CFA Board regional visit 21-22 October 2018

First up, the Board was joined by Assistant Chief Officer Rohan Luke, who provided a presentation on the Fit for Duty Pilot currently underway in South West Region.  ACO Luke highlighted that the intent of the pilot is to:

• Increase the safety and wellbeing of CFA volunteers
• Increase access to health services
• Make CFA an organisation of choice for volunteers, with supportive, safe and health environments
• Ensure that the program is non-arduous, and with minimal impact on brigades. 

ACO Luke took the Board through the different components of the pilot - physical, medical and psychological - and discussed the process for reviewing the pilot and incorporating feedback.  The Board noted that recommendations arising from the pilot are expected to be provided to the Chief Officer in April 2019.

The Board also received a presentation from OIC Kade Dowie about the operation of the Lucas Fire Brigade. The Board agreed that there is a need for a flexible approach to service delivery whereby different operating models are applied in different areas depending on the particular circumstances.

The Executive Director-Volunteers and Strategy, Mr John Haynes AFSM, joined the meeting to discuss the Performance Report for the 2018-19 CFA Plan. The Board noted that CFA is on track to implement all initiatives in the Plan by the end of the financial year. 

The Board then considered drafts of a CFA Strategy and a Corporate Governance Statement, with these to be further developed following feedback from the Board.

The Chief Executive Officer spoke to his report to the Board, highlighting that:

• A majority of staff have voted to support the District Maintenance Officer/Tower Overseer Enterprise Agreement
• All directorate and regional leadership teams have been briefed on the results of the People Matter Survey
• A Caretaker Toolkit, including a presentation and FAQ document to support CFA to navigate the 2018 election period with integrity, was launched on 24 September and is available via the intranet and Brigades Online to al CFA members.   

The Chief Officer spoke to his report to the Board, highlighting that:

• Following changes to the Trainer and Assessor qualification by the Australian Skills Qualification Authority, CFA is preparing a plan to upgrade all Career Instructors, Career Staff and Volunteer Trainers and Assessors who deliver nationally accredited training.
• Service Delivery Preparedness Program audits are currently being undertaken to assess CFA’s readiness prior to the fire season. A range of additional activities is also underway to support readiness, including pre-season briefings, workshops and exercises, and preparation of Community Safety messaging.
• The next phase of the Road Crash Rescue (RCR) vehicle build program has commenced, with work underway with integrated stations.
• A contract has been signed with the Mental Health Commission of Canada for the delivery of Road to Mental Readiness Training.
• CFA has collaborated with the Department of Education and Training to develop shared communications to be delivered to all bushfire at Risk Register (BARR) schools.

The Board was introduced to the new Executive Director Communications and Stakeholder Relations, Ms Sally Pickering, who outlined preparations for the Commemoration of the 2009 Victorian Bushfires.

The Chair of the Board also reported on a recent meeting with the VFBV Board. Both Boards agreed that it was important for CFA as a whole that there is a collaborative working relationship between CFA and VFBV, and that any previous issues be put in the past. It was agreed that the two Boards would meet once every six months and that the two CEOs would meet monthly. The next meeting of the Boards is scheduled for 12 April 2019.

Stakeholder Consultation

With the formalities of the Board meeting dealt with, the Board and CFA Executives settled in for a discussion and dinner with local volunteers, staff and stakeholders. The evening was very well attended with about 40 participants, including members of the DPCs of Districts 15, 16 and 17, the West RLT and representatives from the regional offices of Victoria Police, Ambulance Victoria, the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) and the SES. 

ACO Peter O’Keefe welcomed everyone to the region, and then Board Chair Mr Greg Smith AM outlined the direction and key priorities for the Board. After a lively question and answer session, the group convened for additional discussion over dinner where volunteers and staff had the chance to engage one-on-one with Board members, the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Officer.

Linton Staff Ride 

The next day, CFA Board members, CEO Paul Smith, Chief Officer Steve Warrington and CFA Executives participated in the Linton Memorial Staff Ride on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the tragedy, where five Geelong West firefighters lost their lives.

As part of the Ride, the group walked through the Linton bushland, getting a first-hand understanding of the decisions made at various stages of the fire and participating in real-time decision-making.

Staff and volunteers from CFA have worked closely with the firefighters’ families to develop this real-life training experience which takes participants through the events leading up to, and during, the fire on 2 December 1998. The memorial event simulates the nature and timing of the incident as it occurred 20 years ago, identifying the challenges faced by those on the ground that day and how the lessons learned transformed the CFA’s approach to firefighting.

The Board found the experience both enlightening and memorable, and reflected on how far our organisation has come since this tragic event, particularly in terms of training.

The Board extended its thanks to Mr Jamie McKenzie, who has been instrumental in developing the Staff Ride, and also to Mr Simon Scharf, who has shown great courage in being prepared to share his story about the events of the day in such an open and honest way. 

Geelong West Brigade is conducting a commemoration service on Sunday 2 December at Geelong West Memorial Park at 6pm to remember Matthew Armstrong, Jason Thomas, Chris Evans, Stuart Davidson and Garry Vredeveldt.

For more information about the staff ride and the experience of fathers Bill Thomas and Max Davidson, you can view a film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnSy8oZ674c