First, let me say thanks to all CFA volunteers for your efforts throughout a
busy 2015 and certainly a busy start to this summer.
Also here’s hoping 2016 is a good year for CFA, our members and your families.
In recent weeks hundreds of CFA volunteers have set aside Christmas and New Year celebrations to attend to fires and other incidents and I know those that remained behind to protect local communities or be on the ready as back up crews, were also highly distracted and anxious about the ever present possibility of the next
call.
Our thoughts go out to everyone who has suffered loss as a result of recent fires including our fellow CFA volunteer members who have lost homes or property.
VFBV has already activated support to assist CFA volunteers who have experienced loss and will continue to work via brigades in the affected areas to provide support to these fellow volunteers.
By the time this edition hits the streets the VFBV website will be updated with information on the various forms of assistance that are available.
As 2015 came to a close a few important updates were received.
FIRE SERVICES REVIEW
Many of you will be aware that the release of the Fire Services Review report and the State Government’s response have been postponed until after the bushfire season.
The Minister for
Emergency Services has announced she will lead a working group of Ministers to study the Review’s findings in depth and report back to the Government.
We acknowledge that many volunteers are frustrated with the delay and we certainly share their
feelings of disappointment.
However, given that we are already into what is clearly going to be a long and busy summer, I suggest we take the opportunity to get on with the job at hand and concentrate on the important work of protecting the
community.
When the Review’s report does become public, volunteers will need to be ready to have their say.
By visiting www.vfbv.com.au you can see our submission and VFBV’s September 28 letter to the Minister and all MPs, outlining the key issues of concern.
I encourage each of you to read them and discuss your thoughts with your fellow
volunteers.
Also in September, VFBV requested a meeting with the Minister to discuss issues coming out of the Fire Services Review before any decisions affecting volunteers are made.
The Minister offered to meet with us after the report has been presented, and with its release newly postponed I will make another request that we meet and discuss the issues at the earliest opportunity.
GENDER EQUITY AND WORKPLACE CULTURE
VFBV has welcomed the Government’s announcement that the Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commissioner will examine issues around gender equity and workplace culture
in Victoria’s emergency services, and I strongly encourage VFBV delegates to show leadership in actively welcoming and engaging in this work.
Support for greater diversity in CFA is something VFBV has recognised as a real opportunity, and where
there are gaps, it is worthy of concerted effort to achieve improvement.
Encouraging greater diversity with regard to gender, cultures and ages in CFA will strengthen Brigades’ connections with the communities we protect and increase the pool of
potential volunteers.
Emergency Services Minister Jane Garrett has expressed concern that only 3% of CFA and MFB operational staff are women.
In comparison, approximately 20% of all CFA volunteers are women and nearly 5,000 of those volunteer women are operational members.
I am assuming the activation of this work to examine issues around gender equity and workplace culture has been identified during the Fire Services Review, and we have already seen the Jones Inquiry into the effect of arrangements made by the Country Fire Authority on its Volunteers identifying culture and human resource management issues requiring attention.
Judge David Jones noted in his report that “CFA culture, leadership and human resource management are keys to maintaining and strengthening the community’s understanding of, confidence in, support for and active participation in the volunteer based emergency service model for Victoria, which is consequently
fundamental to the future success of the CFA”.
Judge Jones also observed that “Improving leadership in CFA from top to bottom is key to the success of the CFA integrated model – this cannot be over emphasised and is one of CFA’s biggest
challenges”.
Our annual VFBV Volunteer Welfare & Efficiency Survey has also asked volunteers for their opinions on diversity and workplace culture issues, and found they strongly desire an environment in CFA that welcomes people from all
cultural backgrounds as well as different religious, political and personal beliefs; actively discourages workplace bullying; and ensures that there are no barriers to the roles women can occupy in Brigades.
The 2015 survey results show that
although CFA performance in this area is scored comparatively well against other areas, it still needs attention.
The results showed that female volunteers saw a greater gap between the importance of equity and diversity issues and CFA’s actual
performance.
FOCUSING ON SUMMER
Many volunteers have expressed frustration that CFA is in an era of review
upon review, but we must not let this damage the spirit of CFA or the professional standards of protection we provide to the community every day and night of the year.
With major fires including Lancefield, the Indigo Valley in the northeast,
Scotsburn near Ballarat, and the Lorne- Jamieson Track (Wye River) fire which destroyed more than 100 homes over Christmas, plus hundreds of fires across Victoria my message to key decision makers has been that the CFA and Emergency Management sector need to be supported in focusing on the immediate task of protecting the community.
We know CFA is an overwhelmingly great organisation, achieving great things in communities across Victoria, but at the same time we should always be looking for areas for improvement and ironing out any issues we find along the way.
Thank you for the work you do every day for your communities, keep up the great work.
