an extreme and dangerous summer fire period.
VFBV will continue to advocate for a careful rethink about which service model is best for Victoria, seeking to ensure all politicians are fully informed about the impacts of previous proposals. VFBV has maintained the need for an evidence-based approach and as such, will continue to advocate the proven strengths of the CFA model. We know the CFA can meet growing service demands and improve performance where needed without destroying the culture and ethos of our world-class integrated system.
VFBV asserts that it is critically important a proper and transparent process of community, agency, volunteer and union engagement and consultation is part of any process in developing and considering reform policy and legislation well before any decisions are made.
Our priority will continue to be community safety and to this end, it is crucial that volunteers support each other through any anxiety or ill-feeling caused by uncertainty and focus on the season ahead.
For those of you who are already feeling that the effort is no longer worth it, pleased hold on and remember why we volunteer. The journey ahead might look disappointing and even daunting, but for now, focus on what we do best - serve our communities. There is no better demonstration of the great value of the current CFA model and it is also by far the best way to change the minds of those who might still be talking down the CFA, volunteer capacity and professionalism.
Another way volunteers can help is to continue working with your local community, politicians and other leadership networks to raise awareness about the importance and strengths of the CFA model. What we have works best for Victoria and has proven to be able to evolve to meet the needs of our growing communities for many decades. This is well evidenced and recorded in previous enquiries and the 2009 Bushfires Royal Commission. For those who communicate with Members of Parliament, the most important and useful thing they can do right now is to take the CFA Pledge:
“I commit that I will not support any action that alters the existing CFA legislative arrangements unless such changes are recommended by an expert and independent review based on proper, transparent and evidence-based feasibility/cost/benefit analysis involving thorough consultation with CFA volunteers
AND
I commit that I will not support any action, policy or legislative change likely to impact on CFA volunteers until the obligations and commitments set out in the CFA Volunteer Charter have been explicitly and fully adhered to.”
VFBV has congratulated Premier Andrews on his government’s re-election and formally requested a meeting to discuss the most effective and efficient way to address important issues like these.
CFA volunteers and supporters of VFBV should be extremely proud of our extended family for the consistent and professional approach we have taken to speak up about policy proposals that will damage the ability of our excellent CFA to continue protecting Victoria into the future. We are united in our commitment to providing frank and fearless advice to all Members of Parliament and will always do so with the single goal of delivering the best possible outcomes for the whole of Victoria.
On behalf of the VFBV Board and CEO we wish to sincerely thank members for your ongoing support and hope that with a little more work and patience, we will still have a chance to change the minds of those who talk down the CFA and the amazing work you do.
Please forward this message to your networks and thank your colleagues for the incredible work they do on the ground every day to prepare and protect our community.
VFBV will continue to work hard to represent and advocate on behalf of CFA volunteers to Premier Andrews and his team and will endeavor to start work immediately with the Minister for Fire and Emergency Services as soon as the new Cabinet is announced.
Members may be aware of recent media reports of a significant data breach resulting in personal information relating to emergency services personnel circulating on the 'dark web'.
After preliminary investigations we can advise members of the following:
- CFA has confirmed that there has been NO breach of CFA systems
- The data breach appears to be limited to a small subset of members and is limited to data that is shared with the wider sector regarding members who perform Incident Management roles
- The data suggests the information includes volunteers and staff from CFA, MFB, VicPol and DELWP
- The information appears limited to name, rank, Brigade/Work Location, gender and member ID. CFA has confirmed that the data does not include any medical information
- The majority of CFA members who have had their data shared have been contacted. Work continues to reach anyone by phone who does not have a current email address
- Due to the multi agency aspect of the breach, the Department of Premier and Cabinet is coordinating Government response. The matter has been referred to Victoria Police who are being supported by IDCARE who is the National identity and cyber support service
CFA has advised that it is working with partner agencies to ensure data security is heightened to reduce the potential for any breaches. We will continue to monitor and advise of any updates as they become available.
The November 2018 Newsletter is now available. Click here to view the full November 2018 edition.
You can view all previous editions by visiting the Archives available by clicking here. (Click on the Months Heading after you go to this page - to expand that months content.)
Editorial: Critical messages for the month ahead |
By Andrew Ford, VFBV Chief Executive Officer |
As we all prepare for the upcoming fire season, many are also nervous about the end of November when Victoria will elect its 59th Parliament and the fate of the CFA will be decided.
It is fair to say that for those of us involved in trying to help governments develop and implement policies that make things better, this election comes after a very challenging four years – and it’s not over yet.
Members know that VFBV started lobbying the Liberal Government before the last election in 2014 for Presumptive Cancer Legislation for CFA Volunteers. As history shows, the then Labor opposition promised to deliver Presumptive Legislation if elected.
This promise was not delivered.
Earlier this year, the Andrews Government introduced extremely controversial legislation alarmingly tying a deficient firefighters presumptive firefighters presumptive cancer Bill to proposed legislation that that would dismantle the CFA and further erode the CFA Chief and others’ power and control. Worse still, the Presumptive Cancer component did not deliver what was promised to volunteers and perpetuated discriminatory bureaucratic hurdles applying only to volunteers.
Many Members of Parliament were in support of progressing presumptive cancer legislation but could not vote for it because doing so would have also meant the destruction of the CFA. Moves to separate the legislation and progress the cancer protection components separately were also blocked by Labor, Greens and Reason Party MPs.
VFBV always seeks to remain non-party political in that we don’t “pick sides”, but we do have a very important role in making sure that any proposed policy is in the best interests of the safety of our communities and support to our members irrespective of which political party is in power.
Unfortunately just last week, Daniel Andrews confirmed he plans to pursue the same agenda to dismantle the CFA and hand the UFU even more control of Victoria’s fire services if he is still the Premier after the election. However, we know there are Members of the Labor Party who disagree with Mr Andrews and Candidates from other Parties who hold strong views on the issue as well.
Given the community interest in supporting CFA Volunteers and the diversity of views among political candidates - even within the same Party - VFBV is inviting every Candidate in every Electorate to publicly commit to the pledge below.
Responses are still coming in, but I urge everyone to visit www.CFAPledge.com.au to see if the Candidates in your electorate have taken the pledge to support CFA Volunteers or made any other comments that might help you and your family get a more clear picture of who you would like to represent you in Parliament.
Unrelated to the election, VFBV has also just launched some public messaging as part of a range of things we are progressively developing to help the public:
- better understand the range and extent of the work CFA Volunteers do to keep our community safe,
- learn about how they can help CFA Volunteers by being prepared in case of emergency, and
- have more “skin in the game” by actively engaging with us as Supporters of CFA Volunteers.
This year, we have produced two audio messages voiced by VFBV State President Nev Jones that will be played on various radio stations across Victoria until summer. We have also developed a new public-facing website called www.SupportCFAVolunteers.com.au which aims to separate news, tools and information from the technical and operational information members need from our existing www.vfbv.com.au site. Most importantly, the new site encourages visitors to register as a Supporter of CFA Volunteers which will allow us to develop a network of people who care.
It is important for all of us to remind the community about the capacity, value and essential nature of CFA Volunteers and the current CFA model.
The CFA community embedded and volunteer-based model, with volunteers and paid CFA staff working together as one team, is the best model for Victoria. As CFA Volunteers, we also know the current CFA model is the only model capable of mobilising the enormous resources required to deal with major, concurrent and long duration fires experienced almost every Victorian summer.
The fact is that all major fire services reviews, including the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission, recognised the vital importance of the current CFA model, and in particular, the importance of:
- the flexibility and capacity of CFA that exists because of its fully integrated paid and volunteer model, to continually evolve and adapt to meet changing risk circumstances and growing community service demands;
- CFA’s highly trained and prepared volunteer surge capacity able to be mobilised from volunteer brigades across Melbourne’s outer metropolitan area, provincial towns and CFA’s network of almost 1200 brigades;
- the value of CFA’s major incident management experience and local knowledge that exists within CFA’s vast volunteer resource;
- the importance of the CFA model as a fundamental foundation of community capacity and resilience; and
- the importance of respecting and recognising the value and professionalism of the work performed by CFA volunteers.
Unfortunately, some politicians and others with influence over them, have spent much of the past four years repeatedly telling the public that the CFA model no longer works, is stuck in the past, is outdated and somehow second- rate compared to a paid firefighter model.
While it’s obvious to us that dismantling CFA is not the answer, the repetition of this spin and political argy-bargy has left much of the public confused and with less confidence in our incredible service.
Please encourage your colleagues and friends to visit www.SupportCFAVolunteers.com.au and register as a Supporter of CFA Volunteers, and www.CFAPledge.com.au to learn more about the support your local Candidates are promising to CFA Volunteers if they are elected on 24 November.
Most importantly, I ask all volunteers to please actively support VFBV’s efforts to secure from every candidate, their commitment to the following pledge:
“I commit that I will not support any action that alters the existing CFA legislative arrangements unless such changes are recommended by an expert and independent review based on proper, transparent and evidence-based feasibility/cost/benefit analysis involving thorough consultation with CFA volunteers
AND
I commit that I will not support any action, policy or legislative change likely to impact on CFA volunteers until the obligations and commitments set out in the CFA Volunteer Charter have been explicitly and fully adhered to.”
As candidates’ responses to the pledge are received, it will be very important that these are made known to as wider community audience as possible, congratulating those who take the pledge and encouraging those who don’t to think again. I urge all members to personally get involved and take action to spread the word and help ensure CFA is not destroyed.
Plumbing Regulations |
The Victorian Government has recently completed its sunset review of the Plumbing Regulations, and have again failed to consult with VFBV or volunteers during its review. The Minister for Planning Mr Richard Wynne has announced the new Regulations which are to come into effect on 18 November 2018. The new regulations will have an impact on any CFA brigade that is currently providing FEM (Fire Equipment Maintenance) services to their communities and currently service fire hose reels.
Under the new Regulations, ‘routine servicing’ has been explicitly inserted into the regulations which will have the effect of regulating the twice-yearly routine servicing of all fire hose reels that has previously been done by qualified CFA Brigades, and now requires this work to be done by a licensed plumber.
There are currently more than 300 CFA Brigades and more than 1500 CFA members currently trained and performing routine inspection and service on fire equipment to over 30,000 premises across Victoria.
The regulations sunset review was conducted by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning. Despite VFBV raising its concerns directly during the review period – both DELWP and CFA have failed to engage with VFBV or volunteers on the significant impacts that the new regulations will have on CFA volunteers.
Disappointingly, DELWP ignored VFBV’s requests for engagement and consultation during the review, eventually responding to VFBV correspondence advising that the “public consultation period is now closed.”
Most alarmingly, over a month after the regulatory review was finalised, CFA formally advised VFBV that it had not completed work on potential impacts of the new regulations, and would advise VFBV “in due course.” CFA further advised that it was CFA’s view that the most appropriate approach is to wait for the legislation to be drafted and passed by government prior to formal engagement with brigades or VFBV.
As a result – the full impact of this legislative change was most likely little understood by decision makers during the Regulatory Impact process.
Current CFA recommended pricing of the six-monthly Level 1 hose reel servicing for example is $6.50 with the annual Level 2 service provided for $15.50 Concerns about the lack of licensed plumbers willing to conduct this rudimentary work, especially in remote rural areas, has led many to fear market economics of supply and demand may drive large scale non-compliance and put upward pressure on costs that will inevitably be passed on to the public.
Volunteer Workwear and Structural Helmets |
VFBV continues to receive a high number of enquiries from the field requesting updates on Volunteer Workwear and Structural Helmets. We have very little information on either of these topics, and unfortunately have very little to add to that of previous updates. We share members frustration with the lack of information or status.
With regards to volunteer workwear, VFBV received a request from CFA on the 3rd October 2018 asking that we provide feedback on a draft survey that CFA was proposing to run on the week starting the 15th October. VFBV responded to this correspondence with feedback on the proposed survey and have not received any further information, and are unsure why the survey was not released as planned. Delegates from the Joint VFBV/CFA Volunteerism committee requested an update on Sunday 18th November, and were advised that CFA would get back to us.
With regards to Structural Helmets, VFBV’s last conversation on this topic was held with CFA on the 11th October 2018. Following the Chief Officer’s updates via facebook in the week preceding that meeting, VFBV advised CFA that as CFA had decided to trial a number of helmets - it was our expectation that user trials be established as a priority – and that volunteers have an opportunity to be involved in field trials across the State ASAP. We have not received any further information on timing or arrangements, and no further information was provided to Joint Committees over the weekend on its current status or tender progress.
Presumptive Legislation for all firefighters promised by Liberal National Coalition |
On Saturday 27th October 2018, the Victorian Liberal Opposition leader Matthew Guy MP and Brad Battin MP Shadow Minister for Emergency Services promised a Liberal National Government will introduce a Presumptive Legislation Bill in the first parliamentary sitting week of 2019 if elected this November.
Brad Battin has confirmed that the legislation proposed by the Victorian Liberal Opposition addresses key principles raised by VFBV, including:
- will cover the 12 specified cancers and qualifying periods as per Commonwealth legislation;
- will treat volunteers and paid firefighters equally for eligibility and will not apply extra hurdles or process for volunteers;
- will include exposures occurring because of firefighting training activity;
- will provide support mechanisms to establish eligibility where historical records are deficient, like the QLD approach. Will NOT twist this process in a way that creates a barrier to volunteer eligibility;
- will include provisions to provide special consideration for exceptional exposure events
- will NOT be tied to other unrelated legislation or negative change, policy, parameters etc as a pre-condition for it being introduced to parliament; and
- will be introduced to parliament in the first sitting week of 2019, if Liberal Nationals elected this November
This is welcome news and comes on the back of many years of broken promises and political games surrounding this issue.
This is an issue fundamental to supporting firefighters, yet its progress has been frustrated by broken promises, proposals that discriminated against volunteers and for the past year has been inappropriately and immorally tied up as a ransom note and condition of people caving into the Victorian Governments agenda of dismantling CFA and giving more control of CFA to the UFU.
This is an issue fundamental to supporting firefighters, yet its progress has been frustrated by broken promises, proposals that discriminated against volunteers and for the past year has been inappropriately and immorally tied up as a ransom note and condition of people caving into the Victorian Governments agenda of dismantling CFA and giving more control of CFA to the UFU.
VFBV has been campaigning for this important legislation since 2011 and feel very frustrated that despite promises made by the current State Government during the lead up to the last State election we are now the only state in Australia that does not have this legislation in place.
VFBV has consistently argued that the health and safety of our firefighters should be a priority, above politics. Whilst we congratulate the Liberal National Coalition for making this announcement it is important that volunteers now re double our efforts to encourage all politicians to immediately make it a bi-partisan commitment.
Volunteers now need to directly contact your local MP and candidates running in the coming Victorian State election and let them know that:
- we want all politicians to immediately commit to bipartisan support for simple, non-discriminatory presumptive legislation for all Victorian firefighters;
- the move by the Victorian Government earlier this year to tie legislation protecting firefighter’s health to unrelated and flawed legislation to dismantle CFA was a huge slap in the face for CFA volunteers and our paid firefighter colleagues.
- as firefighters across Victoria prepare for a busy and high-risk summer period the least they should be offered peace of mind to know that if they contract cancer as a result of their firefighting duties there will be simple and fair protection that will look after them rather than drag them into complex and unfair legal battle as is currently the case.
- CFA volunteers are extremely frustrated that the current political and industrial game playing with CFA means that we head into summer without this cancer protection
- we call on all politicians to commit to supporting the commitment announced today by the Liberal National coalition
- we also call on every politician to promise never again to tie the firefighter cancer protection issue or any other support for firefighter’s health to any agenda to dismantle CFA or any agenda to diminish the important work that volunteers do.
Ask your local MP to explain to you why a firefighter’s health in Victoria is less important than firefighters in every other state? And let them know that we think holding firefighter’s health as a ransom note for politically motivated destruction of CFA is immoral and irresponsible.
Victoria is the only state without Presumptive Legislation for Firefighters
Scientific evidence already shows firefighters are more prone to certain cancers than the general public, because of their firefighting activities. This evidence has been accepted by a Senate Inquiry, the Australian Parliament and all other State Governments, and it is time Victorian firefighters also had fair access to compensation.
VFBV has worked actively with volunteer representative bodies in all other states to ensure this protection is implemented and to ensure that legislation in each state does not discriminate against volunteers. So whilst we endure continued frustration here in Victoria it’s great to see the legislation in place in each other state.
With the New South Wales Government tabling its Presumptive Legislation recently, this leaves Victoria as the only State in Australia that does not provide presumptive legislation for its firefighters.
Unlike the inferior legislation proposed by the Victorian Government (earlier this year) linked to the carve up of CFA and discriminating against volunteers, the NSW legislation treats volunteer and paid firefighters equally, is simple, has no arbitrary incident activity thresholds hurdles applying for volunteers and does not impose an arbitrary cut-off limit post service.
To Recap – Important Background
Presumptive legislation is commonly referred to as the Firefighters’ Cancer Law – it is designed to provide a fairer and simpler path to compensation for volunteer and paid firefighters who contract typical firefighter cancers.
Presumptive Legislation removes the almost impossible barrier to accessing their existing entitlements. Because of the long onset periods of cancer, firefighter’s have to prove their cancer was caused by one particular fire or incident that might have happened 10 or 15 years ago.
Presumptive Legislation reverses the onus of proof – the firefighter’s cancer would be presumed to be work related provided the firefighter has sufficient years of service. A firefighter’s claim could still be rejected if it could be proven that the cancer was not related to firefighting duties.
Presumption allows the firefighter to concentrate on treatment and recovery, not a lengthy and expensive court case.
The cancers and years-of-service eligibility requirements that appear in the Commonwealth and other States’ legislation can be found here.
What volunteers can do
Speak up.
Ask your local Member of Parliament and any candidate standing in the coming November Victorian State Election for their support – go and see them, write them a letter or send an email, let them know that:
- we want all politicians to immediately commit to bipartisan support for simple, non-discriminatory presumptive legislation for all Victorian firefighters;
- the move by the Victorian Government earlier this year to tie legislation protecting firefighter’s health to unrelated and flawed legislation to dismantle CFA was a huge slap in the face for CFA volunteers and our paid firefighter colleagues.
- as firefighters across Victoria prepare for a busy and high-risk summer period the least they should be offered is to know that if they contract cancer as a result of their firefighting duties there will be simple and fair protection that will look after them rather than drag them into complex and unfair legal battle as is currently the case.
- CFA volunteers are extremely frustrated that the current political and industrial game playing with CFA means that we head into summer without this cancer protection
- we call on all politicians to commit to supporting the commitment announced today by the Liberal National coalition
- we also call on every politician to promise never again to tie the firefighter cancer protection issue or any other support for firefighter’s health to any agenda to dismantle CFA or any other unrelated issue.
Ask your local politicians to explain to you why a firefighter’s health in Victoria is less important than firefighters in every other state? And let them know that we think holding firefighter’s health as a ransom note for politically motivated destruction of CFA is wicked, immoral and irresponsible.
Ask them for a clear-cut answer - Do they support presumptive legislation that treats volunteer and paid firefighters equally?
Ask them to specifically commit that they will support stand-alone, unambiguous, no tricks presumptive cancer legislation?
And while you are there, ask them to promise they will not support any action, legislation or policy that will dismantle CFA.
Visit VFBV website for further information and visit www.SupportCFAVolunteers.com.au to see what politicians are saying or to share important feedback.
VEOHRC Review to Remain Blocked |
VFBV has been advised by VEOHRC that the Commission has decided not to apply to the High Court for special leave to appeal the Court of Appeal decision which stopped the release of the VEOHRC report into MFB and CFA. The Commission has expressed their disappointed that the report was blocked from being published and have advised that the Court of Appeal decision means that the Commission must stop working on the review and cannot publish the final report.
The VEOHRC Commissioner has acknowledged the frustration that this will cause the thousands of individuals who bravely shared their personal stories of harassment, intimidation and discrimination and has expressed her extreme disappointment that the court result means that these insights may never be used for positive change. VFBV will continue to urge VEOHRC and the UFU to find a way to ensure the reviews most important opportunities for improvement are able to be made public but the latest advice from VEOHRC does not give this aspiration much hope.
VFBV remains astonished that once again too much external interference in the management of CFA has been able to stop the release of a Government report, sadly this is further proof of the excessive interference we have been seeking to expose for some years.
VEOHRC has invited anyone who has experienced discrimination, sexual harassment or victimisation in the fire services and wishes to make a confidential complaint to contact their independent conciliation service. This offer should be taken up by anyone with a concern.
Many volunteers have contacted VFBV expressing their anger and frustration about the external interference and ability for a legal technicality to be used to stop this important VEOHRC work and these concerns have been strongly represented to VEOHRC, members are encouraged to also contact VEOHRC directly.
VFBV News Notes |
The following VFBV News Notes have been released in the last month and can each be found on our website.
- 2 November 2018 - New Plumbing Regulations come into force on 18 November 2018
- 8 November 2018 - Call for Community to Support CFA Volunteers
- 9 November 2018 - Recent Radio Advertisements
- 14 November 2018 - Volunteers ask politicians to take a pledge not to dismantle CFA
- 16 November 2018 - Declining CFA Volunteer Numbers
Changes to Pager Message Format Rolling Out in December
Written by Adam BarnettCFA have advised that ESTA will roll out several enhancements to the paging templates during December 2018, these enhancements have been facilitated based on feedback from the field.
Members would remember from previous VFBV Joint Committee updates that back in 2013, CFA agreed to modify the format of pager messages that would see the ten-digit incident number moved from the front of the message – to the end. This was a result of strong volunteer feedback when CFA moved from the old 4-line EAS Pager to the now two-line Alpha Legend pagers. The logic; given the smaller screen real-estate – moving any non-essential info out of the first two lines would help people see more important incident information without having to scroll.
The enhancements being rolled out next month include (but are not restricted to) the following;
• Event number will now be at the end of the pager message
• Alarm template has been updated to include the Key Peg in front of key details (where key peg details have been provided)
• EMR template has been updated to include the agencies notified and the AV case number at the end of the pager message. Also changed is the EMR ancillary page (non-emergency) which will not contain patient details but still allow non EMR responder's to know the Brigade has been paged to an EMR event
An example of the new format is below:
CFA Operational Communications has also put out a document outlining the changes in more detail and providing several examples. You can download a copy of that guide form the bottom of this page, under Downloads.