Vic firefighters to receive upgrade

Reforms designed to modernise Victorian firefighting services will be carried out at the CFA.

The CFA will become a volunteer-only service with the role of volunteers enshrined under law, while a new organisation called Fire Rescue Victoria will be established to fight fires in Melbourne and regional centres.

These reforms will alter systems and structures that have been in place since the 1950s, after eight reviews over the past decade made it clear that modernisation is required.

“We’ve had eight reviews in the past 10 years. All of them have reached the same conclusion — the current fire services structure isn’t working,” said Premier Daniel Andrews.

Under the reforms, the CFA will be further protected under law as a volunteer service and the 1220 CFA brigades will continue to serve their communities as they have always done, as well as providing vital surge capacity during major emergencies.

CFA volunteers currently serving at one of the state’s 35 integrated stations will be able to remain at that station, co-locating with Fire Rescue Victoria services.

In addition, there will be $56.2 million in dedicated funding for the CFA Support Fund to strengthen volunteer recruitment, training, brigade support and leadership.

The new Fire Rescue Victoria will be established to fight fires in major regional cities and Melbourne, bringing together the MFB and career staff from the state’s 35 integrated CFA stations, including the 450 extra career firefighters currently being delivered.

Fire Rescue Victoria will be based on other successful police and emergency services organisations, including the model in New South Wales, and be led by its own commissioner.

Consistent with Recommendation 63 of the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission, an independent Fire District Review Panel will also be established.

The panel will conduct future reviews of the boundary between fire services, based on population growth, urban development and the volume of triple 000 calls.

Victoria’s emergency services will also have the very best facilities and equipment, with the establishment of a new Emergency Services Infrastructure Authority. One of the first tasks for the new authority will be to work with the CFA on delivering a new $44 million station building program.

The reforms include driving cultural change, such as an ambitious target to quadruple the number of career female firefighters in our fire services from 100 to 400, within four years. It is hoped that the number of women in CFA brigade leadership roles will increase from 265 to 909 over the same period.

To roll out these reforms, an Operational Implementation Committee will be established and chaired by Greg Mullins, former commissioner of Fire and Rescue NSW.

Fire and rescue services will continue as normal, and the amount collected through the Fire Services Property Levy will not change over the next two years while the reforms are implemented.

Image credit: ©FreeImages.com/Michele Cooper

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