Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria (VFBV)

Issues of Interest

Royal Commission - VFBV Interim Submission

VFBV has provided a detailed Submission to the Bushfires Royal Commission for consideration by the Commission as it moves closer to handing down its Interim Report, which will occur in mid August.

In particular VFBV’s Submission sets out the irreplaceable role that CFA volunteers play in the State’s emergency management arrangements, and emphasises that there is no practical or economically feasible alternative that could deliver the numbers of personnel required to deal with an emergency of the scale, or nature of the fires that occurred this year. It further emphasises, the aggregate competence and experience of CFA’s volunteers, the relationship that these volunteers have with their communities and the value of this relationship in supporting community involvement and an understanding of the need for them to take a high degree of ownership for their own safety and security.

VFBV’s Submission included a number of important matters raised in evidence during the first phase of the Commission’s hearings. These matters included recommendations related to the retention of the foundation elements of what is generally described as the “stay or go” policy, issues in relation to mandatory evacuation which is not supported by VFBV, further re-consideration of the use of community refuges, the need for improved information flow to the community, sources of community information and the systems for dissemination of information to the community.

The Submission recommends arrangements to improve the acquisition of intelligence from the fireground, the earlier activation of Division and Sector capability during rapidly developing potentially high impact fires, the increased use of volunteers in key incident management roles and the role that the CFA’s Chief Officer should play as the principal officer responsible for fire management arrangements when any bushfire in Victoria is assessed as posing a threat to life and property.