The anniversary of February 7 2009 stands as a stark reminder that our fire season still has a way to go yet. Each year we pause and reflect on the 173 precious citizens who were tragically lost during those fires.
The anniversary is a reminder of our collective promises to them and all fellow Victorian’s that we will do everything we can to ensure our communities are best prepared for future disasters.
In the words of the Bushfires Royal Commission’s final report “The lives of many Victorians were changed forever, and many showed they are capable of deeds of great courage and compassion. Although some communities were physically destroyed, their members also displayed ingenuity, strength and resolve in the face of this
calamity.”
While public and media attention to this year’s fires have started to wane, the fact is we still have a lot of fire in the landscape and will for some time. As at writing, Victoria has seven going bushfires, two contained and 48 under control, with a total area burnt so far this season currently more than 1.5 million hectares.
And while we are only potentially halfway through the Fire Season, I want to continue my call for everyone to keep looking out for one another and to ensure our commitments are sustainable. If you are over committed and things are getting on top of you – please talk to someone ASAP.
If you or your Brigade keep getting approached for deployment, unless someone has said something – the system is likely to just keep tapping you until something is said. One of my priorities following this season will be to speak with State Council about pulling together some interested vols to think about how we can design some
more robust human resource availability and utilisation tracking systems.
As many of the current CFA systems are localised they have the potential to be disjointed. As such it is often very easy to keep hitting the same brigades or groups over and over and lose track of how fairly (or not) the load is being shared across our Statewide network of Brigades. For every brigade that has approached me about
over utilisation, another has raised the fact that they haven’t been asked to provide any resources at all.
If this is happening to you, please don’t just suffer in silence. Make contact with your Captain or Group Officer and nudge it up the chain. I have seen some really good planning to try and buddy up Districts so that calls for resources are evenly rotated across Regions, but unless brigades are reporting under or over utilisation
issues – some of the micromanagement issues might be being lost.
And when it comes to people’s time – your time - there is no more precious resource, and it must be respected far more than it is now.
Your time is not free, and it is absolutely not worthless. At the risk of sounding like a Mastercard advertisement – every second a volunteer is giving should be treated as if it were priceless. We must ensure line managers and incident management teams respect the time that volunteers are donating to the State – and recognise
that many of you are making significant sacrifices in order to deploy.
Sacrifices you make willingly, but none the less your time and sacrifice deserves to be respected and managed well, with full accountabilities and transparency. Volunteer time must be respected and must be managed like the precious resource that it is. And utilisation doesn’t stop at activation.
Ensuring volunteer time is being used for best community effect and benefit. Ensuring crews on deployment have meaningful roles that are well planned, communicated and understood by all crews. Ensuring briefings and incident action plans are prepared in advance and delivered to crews on time. Ensuring meals and accommodation are
well planned and coordinated. Ensuring travel arrangements are safe and effective and well-coordinated and supported.
These are all important ways to show respect for the incredible volunteer contribution underway.
BUDDY BRIGADES
I would like to encourage brigades to consider buddying up with a brigade from the fire affected areas. This isn’t charity – it’s about reminding brigades that we are all in this together, and no matter how tough it gets, we’ll look after each other and be there during thick and thin. In fact, the information exchange that occurs
through buddy brigades from different Districts or Regions can be incredibly rewarding for each.
The concept of buddy brigades has been around for a while and mirrors the concept of cities or towns linking up to create ‘brother/sister’ cities or ‘twin towns.’ This concept was made popular following the second Word War and back then was intended to foster friendship and understanding among different cultures and between former
foes to build peace.
In the CFA context it is about brigades linking up with brigades from different areas and fostering some friendship and linkages that extends far beyond traditional connections like group or district. The more diverse the brigade differences the better. Each brigade learns from the other, and you’d be surprised how alike and how
different all at the same time each of our brigades can be.
In the current context, it is about partnering with a brigade that may have been heavily impacted by this season’s fires, with a brigade that hasn’t. Brigades can then form a special relationship between them.
What this looks like is completely up to you.
Some run joint training that gives brigades the opportunity to travel and catch up with people from different Districts. Others arrange working bees or exchanges of members for small ‘holidays’ away from home. Some are able to arrange fundraising opportunities that allows a more resource rich brigade to help a smaller more
isolated one.
And smaller brigades can share their unique community connections or local produce/ crafts with perhaps more metropolitan brigades that perhaps don’t have those very personal connections that are inherent in smaller and more isolated brigades.
The point is for each brigade to provide something unique that allows each to learn from the other. They are equals and are partners. They are sharing their experience and their community with the other. Maybe it’s only once or twice a year – but it’s the connection that matters.
If you have an interest, discuss it over with your Captain. Captains - pick up the phone and have a chat with a local Group Officer or District Council from a fire affected area and see what you can find. The more organic the matching process is - the better.
But if you run into a complete brick wall, phone the VFBV office or drop us an email at vfbv@vfbv.com.au and we’ll do our best to help you out.
Be creative but also please respect that some brigades are still under very high operational workloads and might just want some space to get through the current season.
MEMBER RECOVERY & WELFARE
VFBV Support Officers and District Councils in the fire affected areas are working to identify any CFA volunteers who have lost their homes, stock, fencing, outbuildings, machinery or anything else that will impact on that members livelihood.
Connecting members up with grants and recovery services is a priority as well as topping up or providing additional grants to bridge any gaps from our welfare fund or our volunteer support and recovery trust. If you have been impacted, or you know someone who has been, please get in touch with your local VFBV Support Officer or
District Council as soon as possible so we can assist you immediately.
Stay safe and keep your heads up. Rest when you can, and look out for one another. You are all doing incredible work and we are all so incredibly proud of you all and the amazing role and contribution you are making to your communities.
