CFA restructure: Regions to take control of training, but UFU still in charge

United Firefighters Union ban on instructors working more than two nights a week is hampering CFA volunteer training.

CFA volunteers are struggling to access instructors, who are under UFU control.

The CFA is undertaking a major restructure to try to clear a backlog of volunteer training, which has been stymied by United Firefighter Union restrictions on instructors working evenings and weekends.

A 73-page consultation pack has been sent to career firefighters for feedback, which focuses on re-engaging volunteers and transferring control of training from Melbourne to regional deputy chief officers.

“Responsibility for training delivery and volunteer support at the regional level will shift to regional deputy chief officers and this is an important step in ensuring the local needs of volunteers are met,” a CFA spokesman said.

“These staff are already operating within the regions but will report directly to the regional DCOs meaning they can provide more tailored, immediate and responsive support for volunteers.”

“Activities which directly relate to how brigades undertake their roles and service delivery will now all sit under the Chief Officer (Jason Heffernan), rather than spread across a number of functions.”

This means Chief Heffernan will now directly control training, operational performance, volunteer recruitment and retention, incident reporting, emergency response and community education and preparedness.

The move comes after an ”administrative error” led to at least 2000 active CFA volunteers being told in March they would have to return their national certificates of attainment to operate pumps.

Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria chief executive Adam Barnett welcomed the greater focus on regional control of training, but said a major impediment for volunteers was access to CFA trainers who had the flexibility to work evenings and weekends.

Under the United Firefighters Union’s enterprise agreement paid instructors can only work two nights a week.

“Effectively, in a volunteer setting where a large majority of training needs to occur outside the typical 9-5 Monday to Friday period – this effectively limits instructor availability to 40 per cent, which represents a terrible inefficiency,” Mr Barnett said.

The UFU EA also limits instructors to working five weekends in every eight-week cycle, a time when volunteers are usually available.

Additionally, there is a ban on all casual, part-time and sessional instructors that further limits CFA’s ability to provide paid support for paid instructors to support volunteers with training – where they need it and when they need it.

However the CFA has no control over the enterprise agreement, as all its operational career staff are seconded from FRV, which is under UFU control.