CFA volunteers lose stations, 171 support staff and control to UFU
A wave of anger and frustration at the Andrews Government’s failures on the CFA carve up is spreading among the state’s 54,000 volunteer firefighters.
THE CFA is in chaos as the Victorian Government strips it of 38 stations, 171 support and more than 1300 operational staff, who will be transferred to the new union-controlled Fire Rescue Victoria service next week.
The CFA is scrambling to identify which support staff will be transferred to FRV, while volunteers fear the United Firefighters Union will gain power of veto over the delivery of brigade support, training, resources and responsibilities.
While legislation to carve up the CFA passed Parliament in June last year, CFA support staff were only informed a fortnight ago that 171 of their number would be transferred to FRV next Wednesday. As of Monday this week the staff selection process had not been finalised.
A CFA presentation seen by The Weekly Times states: “If an employee refuses to transfer to FRV without a justifiable reason this will be treated as a resignation from employment with the CFA … as of close of business on June 30, 2020.”
Disgruntled CFA officers say their support staff are in shock, with many in tears, not knowing where they are going.
Meanwhile, others have been told their contracts will not be renewed.
“The original budget for this (carve-up) was $164 million,” one CFA commander said. “Now it’s blown right out.
“Where’s the dollar value for the community? It’s not like we're getting any bigger trucks or wider hoses out of all this?”
Volunteers say a raft of other work on the transition has not been completed, which is vital to the CFA and FRV working together on the fire ground.
“CFA volunteers have been raising these concerns for months now,” Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria chief executive Adam Barnett said. “With only days to go before implementation, volunteers continue to feel ignored and sidelined.”
Emergency Services Minister Lisa Neville said the Government was “getting on with the reforms that were clearly outlined in the 2019 legislation”, after “extensive consultation” with 1330 volunteers, who attended more than 50 workshops held between February and March this year.
But Mr Barnett said the majority of the questions volunteers asked at those meetings could not be answered.
Volunteers are concerned:
THE CFA chief will be forced to second all 229 assistant chiefs and commanders from FRV, but only after they are vetted by the UFU;
ALL seconded assistant chiefs and commanders will be subject to an enterprise agreement that forces the CFA to gain UFU approval on any changes to their shifts and roles in training and supporting volunteers;
FRV-seconded staff will wear FRV uniforms. The UFU has already sent out order forms for (FRV) uniforms to all its members, including those who will be seconded to the CFA;
CFA stations transferred to FRV on Melbourne’s outer fringe will move to the metropolitan radio network, hampering communication with outlying volunteer brigades.;
DETAILS on how volunteer brigades and FRV work together on the fire ground have not been sorted. Volunteers have received conflicting messages on whether they can direct union career staff who respond to fires in the CFA zone and what incidents they can assist with in FRV zones.
Mr Barnett said a wave of anger and frustration was spreading among Victoria’s 54,000 volunteers, over what’s seen as a deliberate government strategy of hiding the impacts of the carve-up on the CFA.
A meeting of VFBV state council on Sunday lent its support to a push by the CFA Yarra Valley District 13’s 47 brigades to delay forming FRV for at least three months, “until adequate consultation with CFA and its volunteers has been completed to our satisfaction”.
“If our demands aren’t met we’re going to start rolling actions,” a DC 13 volunteer leader said.
District 23 North East VFBV councillor and Maindample volunteer Mary-Anne Egan said the “CFA’s chief officer was being forced to fill his senior management from a different agency (FRV)”.
“CFA volunteers fear that this leaves us in danger of dysfunctional reporting lines, fatal in any emergency situation.”
Mr Barnett said the whole carve-up had been poorly handled, with volunteers kept in the dark on what was happening.
“We have never seen such poorly implemented change management on this scale before,” he said.
“Considering we are talking about an emergency service that Victorians rely on makes this situation even more shocking and concerning.
“The decisions that firefighters have to make on the fire ground are life and death and frequently need to be made quickly. Lack of clarity and lack of detail have left volunteer firefighters feeling anxious and uncertain about the impending changes.”
Mr Barnett said confusion and anxiety were very dangerous attributes to have present in any emergency let alone on the fire ground.
Even Victoria’s 5000 SES volunteers have lent their support to their firefighting counterparts.
In a letter of support to the VFBV, the Victoria SES Volunteers Association board stated:
“It is extremely disheartening to read of the ongoing broken promises around the government Fire Services Reforms.
“Volunteers across the state from all agencies continue to advocate to government for meaningful consultation, equity, respect, none of which can be achieved if those in power are blind to or fail to really understand what it means to be a frontline volunteer in an emergency service.”
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