VFBV

The following letter has been received from regular contributor to
"The Fireman", Fireman Sam.

Mr Andrew Ford
CEO
VFBV

25.11.2014

Dear Andrew

I would not normally make a request like this because I have ample opportunity to express my opinions in my regular column in The Fireman, however, time is of the essence in this case. I am wondering whether you can use your networks to urgently convey my concerns to volunteers about the negative impact that the proposed appointment of 350 additional paid firefighting staff will have on the CFA as we know it.   

Over the years I have often drawn attention to government interference and meddling. Most recently, I compared the emergence of EMV with the 30 year old attempts to amalgamate CFA and MFB. Some of these Spring Street influences are consistent with CFA’s own planning and culture, others are not.

As with wildfires, a rapid response in sufficient force is essential to containment of the UFU wildfire that threatens the future viability of CFA as we know it.  We do not need another 350 paid firefighters over the next 4 years. If we did I am sure that the Chief Officer and the Authority would have been seeking them.

The appointments of so many additional paid firefighters poses a real threat to every country community and to the city interface areas. When Victoria burns, as we all know it will, I wonder where we will find the small army of volunteers that we currently are able to draw on from the outer metro areas, the so called “surge capacity” that CFA has come to rely on.

Appointment of additional paid firefighters in our existing stations has proven to be a recipe for fewer volunteers. The UFU know this and thru its connections with Labor is once again wanting to usurp the roles of the Board and of the Chief Officer. Why? Because it will help to achieve the UFU’s stated objective of a “career based firefighting service to cover the whole of the Melbourne urban area and other major regional centres”.

This is not a good policy framework for the Fire Service, nor is it in the best interests of the safety of the people of Victoria. The same type of union influence can also be seen in announcements made relating to the Ambulance Service.

We are saddled with, and have experienced for several years now, the frustrations and barriers caused by the restrictive clauses in the current staff EBA. They do not benefit the people of Victoria. They certainly don’t benefit the CFA as an organisation. That is the consequence of enabling a vested interest to have undue influence on decisions and processes that should rightfully be those of the Chief Officer and the Authority.

We need a government that will support the CFA in meeting the needs of volunteers, that understands country communities and the people that live in them. We need a government that will adhere to the purpose and provisions of the legislation that established the CFA, one that understands that the Chief Officer and the Authority are best placed to determine staffing and infrastructure needs.

If you need further evidence that 350 additional paid firefighters would be a bad thing for CFA consider the requirement for massive expenditure on new stations, extensions to existing ones, vehicles, etc.  We are seeing that with the employment of the current UFU inspired growth. Wherever the money comes from you can be sure that it will be detrimental to the slice of the cake directed to volunteer needs. 

The organisations ability to cater for the needs of volunteers, to provide our protective equipment and clothing, to manage and conduct our training will continue to be compromised. We will continue to feel that we are treated as second class firies.

Our integrated model is the envy of others. We need to make sure that our communities understand that there is a real downside to what Mr Andrews has announced. On the surface it sounds like a great idea. We know that it contains a real threat to the independence of the CFA, to our future capability and to the safety of our communities.

You have only until this Saturday to make sure that your community understands the hidden threats in the UFU’s grand plan. Don’t let UFU wishful thinking become CFA reality.

Andrew, I trust that what I am saying is not too out of step with VFBV’s own perspectives on these issues and that you will be sympathetic to my request for help.  The matter is too important to not do something.
Yours sincerely,

Fireman Sam