CFA ties up $56m in brigade accounts: restricts volunteers’ spending

Volunteer firefighters have raised $56 million for their brigades, but CFA headquarters is clamping down on how they spend it.

CFA HQ wants to impose reams of financial red tape on brigades, despite the growing demands on volunteers to respond to fire and floods, training, administration and fund raising.

The CFA is clamping down on how volunteers raise and use the $56.69 million they hold in brigade-owned accounts, banning spending on social and welfare events, or donating money to other community groups or appeals.

The finance policies drafted by CFA financial officer Greg Forck and brigade finance policy and strategy manager Josh Ball impose a raft of new financial red tape, from demanding brigades develop financial plans and undergo audits, to maintaining registers of assets and reconciliation reports.

The policy document also prohibits volunteers spending money they raise, from servicing local businesses’ fire equipment or other sources on brigade social events and award nights, including a ban on buying alcohol.

Volunteers must instead dip into their own pockets to pay for these events, given the policy document states any brigade spending on social and welfare events “must be derived from CFA volunteer contributions”.

A CFA spokeswoman said the finance policies were “focussed on ensuring sound financial management across CFA”. Picture: Derrick den Hollander

Many of Victoria’s 1138 brigades raise funds by their volunteers donating time to undertake fire equipment maintenance (FEM) work, especially older members who have moved from active to support roles.

Casterton CFA captain Lee Condon said the ban on using FEM funds for social events undermined the brigade’s ability to run its annual dinner, which is “something our members get back” for their efforts.

“The brigade has worked hard to fund raise, but the CFA is now trying to control how we can spend it,” Captain Condon said. “It’s getting harder to be a volunteer.”

Corangamite volunteer and group officer Mark Billing said the “social aspect of brigades was particularly attractive, because it’s often the only thing left” in many small communities.

Mr Billing said the level of bureaucracy being put back on brigade captains was ridiculous – but instead of offering more support, he said the CFA was just putting an even greater workload on volunteers.

A CFA spokeswoman said the finance policies were “focussed on ensuring sound financial management across CFA.

“Feedback on the draft policies has only just closed and CFA will now work through this feedback, she said. “It is therefore premature to comment, given that these documents are draft in status.”

Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria chief executive Adam Barnett said CFA was “trying to treat its volunteers as public servants”.

“At the end of the day, brigades will do what they can to ensure their communities have the resources and equipment needed to protect themselves from fire and other emergencies,” Mr Barnett said. “CFA should either help, or at the very least get out of the way.”

“Many volunteers were perplexed at why it was so remarkable to think that policies written for a large government bureaucracy like the VPS, who spend hundreds of millions of taxpayer funds, may look and be different to small community fire brigades that do their own fundraising and in of themselves generate more than $2.6 billion dollars of public value to the state through their volunteer efforts alone,” Mr Barnett said.