News 
Issue 12: April 2015
A quick snapshot of the priority issues and actions worked through at the most recent Joint Committee meeting between CFA and VFBV. (Meeting held 22/03/15)
DRIVER TRAINING
CFA has advised that an audit of the state requirements for driver training and of the current pool of available driver trainers will be completed by the end of March 2015.
Vic Roads has indicated to CFA that minor changes to the current driver training course to incorporate a section on load securing would potentially halve the licence test time for volunteers and contribute to a cost saving in licence testing fees.
Vic Roads have also indicated that further changes could see CFA conducting the licence testing themselves, therefore only requiring the successful candidate to present CFA authorisation to Vic Roads to receive a licence. CFA will investigate these options and determine a phased approach to improving the driver training and testing process for members.
The delegates see this as a positive and requested CFA to move forward with improving the process so that more CFA volunteers can access driver training and assessment.
STRUCTURAL FIREFIGHTING
The completed ‘Respond to Urban Fire’ training package, now known as the ‘Structural Firefighting’ package will be formally handed over to Structural Instructors by the end of March 2015 and structural instructors will then hand the package over to Districts for delivery planning.
Given the expected demand for this package and potential impact on CFA training budgets, VFBV has requested that CFA monitor demand and provide a regular report back to the Joint Training Committee on course demand and delivery per District, including the use of volunteer trainers and assessors.
VEMTC CRAIGIEBURN
CFA has advised that volunteer access to the training facilities at Craigieburn is challenging in the current environment, with the new joint CFA/MFB recruit courses now running on a ‘4 on – 4 off’ shift rotation using most of the available facility capability and occurring across weekends.
The meeting discussed the many challenges that will need to be addressed. VFBV delegates ask why there are blockages to the use of CFA instructors at Craigieburn and the current cost structure for CFA use of the facility for both recruit courses and volunteer training and exercise opportunities.
In light of the recent closure of Fiskville and the various public announcements that CFA volunteers will be trained at Craigieburn, VFBV will be seeking a regular report from CFA on the type and number of courses, number of brigades and volunteers attending and the total training hours per month made available to CFA volunteers at Craigieburn.
OPERATIONAL TRAINING GUIDE
The CFA Operational Training Guide is completed and will be distributed shortly. The guide is designed to support members involved in the planning, coordinating and conducting of training. The guide also provides references and links to training material available online. VFBV and CFA managed a significant volunteer consultation process that has resulted in an excellent outcome.
VFBV and CFA both wish to thank the volunteers who contributed to this project.
