Most Recent Column in The Fireman - July 2010

Editorial - Frustration, change and a need for action

VFBV addresses many issues, challenges and opportunities in representing the CFA’s 60,000 volunteers.

And there is no doubt we are in times of significant change, some big challenges, potential opportunity and some frustration.  Scanning newspapers, listening to the focus within CFA or tuning in to the discussions at Government level, there are some big current issues with potential to have a profound impact on our future as volunteers and the future of fire service delivery in Victoria.

Volunteers must act together to take part in determining the future of the CFA and their local communities.

The change comes from multiple sources; the Royal Commission, enterprise bargaining that gives the United Firefighters Union power to interfere in CFA’s operations to the detriment of volunteers, the review of the Fire Services Levy, boundary changes, the review of SOPs and the UFU’s campaign to scare suburban communities into thinking that only paid firefighters are good enough.

More than ever we need to ensure CFA and Government deliver on their Volunteer Charter commitment to consult volunteers about matters that impact on them, before decisions are made.  Too often our members express frustration that consultation is only given lip service or that decisions are being made without robust consideration of the impact on volunteers. 

More than ever we need the community and key decision makers to understand the professionalism, capacity and performance of CFA volunteers and what it will take for CFA to remain a successful, high performing volunteer based organisation. 

Too often our members express despair that CFA is largely absent from the debate, particularly the public debate, when it comes to advocating on behalf of CFA volunteers when their professionalism, hard earned experience and irreplaceable capability as first responders is unfairly publicly insulted.

Most recently CFA volunteers in outer metropolitan areas have been the target of a union campaign that is trying to frighten the community into thinking that only paid firefighters are good enough and that volunteers are just amateurs. There is also the suggestion that paid firefighters working 24 hour shifts are the only option for supporting busy brigades or brigades servicing rapidly growing communities.  The real fact is that there is a range of much more cost effective support interventions that need to be explored and implemented first. 

VFBV has continuously pressured CFA to put much more attention into targeted brigade support and to alleviation of brigade workload through better administrative support, training support, brigade level support for recruitment and retention of members, community education, brigade leadership support, and the list goes on. 

Many volunteers question how the Government can tolerate industrial interference in CFA resource allocation decisions (through the industrial Disputes Panel process) that could ultimately cost the Victorian community hundreds of millions of dollars, when there are budget shortfalls in the higher priority areas of fundamental brigade equipment and infrastructure needs, and more important community safety priorities to address. 

These issues have long been a priority for VFBV with significant effort recently to defending volunteers’ interests, through initiatives such as;

• Witnesses and legal counsel backed by 14 written submissions to the Bushfires Royal Commission covering a wide range of issues affecting volunteers and firefighting
• Local responses to misleading union-sourced leaflets and stories in newspapers
• Face to face briefings for senior Government and Opposition politicians
• Campaigning inside CFA headquarters, through our many joint committees and working groups
• Requests to CFA and Government to ensure the commitments made under the Volunteer Charter are honoured

But more is needed.

The coming State Election is adding to the potential for change, with lobby groups of all kinds moving to take advantage of MPs’ heightened sensitivity to issues, lobby groups that include those whose interests are starkly opposed to the interests of CFA volunteers and their local communities.

VFBV is now stepping up its representation and defence of CFA volunteers, with a publicity campaign in the media, written briefings to all of the State’s MPs and support to Region Councils and individual brigades when issues arise at a local level.

And it is time for volunteers everywhere to stay in touch with their local media, municipal councils and MPs, and be ready to take part in any debate that affects volunteering or emergency services, and defend their interests as volunteers whenever the need arises.

VFBV can assist with advice and media skills when you need them.

The future of the volunteer based CFA is being determined now and no one is more appropriate to affect the decisions being made than the CFA volunteers themselves.

Andrew Ford,
CEO

FAREWELL 'THE CHIEF'

Congratulations to CFA Chief Officer Russell Rees AFSM who retired at the end of June following a distinguished career as an officer of the CFA.

Russell’s many friends and colleagues have taken the opportunity to catch up during June at numerous events across the State, where many stories and past battles were fondly recalled and embellished.

The VFBV Board and all its members warmly and sincerely congratulate Russell on his outstanding contribution to the preparation of and protection of Victorian communities, his strong leadership of the CFA and wish Russell, Bernadette and family good health and prosperity into the future.

We look forward to again greeting Russell at the annual State Championships, events that are dear to his heart and where old friends can maintain their acquaintances.

REVIEW OF STANDING ORDERS & SOP's IS UNDERWAY

CFA is seeking input from volunteers on some important additions and changes to the Chief Officer’s Standing Orders, SOP’s and Policies in the run up to the 2010 Fire Danger Period.

VFBV has established a small working party and will canvas feedback to ensure volunteers provide a consolidated response to CFA by the end of August.

Individuals wishing to contribute to the feedback process can access the draft documents on Brigades On-Line, the CFA’s member website.  VFBV District Councils will also coordinate the brigade responses from within each Region.

AUXILIARY CONFERENCE NEARS

 The 7th annual Auxiliary Conference takes place on Saturday 14th August at Fiskville.

The Conference conducted from 9am to 5 pm, will have several guest speakers including Christine Nixon, Chair of the Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction & Recovery Authority, a presentation from a representative of Beyond Blue, and information regarding the CFA Volunteer Health Check Program.

The day concludes with a Conference Dinner.

Auxiliary members are encouraged to register NOW, particularly if accommodation at Fiskville is required.  Contact Jenni at VFBV on (03) 9886 1141

CSESP – HOW WILL IT WORK IN THE FUTURE?

The Department of Justice will soon conduct a survey of all brigades, seeking their feedback on what the Community Safety Emergency Support (CSESP) program should look like in the future.

The online and telephone survey will focus on the future program and the types of initiatives that would be valued by emergency service organisations.
CSESP 3 Round 4 announcements recently have shown a change in emphasis on the types of equipment and vehicles supported, and the upcoming survey will gather valuable information that will allow Government to fine tune future funding initiatives and provide advice to potential applicants.

VFBV will provide information on the details for the survey to all brigades with an information sheet in the July VFBV mailout.

ROADSIDE MANAGEMENT & VEGETATION MANAGEMENT

At the most recent meeting of the Community Safety Advisory Committee members were provided by CFA with an update on the Vegetation Management Project.

It was noted that the State Budget has confirmed that funding will continued for the next four years and that CFA is working on revamping the position description for fuel management facilitators and these field positions will be advertised in August.
The  draft SOP 9.39 entitled “Procedures for Planning a Prescribed Burn or Burn Off”has been distributed for comment and is available on both the CFA and VFBV websites. Interested parties have until 31 August to submit comments. It is important that volunteer brigades take this opportunity to have input as this will help shape the procedures in the future and we need these to be both practical and flexible to apply.

We were also interested that DSE has recently released   Victoria’s Firewood Strategy for Public Land and four fact sheets are available in relation to firewood collection.

TOTAL FIRE BAN BOUNDARY REVIEW

VFBV  has held discussions with CFA to ensure that the suggestions made by  groups, brigades and VFBV District Councils to the proposed changes to the TFB districts have all been captured for consideration.
We are comfortable that the suggestions we were made aware of have all been noted by CFA and will form part of the discussions with both the Bureau of Meteorology and DSE.

The responses CFA have received to the proposed changes have been overwhelmingly in support.

COMMUNITY SAFETY WORKSHOP

The Community Safety Advisory Committee recently conducted a workshop to ascertain the volunteer perspective on a range of issues facing volunteers in the understanding and delivery of community safety messages.
The workshop produced a range of recommendations which will be used as a basis for the delivery community safety messages this coming fire season. It also looked at the need to engage volunteers and the issues associated with doing that including preserving the integrity of the volunteer role.

Two thirds of those attending the workshop were volunteers and they all agreed that the exercise had been most worthwhile as a basis for moving forward.

Scanner time is running out

The deadline for Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria’s (VFBV) stocktake of scanners and listening sets is just days away – brigades must reply by July 30.

VFBV Project Officer Adam Barnett says the stocktake is important because it may have a bearing on the CFA’s decisions as the organisation makes the change to digital radios.

“The machines being considered will operate as conventional analogue radios at first, but will switch over to digital soon, putting conventional scanners and listening sets out of date at the flick of a switch,” Mr Barnett said.

“And until now, no one has known how many of the machines are out there and how they are being used,” he said.

“By having that information, we may be able to recommend ways to reduce the cost and inconvenience to brigades when the changeover takes effect.”

With so much at stake, VFBV is urging every brigade to respond by the deadline.

“This is practical consultation and by responding to the survey you are helping to equip VFBV to represent volunteers on an important operational issue,” Mr Barnett said.

The stocktake survey asks how many scanners are in use, whether they are in vehicles, homes or fire stations, how often they are used, and what purpose they serve.

Survey forms went to brigades in April with the suggestion that Brigade Communications Officers handle them.  All stocktake information will be kept confidential and the resulting statistics will go to the VFBV State Council and then to brigades in September.

Brigades with any questions can call VFBV on (03) 9886 1141.

Fire Refuges – comment now

Your chance to respond to the Office of the Emergency Services Commissioner’s (OESC’s) review of fire refuge policy only has a few days left to run.

Responses to the discussion paper will be accepted up to the close of business on Friday, 30 July.

The review follows the Bushfire Royal Commission’s recommendation that the current policy be replaced.

Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria has already provided a submission to the Royal Commission, stating that;

• Any future policy must accept that some people will stay in any bushfire situation
• The events of Black Saturday showed that some people will gather in groups at places of perceived safety, such as football grounds or the local fire station
• The responsibility for bushfire refuges must be with local and state government
• Concerns about the risk of using refuges can be met by proper planning and preparation of the refuge sites, surrounds, construction techniques and materials
• The question of civil liability should be resolved by having adequate specifications and design criteria
• Local councils must be responsible for maintaining the refuges

The OESC’s discussion paper is available online at www.oesc.vic.gov.au.  To respond to the issues raised in the paper, write to: OESC Fire Refuge Review, GPO Box 4356, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, or email oesc.research@justice.vic.gov.au.

Welfare Fund good value

The VFBV Welfare Fund is proving to be good value for subscribing brigades.

The Fund helped more than 50 CFA volunteers in need and distributed more than $100,000 in its first year.

VFBV Executive Officer Allan Monti said it’s a great help to the brigades too.

“When a volunteer is in financial difficulties through no fault of their own, it’s natural for the brigade to want to help,” Mr Monti said.

“But finding three or four thousand dollars in a hurry can be difficult, both from a fundraising standpoint and because you want to protect the volunteer’s privacy,” he said.

“The Welfare Fund resolves that by making up to $5,000 available on a confidential basis – the brigade secretary makes the application to the Fund’s Committee of Management, which is made up of long serving CFA volunteers so you know you’re getting a sympathetic hearing.”

“The Committee regularly approves applications based on funeral bills, the need to travel long distances for medical treatment, or financial difficulties caused by the prolonged illness of a family member,” he said.

“This is CFA volunteers looking after CFA volunteers,” Mr Monti said.

To access the Fund, the brigade must be a VFBV member and a Fund subscriber.  The subscription fee is currently $85, although with rising membership the Committee hopes to reduce that figure in coming years.  The Fund’s investments are State Government approved and independently audited every year.

Two out of three CFA brigades are already subscribers to the fund.  To check whether your brigade is a paid up subscriber, contact your brigade secretary.  For more information on the Fund, benefits and how to make an application, visit the VFBV website www.vfbv.com.au or call VFBV on (03) 9886 1141.

VFBV TAKES CARE OF BUSINESS

There were no taboo subjects when volunteers took the floor at Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria’s Open Forum on June 26.

Boundary changes, barriers to training and complications with getting new pumper tankers on the road all received an airing.

CFA Chief Executive Mick Bourke officially opened the forum then stayed on to listen, and responded to a number of issues and questions.

The event attracted more than 150 volunteers from brigades in every part of the state.

The Open Forum is the latest in a series of VFBV events designed to give volunteers more control over the issues being discussed and a more direct line to the highest levels of CFA and the State Government.

VFBV President Gary Lyttle conducted the forum with a very light hand, encouraging volunteers to choose the issues and say their piece.

“An Open Forum is about taking care of the business that matters to volunteers; they raise the issues, they do most of the talking and even the break for afternoon tea is put to good use,” Mr Lyttle said.

“Anyone walking through the foyer would have heard all sorts of useful discussions, advice begin given and problems being sorted out, as well as volunteers catching up with old mates,” he said.

“And during the main forum, VFBV’s board and staff and the CFA’s Chief Executive were there to do the very important job of hearing what volunteers wanted to say.”

VFBV includes issues raised at the Open Forum in its ongoing work of representing volunteers’ needs and passing on their experienced advice to the CFA and State Government.

During the Open Forum, VFBV took the opportunity to congratulate John McLeod on his 55 years of service and John Gerrand for receiving the AFSM.  Both were present at the Forum.

There will be another VFBV Open Forum in 2011.