Dear ,
Welcome to our monthly newsletter. You can find a print version of this months articles on Page 2 of the July edition of the 'Fireman' newspaper. You can modify your subscriber details by following the 'Subscriber Options' link at the bottom of this email.
VFBV's Volunteer Survey is Now Open |
The 2015 VFBV Volunteer Welfare and Efficiency Survey is now open and all CFA volunteers are invited to take part.
The volunteer-run survey takes 10 to 15 minutes to complete. It includes 33 questions on issues chosen by volunteers as most important to them, and you can complete it online or request a paper copy by post. All individual answers are kept
confidential.
The survey is in its fourth year and results are compared year to year to show trends in how volunteers feel on each of the issues. It is a cooperative process, allowing VFBV to provide reliable facts and figures to support the Association’s representation of all CFA volunteers. The results are
studied by VFBV and the CFA Board, and the Emergency Management Commissioner has applauded it as an excellent tool for all who work to understand and support the needs of volunteers.
This year VFBV is also hosting the survey for the VICSES volunteers’ association VESA - if you are a VICSES volunteer please complete the survey
via this link www.vfbv.com.au/surveyses2015.php
The survey is open until 31 August.
To request a paper copy of the survey, sent by mail, call (03) 9886 1141.
To find out more, visit www.vfbv.com.au or talk to your VFBV Brigade Delegate.
Editorial: Our Messages for Fiskville Inquiry By Andrew Ford, VFBV Chief Executive Officer |
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VFBV has provided a written submission and more than an hour of evidence to the Victorian Parliament’s Inquiry into the CFA Training College at Fiskville
and we have been invited to provide more, in the form of a second written submission.
After a workshop at the VFBV State Council meeting on 13 June, the State Council determined a number of key points to be presented to the Inquiry hearing.
The safety of our members and support to any members who have been exposed in the past is paramount and should remain the primary concern.
Firefighters, paid and volunteer alike, need access to the best possible training
and the most real-to-life training. If Fiskville operations are to be closed for rectification works, scaled back or ceased altogether, then the resulting gap in Victoria’s training capacity must be fixed immediately. If this requires funding for improvements, alternative interim training facilities or new facilities, then we believe that this must not only be a recommendation of the Committee it must also be backed by a firm funding commitment from all sides of politics.
The
Inquiry process must work to establish a level of confidence amongst firefighters, the community, the Government and the firefighters’ representatives, about the facts. There has been a lot of discussion of what is or isn’t safe, and what can or can’t be fixed. Our members need the Committee to ensure the facts are on the table, that the opinions and assessments of the independent experts are known, and the analysis, decisions and regime going forward are transparent and beyond partiality or
self-interest groups.
We believe it is of utmost importance that the Inquiry must unbundle the issues; past versus present, and which problems have been fixed, can be fixed or can’t be fixed.
Decisions about the future must also represent a sensible use of public money; funds already invested in the site, money that must be spent regardless of whether Fiskville continues to operate or not, and the cost of new facilities or new water treatment regimes. Compromising
safety is unacceptable; compromising access to training is unacceptable; and any waste of scarce funding is likely to be met with equally severe criticism.
The importance of the real-to-life training undertaken at Fiskville over the years cannot be overstated; not just hot fire training but the full range of operational; state level and specialised skills, and operational leadership, and much of this requires multi-day and live-in courses.
Also of vital importance is
access; the availability of training at a time and place, and in a format that suits members. We must fill the gap in local and state level training capacity left by any cessation at Fiskville, including in the interim until permanent solutions can be put in place. And while there is discussion of fixing Fiskville, we also stress the importance of investment in training not just at Fiskville but at all CFA training facilities, and in the context of growing demand in future.
From the
beginning, volunteers have asked for expert, independent, transparent and accountable analysis of decisions, and the Parliamentary Committee’s Fiskville Inquiry gives us the opportunity to ensure decisions, messages and treatment are based on facts, established independently by experts, in a properly transparent process.
It is also important that the Parliamentary Committee gives our members clarity, based on expert and independent analysis and facts, about the issues surrounding
PFCs, PFOS and what is necessary to ensure safe water quality standards. In VFBV’s view, it is important to set clear standards and that there is commitment from Government and sufficient funding to establish standards-driven levels of treatment and controls to ensure the cost of training, just as it shouldn’t jeopardise the safety of trainees, doesn’t jeopardise the accessibility of state of the art training.
This may require a link to the full site audit currently underway
before any final decisions – particularly any decisions along the lines of a permanent closure of Fiskville.
Moving forward, we need;
• Independent assurance of safety, based on facts
• Informed decisions on any options for rehabilitating, fixing or reopening Fiskville
• Protection of firefighters, not just during training
• Empowerment and support to CFA to address training based on need, not capped artificially based on budget
• Removing the rumour, speculation and
uncertainty, and making decisions on independent, expert analysis of the facts The Fiskville Inquiry will hear from CFA and other organisations before presenting its final report by 1 December 2015.
Its interim report includes recommendations on soil and water testing, the availability of government documents, and voluntary testing of firefighters for PFOS.
You can find the recommendations, the Fiskville Inquiry’s Interim Report and VFBV‘s submission at www.vfbv.com.au
Volunteers wishing to be tested for PFOS exposure are encouraged to contact CFA. |
What's next for cancer law |
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Whilst progress in Victoria is still too slow, there continues to be action in other states.
The Queensland Parliament is currently considering presumptive cancer legislation for career and volunteer firefighters, and Victoria and New South Wales are now the only States left without
legislation.
The proposed Queensland legislation gives equal coverage to both career and volunteer firefighters, with the same list of 12 cancers and years-of-service requirements used in Federal and other States’ legislation.
In October last year, South Australia dropped its inequitable extra requirement that volunteers have a specified number of turnouts to qualify, and Tasmania’s volunteers have presented their Government with a petition calling for the
discriminatory aspect to be removed from their legislation.
The Victorian Minister for Emergency Services has now confirmed that work is under way to develop legislation and there will be opportunities for consultation as the design process progresses – this is welcome news, but remains a big question for us.
The presumptive legislation issue has been highlighted by the Fiskville inquiry; evidence relating to that inquiry has shown a clear link between fire activity,
hot fire training and exposure to carcinogens and cancer, and VFBV has expressed concern direct to the Inquiry team about the slow progress on cancer legislation in Victoria.
We have expressed our alarm to the inquiry team that despite the attention being given to this clear risk through the Fiskville inquiry, there is still a lack of definite progress in Victoria. The inquiry has been very clear about how the exposures affect career and volunteer firefighters alike and this gives
us some hope that the issue that has been dragging on in Victoria will be given renewed energy as the Government recognises the risks and exposures to firefighters.
It is of some concern that we are receiving conflicting advice from the Victorian Government.
Its policy announcement was that it would introduce legislation for career and volunteer firefighters reflecting the 12 cancers and timeframes for duty of service as in the Tasmanian legislation. However a recent
letter from the Minister to one of our Brigades has introduced an additional, unwarranted issue – a possible extra eligibility requirement for specific turnout numbers.
The inclusion of arbitrary turnout caps, particularly when only applied to volunteers, has already caused much debate and volunteer anger in other states, and we have written to the Minister asking for confirmation that the introduction of the unwarranted issue of turnout numbers is not a backdown on Labor’s policy
statement.
Brigades need to continue active local discussion, particularly with their local MPs over the next three to six months to help progress this issue and in particular to ensure the unwanted additional clause that’s already been rejected in South Australia and Queensland for volunteers, and for all paid firefighters in other States, does not become part of any Victorian legislation.
We are now preparing information packages to assist Brigades in taking up this
issue with local MPs – they will be distributed soon via your District Council.
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Our congratulations go to recipients of the Australian Fire Service Medal, awarded on the Queen’s Birthday;
Steven Barling
AFSM – for exceptional leadership as Captain of Churchill CFA and Morwell Group Officer.
Frank Coulson AFSM – for service as a volunteer since 1962, Group Officer, senior VFBV official and current Captain of District 4 HQ Brigade.
Russell Gray AFSM – a long serving CFA staff member, Russell is also a successful VFBV championships coach.
Ex Captain Keith Pakenham AFSM – for his outstanding service as
a Captain and Sector Commander
Congratulations also to OAM recipients Denis Purcell, William “Frank” Sadler and Peter Robbins.
EM VOLUNTEER STATEMENT - You only have days left to comment on the draft Emergency Management Volunteer Statement. VFBV is collating responses by 10 July, for final advice to the EM
Commissioner on 17 July. The draft statement and feedback form are at www.vfbv.com.au
VFBV’S VISION - We will seek feedback soon on our proposed new vision; “Strong Volunteerism, Embraced to
Build Community Resilience for a Safer Victoria”. Put forward as a guide to what VFBV is working to achieve, the vision will be workshopped at State Council – please discuss any thoughts with your State Councillors or email vfbv@vfbv.com.au
CFA MEMORIAL - CFA has started talking with families who have lost loved ones about options and desires for the future of the Fiskville Memorial. This is a very important and obviously sensitive issue. We have encouraged CFA to work closely with us to ensure you, the volunteers, are taken on board and will let you know as we know more about CFA’s process. In the meantime, if you have a particular view, feel encouraged to
forward it to VFBV.
ZERO BLOOD ALCOHOL - The Chief Officer has indicated there will be a discussion paper soon on a proposed 0.0 BAC requirement for code one driving. The practical implications for a dispersed on-call volunteer workforce are obvious - Brigades should encourage discussion and be ready to
express a considered opinion.
Is your Brigade Affiliated? |
Brigade and Group Affiliations and VFBV Welfare Fund subscriptions were due on 30 June – if you are not sure your payments and forms are in, check with your Brigade or Group Secretary.
It’s also important to send in the
green Contact Details form, even if paying by EFT – the form helps your District Council to stay in contact with Brigade and Group Delegates.
Any questions? Email vfbv@vfbv.com.au or call us on (03) 9886 1141.
VFBV Annual General Meeting – the AGM will be at 2pm on Sunday, 14 September, at Melton. More details available soon – see www.vfbv.com.au.
VFBV Board Member Vacancies – Nominations close Friday, 31 July. For a Role Statement, call VFBV office (03) 9886 1141 or see the Board page of our website www.vfbv.com.au.
CFA Chief Officer Euan Ferguson has announced that he will not seek reappointment when his term expires in November this year.
There’ll be more
to be said on this as Euan’s departure nears. In the meantime, Euan is working as hard as ever to complete some important issues such as Role of Group, improving Strike Team deployments and utilisation, and Brigade Sustainability Planning. Naturally Euan will be missed, but for now Euan and we are focused on completing these and other important issues.
Union campaign against CFA Board |
During the Fiskville Inquiry hearings, volunteers have been concerned to learn of a union campaign to replace two of the VFBV-nominated candidates on the CFA Board with union representatives.
Under the CFA Act, the authority
has a skills-based Board, which was introduced in 2014 after a review by Ernst & Young. The amendment to the CFA Act was designed to ensure the CFA Board has strong volunteer expertise, knowledge and an understanding of CFA volunteerism. To guarantee that familiarity, knowledge and understanding of CFA volunteerism, four members of the CFA board are chosen from a list nominated by VFBV.
Emergency Services Minister Jane Garrett responded positively to our request for confirmation
that there is no plan to change the CFA Board. She indicated that our members can take comfort from her clear statements to the media. The Minister told ABC radio the Board membership was there to provide “a diversity of views and good governance...” she said the Government wants to give union members respect and listen to their concerns, but “my view is that doesn’t include four positions on the Board of MFB or CFA.”
Until we are advised otherwise, we will take this as confirmation
that the skills-based CFA Board will not be changed. Under the obligations of the CFA Volunteer Charter, we would expect any proposal for change would undergo genuine consultation as part of the Government’s signed commitment, recognised in the CFA Act, to “consult with the elected representatives of Volunteers on all matters which may impact on Volunteers including proposed legislation…” |
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