Newsletter - October 2015
Dear ,
Welcome to our monthly newsletter. You can find a print version of this months articles on Page 2 of the October edition of the 'Fireman' newspaper. You can modify your subscriber details by following the 'Subscriber Options' link at the bottom of this email.
Editorial: VFBV AGM marks a time of change By Andrew Ford, VFBV Chief Executive Officer |
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VFBV’s Annual General Meeting two weeks ago had a strong flavour of changing times for CFA
volunteers on many fronts.
Significantly, we acknowledged the retirement of the last two remaining members of VFBV’s original Board. Gary Lyttle AFSM and Tom Brodie AFSM were at the centre of change in recent years, bringing VFBV from what was a
daring new concept in 2002 to an influential and well connected participant in the Emergency Management Sector today.
As with volunteering, you are always a part of VFBV, and Gary and Tom remain among those we will continue to look to for advice and
experience when confronting new challenges. I want to express my personal respect and appreciation to Tom and Gary, who have made an immense contribution to volunteering in Victoria and CFA generally.
We also welcomed two new VFBV Board Members,
Samantha Rothman and Jill Parker are the successful candidates from an impressive field of more than a dozen nominees. We were lucky to have a diverse group of candidates with a great mix of skills. The quality in that field means that VFBV is very likely to call upon some of the unsuccessful candidates for other important roles.
One of the guest speakers at our AGM was Claire Higgins, who recently resigned from her position as Chair of the CFA Board. We acknowledge Claire and thank her for her work and vision at the head of CFA and for her understanding of the importance of emergency management volunteers and willingness to work with VFBV and volunteers at every level.
The State Government’s Fire Services Review was an important subject of discussion at VFBV’s AGM and a workshop at the previous day’s State Council. VFBV has put a lot of work into the submission, with members of the Board, District Councils, State Council and a number of Brigades providing input to the submission
and/or submissions direct to the inquiry.
The VFBV submission also included our input to a number of the other inquiries and reviews of recent years. I encourage you to study our submission. The important next step is for volunteers everywhere to be
ready to examine the Fire Services Review’s report and the State Government’s response, which will be public after 14 October, and then be ready to respond to the Review’s outcomes.
VFBV has written to all State Members of Parliament detailing a
number of key principles of fundamental importance to volunteers. While the Review is still under way, VFBV delegates in all Districts are contacting local MPs for face to face discussions, and you can find our letter, the full submission and more on our website www.vfbv.com.au
Sadly, one item that has not changed is progress in Victoria on presumptive cancer legislation. While other States have passed legislation, we are still
waiting with no resolution of the issue and no details of the promised legislation. You will see a separate article and call to action on this issue elsewhere on this page. |
Digital Scanners for Brigades |
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VFBV and CFA are pleased to announce the availability of CFA’s new digital scanners. It has been a long journey and a lot of
hard work but we can now announce; - The subsidised cost per unit will be $150 plus postage and handling - less than one third of the expected retail price
- Every Brigade will be entitled to 8 subsidised digital scanners
- The new
scanners can receive existing analogue and Phase 1 digital signals, and the yet-to-be-introduced Phase 2 digital standards
- They have been field tested by front line volunteers and have been given the thumbs up
- Your Brigade will receive a letter, full details and an order form in the mail shortly (digital copies are available now
from the VFBV website)
- The first 3,500 scanners will arrive in the country about two weeks from now
- They will be pre-programmed with CFA and DELWP channels
There are full details and an extensive Frequently Asked Questions section at the VFBV website now.
Fire Services Review - The Issues |
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VFBV has sent all Victorian MPs details of a number of key principles of fundamental importance to volunteers; the letter and our submission are at www.vfbv.com.au - we will post submissions from volunteers as they become available.
As we go to print, VFBV delegates are meeting with local MPs to reinforce the importance of those issues and seek their support to ensure the Government’s consideration of the Review and its findings pays due regard to the importance of these principles.
The issues include familiar themes; The need for more direct Brigade support roles and a range of flexible support for volunteer Brigades; Industrial interference in CFA’s operational decisions and support to Brigades; Concerns at announcements of additional paid firefighters without
funding to train, equip or accommodate them; The importance of CFA surge capacity; The need for sufficient funding to maintain CFA’s vehicles and facilities; The impacts of Fiskville’s closure; and presumptive cancer legislation.
VFBV’s submission
addresses the importance of CFA’s integrated model, interoperability between agencies, and the absolute necessity of encouraging, maintaining and strengthening the volunteer resource that gives CFA its large scale surge capacity.
Volunteers are
particularly concerned about:
- Erosion of CFA’s ability to govern, manage resource decisions and allocate appropriate priority to resourcing/supporting the capacity of volunteers to deliver CFA services
- Erosion of the CFA Chief Officer’s
statutory powers and operational decision making ability
- The need to improve consultation with volunteers and/or the representation of volunteer knowledge and expertise at key decision forums in any future arrangements
- Erosion of the obligations,
intent and authority of the Charter and/or the practical application of the CFA Volunteer Charter
- Any decision making processes at CFA, EMV or Government that impact on volunteers but block volunteers out of the process
- Any cuts to CFA budget
relating to volunteer support and volunteer capacity building forced because of the need to pay for externally imposed or new commitments
- Any failure to fully additionally fund externally imposed or new commitments for the life of the commitment
- Ensuring adequate investment in resources for training of volunteers and for volunteer equipment, facilities, personal protection, service related injury/illness compensation etc.
- Any diversion of funding raised through the Fire Service Levy and the Government’s related share to other cost areas
- Continuation of industrial agreements that establish power of veto that overrides legitimate CFA decision making or block CFA progressing volunteer support initiatives, resource allocation and CFA organisational structure
- Resourcing priorities and funding allocation decisions that ignore
more cost effective and reliably beneficial opportunities to encourage, maintain and strengthen the capacity of volunteers to deliver CFA services (specifically referencing section 6i of the CFA Act)
- Any discrimination in the roles volunteers can perform, training opportunities for volunteers or recognition of volunteers’ skills/expertise simply because they are not
paid.
2 x VFBV SUPPORT OFFICERS 1 x VFBV POLICY OFFICER (please visit the VFBV website or contact VFBV office for details)
The two VFBV Support Officers will work in regional Victoria with
VFBV District Councils, Brigades and volunteers to facilitate consultation, issues resolution and volunteer engagement.
The VFBV Policy and Advocacy Officer will play a vital role helping VFBV to work with volunteers to research issues, develop our position on key issues and advocate this position to decision makers.
For each of these positions candidates need to understand CFA and volunteerism, be good listeners, and be able to navigate through complex issues resolution, be self-starters and have a passion to improve arrangements that benefit the welfare and efficiency of CFA volunteers.
Extensive regional Victorian work is envisaged for the two support officers and flexible work base locations will be considered for these two positions. Flexible working arrangements will be tailored to match the needs of our volunteer membership base.
These are all full time positions giving
the right candidates an opportunity to put a stamp on the VFBV of the future.
For position descriptions, see www.vfbv.com.au or call Cathie Smith (03) 9886 1141. Send applications outlining your skills, experience and key achievements to the CEO, VFBV, PO Box 453, Mt. Waverley Vic 3149 by 30 October 2015.
Time for Action on Cancer Law |
It is time for action; Queensland has passed legislation for fairer and simpler cancer compensation that
treats volunteers and staff equally, leaving Victorian volunteers still wondering what will be in the detail of the promised legislation in Victoria.
Volunteers across Victoria need to help us to ensure the government understands they will not
accept differential treatment of volunteers and staff, and like Queensland and South Australian volunteers we won’t accept arbitrary turnout thresholds being applied to volunteers only.
The now Deputy Premier, James Merlino, said on 15 June last
year, ‘there shouldn’t be any reason why we have to wait for presumptive rights legislation here in Victoria’, which leaves volunteers who were at that rally wondering why are we still waiting.
There is a media release at www.vfbv.com.au and many volunteers are raising the issue with local MPs and media.
For assistance, call (03) 9886 1141.
Many volunteers have heard media and other reports by the United Firefighters Union (UFU) that
the Emergency Management Commissioner Craig Lapsley has announced that CFA has been provided with funding for Emergency Medical Response (EMR) implementation to all integrated Brigades by 2016/17.
VFBV has not received any information from either
the EM Commissioner or CFA to confirm this announcement and our latest advice is that nor has CFA.
The latest advice from CFA is that the funding allocated for EMR is still not sufficient to roll out to all integrated Brigades by
2016/17.
Whilst there has been no advice confirming or rejecting the funding advice, we still assume any rollout to integrated Brigades will include both volunteers and paid firefighters, and VFBV will be very disappointed if this is not the
intention from the outset.
The matter is under discussion with CFA’s CEO to get some urgent clarification and a letter will be sent to the EM Commissioner once the detail of his supposed announcement is known.
In the meantime, Brigades in communities that need EMR and who have the willingness and the capacity to provide this important community service can be working with VFBV to pursue support to enable its implementation.
There are several practical steps to take if you feel your community needs or would benefit from your Brigade being involved with EMR;
Talk to your Brigade; are the volunteers willing, and does the Brigade have capacity to take it on and sustain it?
Talk to your community;
it is important to ensure the community understands the issues and the benefits.
Seek support; some Brigades have decided EMR is right for them and are talking to their local MPs.
Contact VFBV if you would like to discuss EMR or need assistance in raising the issues.
VFBV has welcomed the announcement of an expanded EMR program but is disappointed it only includes integrated Brigades.
We have asked the Government why it has not been extended to more
volunteer Brigades and when that will happen, and we have raised the issue with the Fire Services Review.
CFA Board Member John Peberdy has taken up the role of
Acting Chair since Claire Higgins’ resignation.
He has been active, visiting a number of Brigades, and VFBV has already had very productive discussions with John on a range of issues affecting CFA and volunteers.
VFBV welcomes CFA’s new Chief Executive Officer Lucinda Nolan, who will take over the role on 9 November.
We have been in contact and provided background on some
key current issues including our submission to the Fire Services Review, and will be meeting with Lucinda in early November.
We would like to express our thanks to outgoing CEO Michael Wootten for his hard work and willingness to engage with volunteers through what remain challenging times.
VFBV needs suitable qualified/ experienced volunteers to serve on our VFBV/CFA Joint
Committees as Subject Matter Experts (SMEs).
Candidates must have their District Council’s endorsement.
If you have specialist expertise that would benefit one of our Joint Committees, contact your District Council executive for an expression of interest form.
The Joint Committees are; Communications & Technology; Community Safety & Corporate Comms; Equipment and Infrastructure; HR, Welfare & OH&S; Operations; Training; and Volunteerism.
There are also special purpose committees for FEM and Finance & Admin.
Australasian
Championships |
The 2015 Australasian Firefighters
Championships, hosted by CFA, are being held at Echuca on 23 to 25 October.
There are 30 teams from Australia, New Zealand and Fiji competing in 10 track events, with Victorian teams from Echuca, Euroa, Geelong West, Melton, MFB, Ocean Grove, Pyramid Hill, Swan Hill and Werribee.
To learn more about the 2015 Australasian Firefighters Championships, visit the VFBV website. |
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