February 2009 Fires - Messages of Support

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PRIME MINISTERS MESSAGE OF THANKS AND DESIRE TO WORK WITH VFBV

MESSAGE TO THE CFA FROM THE PREMIER OF VICTORIA

CHAIRMAN'S MESSAGE - 16 Feb 2009

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PRIME MINISTERS MESSAGE

On behalf of all Australians, thank you for your courage, your determination and your unbreakable spirit through one of our nation's darkest hours.

The whole nation salutes you.

I cannot tell you how many calls, emails and letters have flooded in to my office, the Premier's office, and the offices of MPs and ministers all around the country to express their gratitude and admiration for the dedicated CFA volunteers and career staff.

Thousands of CFA volunteers from across Victoria deployed to fight these fires and provide specialised support services at the staging grounds and incident control centres. And thousands of you were on standby to protect the rest of the state.

We suffered catastrophic losses in the fires, but the loss of life and property would have been far, far greater without your extraordinary efforts.

You each know firsthand the destructive terror of fire - its power, its speed, its capricious shifts in course and its lack of mercy. Now the whole nation has seen it. And we have a new appreciation of the dangers you confront every time you go on duty.

In the days I have spent on the ground in the fire towns, I have seen more tragedy and trauma than anyone would want to see in a lifetime.

But I have also drawn inspiration from meeting so many CFA volunteers. As I have said in recent days, the men and women of the CFA are true Australian heroes. Your acts of bravery, kindness and compassion have kept many people going when they have lost everything.

Your service to the community is so much more remarkable, when so many of you experienced tragic personal losses.

Thank you. You have made me proud to be Prime Minister of this great nation.

Kevin Rudd
Prime Minister, Commonwealth of Australia

PRIME MINISTERS MESSAGE OF THANKS AND DESIRE TO WORK WITH VFBV

The Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd has contacted VFBV to personally convey his appreciation and recognition of the tremendous work being done by CFA volunteers.

The Prime Minister and I have had a long conversation about the enormous contribution made by CFA volunteers to the community, and also the contribution of volunteers and paid personnel from the many agencies who work as a team to deal with emergency such as this and everyday service demands across Victoria.

The Prime Minister has asked that I pass on his best wishes and thanks to all CFA volunteers, and has committed to working with VFBV on behalf of CFA volunteers to talk about what works; what we need; what more can be done to maintain and build an even more effective volunteer based CFA.

The Prime Minister wants to hear back from us as the organisation representing CFA volunteers on practical suggestions from our members and colleagues about how we move forward. I am asking our VFBV State Councillors and Regional Delegates to facilitate this discussion with all Brigades and to feed suggestions back to myself and the VFBV Board so that our further discussions with the Prime Minister are based on the views of volunteers on the ground.

The Prime Minister fully understands that we are heavily committed to the current fires. As the immediate demands ease please take time to reflect on the above questions - we will discuss these in more details at our April State Council meeting. In the meantime any feedback is welcome.

We continue to receive terrific support from the Victorian State Government at all levels, and similar messages of appreciation have also been conveyed by Premier, John Brumby; Minister for Police & Emergency Services, Bob Cameron, CFA Chairman, Kerry Murphy and other senior officials.

Please pass on the Prime Minister's message of "well done" and promise of ongoing support as well as the thanks and support of the Victorian Government to our members. And please help us gather suggestions or feedback from Brigades.

Andrew Ford
Chief Executive Officer

MESSAGE TO THE CFA FROM THE PREMIER OF VICTORIA

On behalf of all Victorians, I thank the men and women of the CFA for your enormous courage and commitment during the most tragic chapter in our State's history.

The fires of February 7 were like nothing we have ever seen before.

They destroyed families and communities across Victoria, and inflicted a terrible loss on us all. Many of you have lost your own homes and property. Others have lost family, friends and colleagues. All of you have been deeply affected by what you have seen and experienced.

As we continue to combat fires across the State, and in some areas start the process of rebuilding together, I want to thank you for your extraordinary contribution and self sacrifice.

I am very proud of the way you have faced this cruel and unprecedented tragedy.

Each day we have been moved as we hear more stories of your individual bravery, heroism and compassion. You have put aside your own needs to focus on the needs and suffering of our community - and I cannot commend you enough for that.

I thank your families, those loved ones who are supporting you and waiting for your safe return. I know that many of you are also self employed, on the land or in other businesses, and are generously giving up your time to help others. I also acknowledge and thank the many other employers who are again showing great understanding during this difficult time.

So far, more than 10,000 CFA members - volunteers, career firefighters and hundreds of CFA support teams - have been called into action from across Victoria. Many more of you are in reserve, performing the very important job of responding to hundreds of other daily incidents in the outer suburbs of Melbourne, regional centres and country Victoria. Others stand ready to relieve your colleagues as the fires continue and the recovery and rebuilding begins.

As a CFA member - volunteer, career firefighter or staff - you can hold your head high. You are doing an exceptional job and have already saved thousands of lives and properties in the most difficult circumstances imaginable.

As you know, Victoria continues to confront the threat of fire.

I now appeal to you to keep your resolve alongside your colleagues from DSE, Parks Victoria, MFB, SES, Victoria Police and other state and federal agencies.

I know that as a member of the CFA family you will do this, and with Victoria's and Australia's support, you will continue to show us the true meaning of community spirit.

John Brumby MP
Premier of Victoria

Chairman's message - 16 Feb 2009

Over the decades I have been associated with the fire service, I've seen countless acts of sacrifice, dedication and loyalty. I've watched our people give until it seemed there was nothing left, and then give some more.

But never have I seen anything like what we've all witnessed in these past few weeks. And I'm not just talking about the devastation. I'm not just talking about what the fires have done to Victoria.

I'm talking about our response. A response characterised by universal professionalism, commitment and downright hard work. This is why we are all so proud to be CFA members.

I hope that you are proud of what you have done. I hope that in whatever role you have played and continued to play, that you feel like you are part of something very special that I, and the whole Victorian community, thank you for.

I'm not just talking about those who fought the fires but those, volunteer and paid, who catered, administered and otherwise supported the overall effort. We are particularly grateful to those who stayed behind to defend their own area if needed - after all, we have responsibility for the protection of most of the state.

While our efforts have been focussed and professional, we have not been untouched by suffering. There will be those among our ranks who are struggling and I ask you to look out for your mates and yourselves. We are an exceptional emergency service but, individually, we are not indestructible.

It is a credit to our safety first culture, systems, processes and equipment that everyone who has left their home to help out has returned. Our training has prepared us well and I ask you to remain vigilant and safe in whatever role you are performing. Stay focussed on safety - yours and all those around you - as the hard work continues.

Finally, this has not been just a CFA effort and I have been proud of the way you have worked hand-in-hand with Victoria's other emergency agencies. From DSE, MFB, Victoria Police, VICSES and all support and recovery agencies like DHS, Australian Red Cross and The Salvation Army to name a few, I have seen you working together for the common good. I also include the interstate agencies who became Victorians for a few days when they came to help us.

Thank you for all you have done. There is still a long way to go and I know that, as you have already, you will continue to rise to the task.

Kerry Murphy PSM AFSM
Chairman