2008 Joint Open Forum

The two Associations held a very successful Open Forum meeting with volunteers from across the State on Saturday 29th March 2008.

Approximately 150 volunteers from more than 100 brigades attended and discussed issues of interest or concern and heard reports of actions being taken by VFBV and both Associations over a wide range of topics. The following issues which were raised at the Open Forum are to be raised with the CFA:

• Availability of uniforms for brigade members, with many Regions reluctant to provide uniforms to members.
• Appropriate tyres on strike team vehicles and slip ons; the need for appropriate off road tyres to handle adverse conditions.
• Harassment and disciplinary issues eg. concern of some issues not being resolved after duration of 4 years.
• Training issues:
• Wildfire instructors not being available;
• insufficient instructors, a need for the Training Managers to direct that training be provided;
• in Region 12 and 22 there are no structural trainers available, and concerns with new members not receiving BA training; qualifications of trainers needs to be reviewed;
• training in low angle rescue for rescue brigades; trainers not being released and difficulty of getting trainers.
• 2.4C Tankers replacing 3,000 litre Tankers; concern in growing rural areas of having less water and expected to do more with less; downsizing and having less firefighting ability.
• DSE/CFA relationship and concern of volunteers not having input into IMT planning; inequity of volunteers in relation to DSE in IMT’s.
• Availability of budget figures to implement catchments across the State and the affect on CFA’s budget (insurance levy increase); is there to be an extra cost to land owners?
• Some Integrated brigades having no dedicated officer; sharing Operations Officer with another brigade; could be responsible for over 150 personnel; concern of their workload being too great.
• Brigade Finance project and the lack of support from Regions; forms not available. very slow with GST reimbursements; need to download electronic forms as not available from the Region.
• Direct entry into FIRS: difficulty of getting onto FIRS after hours; insufficient numbers of operators; some brigades not giving sufficient information; quality of data being supplied; system security; system requires updating.
• Issue of fire and rescue being stamped on the back of turnout gear; recommend that the new PPC does not identify fire and rescue, only CFA.
• Accommodation booked by the CFA at State Championships eg. rooms not being allocated until late, rooms only taken for one night etc.
• Hot fire training and pad instructors at Fiskville.
• Problems with external lug cast couplings: should be withdrawn and replaced; re-coupled hoses have failed well after being tested; most that have failed do not meet the ULC standard – not being installed properly, not being captured properly.
• 18 months of study to become Fiskville pad instructor; despite having the training have been withdrawn; now putting in paid instructors to run Fiskville and volunteers are being displaced; asked for qualifications to be included on internet, yet is not included; did the course twice because course initially was out sourced, then internally and had to undertake again.
• A recommendation to invite senior CFA personnel to future Forums was raised. The Joint Associations resolved to refer this issue to VFBV for consideration.

Other issues raised and discussed during the meeting included:

• Level 3 firefighting boots and trials of Level 2 Structural boots
• Concept of a 2010 Diversity Conference in conjunction with NSW
• Rural fire station program
• Motorola radio replacement program
• Fire insurance levy in country areas
• Consultation with integrated brigades when additional staff introduced
• An update in regard to Brigade ABN’s.

A presentation in regard to the Nomex and PBI Gold ensembles was given by Operations Manager Neil Bumstead and VFBV CEO Andrew Ford reported on the outcome of a CFA/VFBV Board Workshop and an update in regard to the amalgamation of the two Associations into a unified body.

 

2007 Joint Open Forum

The two Associations held a very successful Open Forum meeting with volunteers from across the State on Saturday 14th April 2007.

Approximately 170 volunteers from more than 100 brigades attended and discussed issues of interest or concern and heard reports of actions being taken by VFBV and both Associations over a wide range of topics.

The following issues which were raised at the Open Forum are to be raised with the CFA:

• brigade assignment areas being changed without Captain or BMT's knowledge;
• review of the definition of dependent for CFA compensation purposes;
• need for an improved system of communicating/notifying volunteers of key information eg. recent Government volunteer recognition initiatives ie. AFL football match;
• to assist in improving the information flow advocate to the Government that a greater priority be given to the extension of broadband into country or remote areas;
• volunteer input into a proposed CFA webmail project;
• provision of internet to fire stations upon request;
• provision of water tanks for fire stations;
• FEM centralised accounting system and generation of reports;
• distribution of material informing brigades on Organisational Form developments;
• timetable for development of SMS system for volunteer mobile phones;
• removal of CDMA network proposed to occur during summer fire season; also poor coverage in some country areas;
• distribution of CFA diaries;
• female privacy issues whilst on strike teams and PPC for female members.

Other issues raised and discussed during the meeting included:

• progress with the amalgamation of the two Associations;
• compensation lump sum payments to dependents;
• correct manner of wearing Gold Star and Life Member ribbons;
• support for volunteers and employers of volunteers;
• role of OIC of Integrated Brigades under Organisational Form;
• firefighters EBA and impacts on decisions affecting volunteers;
• ABN and Auditor General recommendations re brigade financial records;
• map books.

Issues relating to the campaign fires are to be referred to a VFBV Summer Campaign Issues Working Party:

• instances of insufficient transport and some use of non-airconditioned buses during extremely hot weather;
• inefficient allocation of volunteer resources;
• privacy issues for female firefighters;
• CFA debrief process;
• system of numbering or naming strike teams.

At the conclusion of the Open Forum all attending agreed than the meeting was valuable and that another Open Forum should be held in 2008.