Thousands of CFA volunteers are a step closer to receiving $3m of workwear as CFA goes to tender for a supplier.
Image for illustration purposes only.
CFA provides personal protective clothing for volunteer firefighters to wear to emergencies, which the community would recognise as the CFA’s iconic yellow firefighting uniform
CFA and the Victorian Government are now also funding the design and delivery of workwear to be worn by volunteers when carrying out CFA-related duties that don’t require Personal Protective Clothing or dress uniforms.
This may include activities such as community education, working in an incident management team, attending meetings, performing duties at a station and training that does not require protective clothing.
After consulting directly with volunteers and with Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria, CFA is seeking a supplier for both male and female shirts, cargo trousers, cargo shorts and straight leg trousers, as well as unisex jackets, belts, caps and wide brim hats.
The workwear will be dark blue with a high-level of durability and will be safe to wear under existing Personal Protective Clothing.
CFA Chief Officer and CEO Steve Warrington said that the procurement of workwear is an exciting development for CFA volunteers.
“Our volunteers are selfless, dedicated people who do so much more for their communities than just fighting fires,” CO/CEO Warrington said.
“Whether they are delivering educational activities, attending meetings, undertaking training or performing important incident management roles, some of our busiest volunteers can look forward to proudly wearing CFA-branded workwear that is comfortable and appropriate for day-to-day use.
“We have worked closely with our volunteers to determine the specifications of the workwear and we look forward to finding a supplier through an open tender process.
“This is just one of many projects supporting and investing in our volunteers, such as the ongoing roll-out of 5,500 new firefighting helmets and a 42% increase in training opportunities provided to volunteers in the past four years,” he said.
The new CFA workwear will be provided to an estimated 8,500 volunteers in leadership and community-facing positions.
This includes Captains, Lieutenants, Deputy Group Officers, Brigade Community Safety Coordinators, Group Officers and certain Incident Management Team functions.
CFA is looking to award the tender for the workwear by the end of July and begin distribution later this year.
The funding is part of the Victorian Government’s Volunteer Support Package.