VFBV

The VFBV Multi-Agency Youth Network is really taking off; young members are already organising their first activities in four Districts, and 17 VFBV Districts have identified experienced volunteer Champions to support the young volunteers in their work.

In the meantime, VICSES and the Red Cross have begun targeted campaigning to their young members through the months of September and October.  

With support from VFBV, District 11 is working on a pilot to launch a multi-agency youth program in schools, District 13 is preparing a forum for young volunteers in the new year, District 14 is instigating social events where young volunteers can discuss and present ideas for ongoing projects, and in Districts 8, 12, 15 and 16, young volunteers are already getting involved in their VFBV District Councils.

Volunteer champions and more young volunteers are still needed in Districts 4, 5, 6, 7 and 22.  Contact Chris Fryer on (03) 9886 1141 or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Wednesday 28 September 2016 - This Emergency Management and Disaster Resilience day is part of the Australasian Simulation Congress (ASC) at the Melbourne Convention Centre.

This is an opportunity for those who use and develop simulation activities for emergency management to get together and exchange ideas. 

Subjects for discussion will include high tech simulation, live exercising, map exercises, community planning workshops etc.

Download the information flyer here

Discount registration for volunteers has been organised through AFAC, and is $310 per person instead of the regular price of $530 – contact Benjamin Smith This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Todd Mason This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

This covers attendance at the panels and paper sessions, lunch and tea, and access to the exhibition space.

Separately, the conference also offers a master class on Monday, 26 September, covering fire safety and evacuation.  See www.simulationcongress.com for more details on the master class.

Updated July 2015 Calendar available for download below

The Statewide 2015 IMT course application form is now available at Brigades Online - members from emergency service agencies, including CFA, DELWP, MFB, SES and EMV, can access a variety of courses.

The courses are designed to provide technical skills necessary to undertake a number of IMT roles. Following training, there are agency specific requirements that must be met in order to become fully accredited in a particular role.

To nominate for one of the courses in the calendar, you need to complete the course nomination form before the course closing date. Both training and role pre-requisites are outlined. You must have all pre-requisites before nominating for a course.

If you have been identified by your District for a course, you need to complete the IMT training nomination form authorised by your District Operational Manager. If you are a staff member, you will have to speak to your functional manager for approval.

Click here for the course nomination form at Brigades Online

See below to download an updated (July 2015) copy of the course calendar.

Note from VFBV CEO Andrew Ford:

The Emergency Management Commissioner, with in-principle support from the Minister and Premier, has released a draft Emergency Management Volunteer Statement for consideration and feedback from VFBV and volunteers.

The VFBV Board and CEO were invited to provide comments on an initial draft and are happy to report that essentially all of our early feedback has been incorporated into this current draft.

CFA volunteers already place a high value on the existing CFA Volunteer Charter and legislative backing that supports it.  The draft Emergency Management Volunteer Statement wording and the formal commitment from Craig Lapsley as Emergency Management Commissioner, and on behalf of the Government as Chair of the Minister’s Volunteer Consultative Forum, has confirmed that the intent of the Emergency Management Volunteer Statement is to strengthen and complement the existing CFA Volunteer Charter, which will continue as an enduring commitment between Government, CFA and VFBV on behalf of CFA volunteers.

As VFBV Chief Executive Officer, my broad view is that the draft Emergency Management Volunteer Statement is a positive and reinforcing commitment by the Victorian Government and Emergency Management Sector to consult and engage with volunteers in emergency management on matters that affect them.

VFBV has been requested to provide further feedback and ideally endorsement of the Statement before 17 July 2015.  I think this Emergency Management Volunteer Statement is a positive initiative and invite your comment and/or suggestions for refinement, prior to VFBV providing final advice to the EM Commissioner on 17 July. 

Andrew Ford

Chief Executive Officer

Click here for the draft Emergency Management Volunteer Statement and the online feedback form.

Since the State Government announcement of the extension of Emergency Medical Response (EMR) to all CFA integrated stations, a number of additional volunteer Brigades have expressed interest in providing EMR and wanted to know how they can become involved.

Interest is strongest in country areas where ambulance services are stretched or needing support, and VFBV has advised the State Government that EMR would be very welcome in areas where the primary agency, Ambulance Victoria, identifies the need and local Brigades have the willingness and the capacity to deliver the service.

The introduction of EMR service in volunteer Brigades is extremely cost efficient, with equipment costs of around $15,000 per Brigade.

Volunteers were pioneers of EMR in CFA, with five volunteer Brigades starting an EMR pilot in 2008. Since then, those Brigades at Berwick, Edithvale, Mornington, South Morang and Whittlesea have shown the extra skills are not only lifesaving at EMR jobs but are also useful at road accidents and rescue calls.

Brigades that feel EMR would be beneficial in their area and within their capacity to deliver, should contact VFBV. Several Brigades are already actively in discussion with their community and local MPs.

Emergency Management Commissioner Craig Lapsley has posted his National Volunteer Week video tribute to emergency volunteers on YouTube – you can see it here.

There are close to 100,000 emergency volunteers in Victoria, including 60,000 CFA volunteers.

Here are some CFA volunteer facts and figures: 

• There are nearly 60,000 CFA volunteers in more than 1,200 Brigades statewide
• Emergency volunteering is a professional field, with volunteers trained to nationally recognised standards, and CFA Brigades protecting 60% of suburban Melbourne, regional cities and country Victoria, every day and night of the year
• CFA Brigades deal with all manner of emergencies all year round, including house fires, industrial fires, road accidents, floods, chemical spills and rescues, as well as the bushfires of summer
• There are approximately 10,000 CFA volunteers in the outer suburbs of Melbourne
• The CFA’s volunteer firefighters are emergency services professionals with nationally recognised qualifications, working to the same response standards as paid firefighters
• There are also thousands of non-operational CFA volunteers, performing vital support roles, handling equipment maintenance, fundraising, administration and community education
• CFA volunteers are more than 90% of the state’s fire fighting force and 97% of CFA. The great capacity of the volunteer system allows CFA Brigades to provide thousands of trained, experienced firefighters to combat bushfires and other emergencies such as floods, while still providing round-the-clock protection to their own communities
• CFA Brigades protect 3.3 million Victorians and one million dwellings every day and night of the year.

Places in this year’s VFBV Leadership Program course have been in demand, with 92 applicants for 50 positions.

The program is funded by VFBV, with additional funding from the Department of Justice to assist with our multi-agency approach, but with such strong demand we were able to make a successful application to Emergency Management Victoria for top up funding sufficient for an extra 10 participants for this year’s course, taking the total to 60.

This is the sixth course, and includes volunteers from CFA, VICSES, Lifesaving Victoria, the Australian Volunteer Coast Guard, Ambulance Victoria CERT and St John Ambulance.

The successful applicants have been advised and the Lilydale and Werribee groups have had their first session.

The VFBV Leadership Program has equipped more than 200 successful participants with Certificate IV in Frontline Management, a nationally recognised qualification provided under the auspices of Chisholm Institute of TAFE.

The Application deadline for this year’s Emergency Services Foundation’s Volunteer Leaders Forum is this Friday, 10^th April.

There are a few spots still available, and it’s all free.  All you have to do is get yourself there.

Again, it will be based at the St Kilda Novotel on Saturday 2^nd and Sunday 3^rd May 2015.

Delegates will meet top people in emergency services, from the Victorian Minister for Emergency Services to the Director-General of Emergency Management Australia.  And they’ll also hear from some pretty amazing people, volunteers who’ve achieved great things in their sector.

They will also visit the State Police Operations Centre, Airservices Australia’s training centre at Tullamarine and the Department of Environment’s special Equipment Development Unit.

The full program is contained in the flyer, which you can download at http://www.hpe.com.au/esf/esfvols.html

Delegates will receive free accommodation at the hotel (generally twinshare) on the Friday and Saturday nights.  All meals are provided on Saturday and Sunday, including the BBQ and USAR display on Saturday evening.

If you have ‘leadership potential’, complete the Application Form in the flyer, and get it back to the secretariat immediately.  We expect more applicants than places, so make sure you get in quickly.

Successful applicants will be advised by Friday 17^th April.

The Emergency Service Foundation has announced that applications are now being accepted for this year’s Emergency Services Foundation’s Volunteer Leaders' Forum.

The event will be based at the St Kilda Novotel on Saturday and Sunday, 2/3 May 2015.

The program includes leadership talks and workshops, bus tours to some major emergency management sites around Melbourne and the always popular Chief Officers’ panel.

Click here for the full program

Delegates will receive free accommodation at the hotel (generally twin share) on the Friday and Saturday nights. 

All meals are provided on Saturday and Sunday, including the BBQ and USAR display on Saturday evening.

Numbers will be tight this year, so you are urged to complete the application form in the flyer and get it back to the secretariat as soon as possible.

Successful applicants will be advised by Friday, 17 April 2015.

VFBV MEDIA RELEASE 25 February 2014

The CFA volunteers’ association, Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria (VFBV), has welcomed the State Government’s decision to extend Emergency Medical Response (EMR) to more CFA fire stations.

With EMR, CFA crews trained in advanced first aid and equipped with oxygen and defibrillators are despatched to urgent ambulance calls, arriving and starting resuscitation of the patient minutes earlier, significantly increasing the patient’s chances of survival.

VFBV Chief Executive Officer Andrew Ford says five volunteer Brigades have been providing EMR response since 2008 under the pilot program, with five Integrated Brigades joining them in late 2011.

“CFA volunteer and paid firefighters at ten brigades across the suburbs of Melbourne and provincial centres have achieved great success with Emergency Medical Response, saving a number of lives,” Mr Ford said.

“The official study that shows EMR can significantly increase the patients’ survival rate matches the volunteer Brigades’ experience, and expansion of the program can only be a good thing, especially in country areas, where ambulance response times can be quite high,” he said.

“The State Government’s announcement of $5 million to extend the program is a good start; the cost of EMR equipment and training for a volunteer Brigade is quite modest, especially for the considerable benefits it can produce.”

The volunteer Brigades achieving success with EMR since 2008 are; Berwick, Edithvale, Mornington, South Morang and Whittlesea. Dozens of volunteers contributed and responded to the evaluation study, indicating they were extremely happy in performing the EMR role, and reporting the extra skills to be useful at other fire related call types, such as car accidents and rescue events.

Ends…

VFBV Media Release - Wednesday, 25 February 2015

The CFA volunteers’ association, Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria (VFBV), has welcomed the State Government’s decision to extend Emergency Medical Response (EMR) to more CFA fire stations.

With EMR, CFA crews trained in advanced first aid and equipped with oxygen and defibrillators are despatched to urgent ambulance calls, arriving and starting resuscitation of the patient minutes earlier, significantly increasing the patient’s chances of survival.

VFBV Chief Executive Officer Andrew Ford says five volunteer Brigades have been providing EMR response since 2008 under the pilot program, with five Integrated Brigades joining them in late 2011.

“CFA volunteer and paid firefighters at ten brigades across the suburbs of Melbourne and provincial centres have achieved great success with Emergency Medical Response, saving a number of lives,” Mr Ford said.

“The official study that shows EMR can significantly increase the patients’ survival rate matches the volunteer Brigades’ experience, and expansion of the program can only be a good thing, especially in country areas, where ambulance response times can be quite high,” he said.

“The State Government’s announcement of $5 million to extend the program is a good start; the cost of EMR equipment and training for a volunteer Brigade is quite modest, especially for the considerable benefits it can produce.”

The volunteer Brigades achieving success with EMR since 2008 are; Berwick, Edithvale, Mornington, South Morang and Whittlesea. Dozens of volunteers contributed and responded to the evaluation study, indicating they were extremely happy in performing the EMR role, and reporting the extra skills to be useful at other fire related call types, such as car accidents and rescue events.

Applications closing soon.

The Emergency Services Scholarship Foundation awards fellowships and grants under the ESF Scholarship Scheme to members of the Victorian emergency services that provide assistance to the Victorian community, to aid them to undertake advanced studies in Australia and overseas.

Scholarship proposals can focus on a range of areas containing a primary interest in pre-hospital emergency health or emergency services including but not limited to:

           - Pre-hospital emergency patient treatment

           - Emergency prevention

           - Preparedness, response, recovery and risk management elements of their agency’s roles

           - Lessening hazards experience by emergency service workers

           - Pre-hospital care.

Although relevance across a range of agencies is an advantage, it is not mandatory.

For more information, see the Emergency Services Foundation website;  http://www.esf.com.au/scholarships.htm and see the ESF Application Information Pack.

INTERESTED VOLUNTEERS should contact Jenny Davis (Executive Officer Emergency Services Foundation) on 0406 003 765 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Applicants should avoid submissions that duplicate research undertaken by previous scholarship winners.

CFA has just received a letter from Emergency Management Commissioner Craig Lapsley, expressing his thanks to all involved in supporting South Australia's efforts to fight major fires in the Adelaide Hills.

Commissioner Lapsley also commended the Victorian Emergency Services personnel who at the same time have been fighting major fires in central and western parts of Victoria, and everyone providing support to those on the front line.

See below for the full text of the letter:

Sunday 14 September between 10.30 and 5pm at the Darebin Arts Centre in Preston.

More than 60 projects from CFA, DEPI, MFB and SES will be on show including a broad range of operational, community safety, training, IT, safety/rehabilitation displays along with vehicles and equipment. All emergency service members are invited to come along with family, friends and colleagues to see what’s new, talk with project teams and take advantage of free health checks.

CFA and DEPI projects include:

• New release training projects and mobile props
• Volunteerism resources and brigade sustainability pilot
• Health & Wellbeing and Manage your Mental Health initiatives
• Concept and new release equipment including (from CFA) Scoresby Hoselayer, Technical Rescue Pod, ArmCore Cooler Harness, Bendigo Hydraulic Pole Saw and Alpine vehicle; (from DEPI) Vehicle-mounted flame-thrower, aerial intelligence gathering platform and the self-propelled incendiary flare.

For more information and who’s exhibiting please visit www.projectexpo.com.au

This year’s Emergency Services Foundation – 3rd Volunteer Leaders Forum, will be held in Melbourne on Saturday and Sunday 3 and 4 May.

Volunteers who wish to attend can be current volunteer leaders or prospective volunteer leaders - download the application form and details below.

The format for this year’s forum will include Day 1 at the Novotel St Kilda and Day 2 with a tour of the new training facility at Craigieburn.

The event offers;

• „„ New Technology
• „„ Meet Industry Leaders And Agency Chiefs
• „„ Leadership Training
• „„ Key Site Tours
• „„ Emergency Management Updates
• „„ Networking

CFA has the opportunity to have 40 members attend, funded by the Foundation.

Members who wish to nominate to attend can do so by forwarding their nomination direct to the Emergency Services Foundation as per the contact details on the last page of the attachment.  Applications close on the 31st March 2014.

Country Fire Authority (CFA)
The Official public website of the victorian Country Fire Authority

CFA Online (Brigades Online)
Private site for CFA Members only

CFA Pix
CFA's official image gallery

Emergency Memberlink
Emergency Memberlink is a recognition program for CFA and VICSES staff and volunteers that provides benefits and discounts to our members.

Australasian Fire Authorities Council AFAC
The Australasian Fire Authorities Council (AFAC) is a peak fire and emergency services industry body established by its members to collaborate on matters of international, national and regional importance.

Australian Government Disaster Assist

Australian Government assistance to Australians affected by disasters, both in Australia and overseas. 

Bushfire CRC
Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre

Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE)
The Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) is Victoria's lead government agency for sustainable management of water resources, climate change, bushfires, public land, forests and ecosystems.

Emergency Management Australia (EMA)
EMA pursues a cooperative and collaborative relationship with Australian Government agencies such as the Department of Finance and Administration, Geoscience Australia and the Bureau of Meteorology.

Bureau of Meteorology (BOM)
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology is a world-class national meteorological agency providing expertise and services to assist Australians in dealing with the harsh realities of our
natural environment, including drought, floods, fires, storms, tsunami and tropical cyclones.

The Fireman
Since 1947 ‘The Fireman’ has provided news and information to CFA brigades, keeping fire-fighters up to date on developments within the organisation.

Victorian Emergency Services Association (VESA)
VESA was formed in 1983 with the objective of providing a focus for representing the views of Volunteers of VICSES on issues which affect them.

Youth Central
Youth Central is the Victorian Government's web-based initiative for young people aged 12-25

CAVFA

The Council of Australian Volunteer Fire Associations (CAVFA) is a collaboration of eleven volunteer fire brigade associations within Australia. The Council was established to give volunteer fire-fighters a united voice in discussions and negotiations with government and key stakeholders.