CFA takeover: Maps reveal extent of UFU new territory
The United Firefighters Union’s takeover of the CFA’s 36 integrated stations has begun, with maps revealing just how far its reach will extend into regional Victoria.
THE United Firefighters Union’s takeover of the CFA 36 integrated stations has begun, with maps obtained by The Weekly Times revealing just how far UFU boss Peter Marshall’s reach will extend into regional Victoria.
Emergency Services Minister Lisa Neville launched the Victorian Government’s second attempt to carve off the stations and place them in union hands yesterday, by introducing the Firefighters’ Presumptive Rights Compensation and Fire Services Legislation Amendment (Reform) Bill 2019 to parliament.
The Government is expected to ram the Bill through both houses of Parliament by the end of June, and August by the latest, which will strip 36 integrated fire stations off the CFA and merge them with the MFB to form a new body — Fire Rescue Victoria.
Under the takeover the UFU will gain control of 26 periurban and 10 regional integrated stations, plus two that the CFA board has already set up as paid-firefighter only stations — Lucas and Latrobe West.
Detailed maps of the ten regional and 25 periurban (Lara not included) integrated CFA stations that will be taken over can be seen below.
MAP: INTEGRATED PERIURBAN CFA STATIONS (PDF)
Ms Neville’s media release stated: “CFA volunteers currently serving at one of the state’s 38 integrated stations will be able to remain at that station if they choose to, co-locating with Fire Rescue Victoria services under the altered boundaries”.
But Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria has warned the FRV takeover would sideline up to 1500 volunteers working at the 36 stations, leading many to abandon the 74-year-old fire service.
Former VFBV chief executive Andrew Ford said CFA volunteers at integrated stations in regional centres and Melbourne’s peri-urban zones would not stay on at a station where they were left on the outer.
“The Government says they’re welcome to stay. But stay and do what?” Mr Ford said.
Opposition emergency services spokesman Brad Battin said volunteers feared they would become no more than “car washers” at their old integrated stations and told not to bother attending fires.
Mr Ford said the loss of volunteers risks further undermining volunteer morale and its ability to rapidly recruit firefighters to combat major wildfires — its surge capacity.
“Every volunteer crew lost from one of these areas, means one less truck on the fire ground,” Mr Ford said.
Under the reforms, all CFA paid staff will be employed by FRV. The CFA will then have to second its former support, training and operations staff back from FRV.
VFBV has repeatedly warned these FRV-seconded staff will report to the CFA chief officer, but be subject to a restrictive new enterprise bargaining agreement imposed by the UFU and Andrews Government.
The Government has previously flagged the new FRV agreement will be modelled on the controversial enterprise bargaining agreement Premier Daniel Andrews and the UFU failed to impose on the CFA in 2016.
Victoria’s then deputy chief officer Steve Warrington and other CFA leaders vehemently opposed the EBA in May 2016.
At the time Mr Warrington joined the CFA’s leadership team, including then chief executive Lucinda Nolan and chief officer Joe Buffone, in signing off on a critique of the EBA that warned:
PAID firefighters would report only to other paid staff, even where a volunteer was the incident controller at a major bushfire;
WHILE volunteers would be able to begin firefighting immediately, paid firefighters would not be able to join them in fighting the fire until there were seven dispatched or at the fireground;
THE CFA chief officer would not be able to change position descriptions, work-related practices, contracting out, create part-time career positions or change emergency response training without UFU approval; and
THE UFU would demand that only paid firefighters fill a range of CFA positions, such as community safety officers.
UFU secretary Peter Marshall did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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