Fire Rescue Victoria: CFA volunteers excluded in integrated stations
Volunteers are being excluded from accessing equipment as basic as photocopiers in CFA integrated stations handed to the new Fire Rescue Victoria service.
CFA volunteers are being treated like second-class citizens in 34 of their own stations, which were handed to the new Fire Rescue Victoria Service last week under Andrews Government reforms.
The volunteers have become tenants, as FRV takes over as the new landlord at outer Melbourne CFA stations, plus those in Mildura, Shepparton, Wangaratta, Wodonga, Morwell, Traralgon, Geelong, Corio, Belmont, Bendigo, Ballarat, Mornington, Rosebud, Ocean Grove and Portland.
Volunteers say they have been squeezed into tiny corners of their old stations and stripped of equipment.
One Mornington volunteer said even the fire hoses were being divvied up.
“On Monday night (last week) we were told the hoses with white bands are for vols and the ones with red bands are for FRV,” the volunteer stated.
Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria reported the United Firefighters Union has insisted volunteers be excluded from the station office, computers and photocopiers, forcing the CFA to buy new ones.
VFBV chief executive Adam Barnett said FRV Commissioner Ken Block had tried to foist a tenancy agreement on to volunteers just days before the carve-up was meant to be completed on July 1.
He said FRV eventually backed down on ramming through the tenancy agreement until August 15.
A copy of the draft rental agreement shows FRV wanted the power to lock volunteers out of any shared space within the station at any time, including turnout areas needed in responding to fires.
The draft lease states: “FRV may at any time exercise all rights accruing to it as owner or head tenant of the shared spaces, including the right to use, possess and enjoy the whole or any part of the shared spaces, without preventing operation of the licence”.
The restrictions on volunteers contradicts claims by Andrews Government ministers that volunteers would be free to remain at all of the CFA integrated stations handed to FRV.
On June 21 Emergency Services Minister Lisa Neville issued a media release stating “CFA volunteers currently serving at one of the state’s 38 career and 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”.
The carve-up ends years of co-operation between volunteers and career staff who worked together at these CFA integrated stations.
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