Juniors '0' Birthday Party

Some photos from the '0' birthday party held by the Juniors as their inaugural event.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/arthurscreekrfb/sets/72157625524571619/detail/

I hear that the Juniors (untrained, young and new) beat the BMT at one of the drills by a considerable margin. 

Pre-season BBQ and awards presentation

Some photos by Michael from the pre-season BBQ & life membership awards presentation - 5 December 2010.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/arthurscreekrfb/sets/72157625650127530/detail/

NWMR Newsletter and Churchill Fellowship information

Please find attached the December edition of the Northern and Western Metropolitan News.

An article featured in this newsletter is the 2011 Churchill Fellowship, in particular the 2011 Lord Mayor’s Bushfire Appeal Churchill Fellowship, which is awarded for research into ways to combat and reduce the impact of bushfires. To help promote this worthwhile initiative, I have also attached a Churchill Fellowship flyer and poster in PDF format. It would be appreciated if this could be promoted at brigade level. More information is also available at http://www.churchilltrust.com.au/

And as usual, it would be appreciated if the newsletter could be made available to all members at the brigade.

Regards

Kris Perkovic
Media & Marketing Coordinator
CFA Northern & Western Metropolitan Region

Structural PPC Update - 10 December 2010

Structural PPC Update - 10 December 2010

Leona Latcham
Program Manager
Personal Protective Clothing

VFBV December 2010 Newsletter

Attached for your information is copy of the December 2010 VFBV Newsletter.

Jenni Laing
VOLUNTEER FIRE BRIGADES VICTORIA

Firestar Rose Donation

2010 has been a busy year for Firestar Rose, and in just under four months the program has raised $31,191.63. Over 290 brigades directly benefited from this contribution, and your brigade was lucky enough to receive a donation of $159.74 from the sale of 14 roses. This donation should now be in your brigade’s bank account.

The remainder of the money raised was donated into CFA’s Public Fund, where it will go towards the further development of volunteers by way of leadership training, improving their firefighting skills and the provision of additional equipment. If you have any questions regarding your donation, please email cfaprom@cfa.vic.gov.au by replying to this email.

You can keep updated on the Firestar Rose program by visiting CFA Connect or the Firestar Rose website, http://www.firestarrose.com.au/.

Kind regards,

Nancy Thompson
Marketing Relationship Coordinator
Strategic Communications, CFA

BoM Seasonal Outlook - December 2010

The BoM's quarterly seasonal outlook for January to March 2011 was issued Friday 17th Decmber. Headlines for our area:

Rainfall: average rainfall predicted: http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/ahead/rain.seaus.shtml

Temperature: above average temperatures predicted: http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/ahead/temp.seaus.shtml

Click on the links for more details.

FEEDBACK: D14 Exercise - Sunday 5th December

I would like to thank everyone that was involved in last weeks exercise. An exercise of that size and scale requires everyone involved to participate in the spirit for which it is intended to be a success. This includes the crews on the trucks, the facilitators and the people that undertook roles at the ICC & “Div Comm”, without the commitment and enthusiasm that everyone displayed we would not have had such a successful outcome.

TFB Boundary Realignment Project

The fourth and final stage of the TFB Boundary Realignment Project (Implementation/Education) is nearing completion. Since the last TFB project update in October, a media campaign has been run that will conclude this week. TFB District signs are also being manufactured.

Roster

The roster has been updated.  Please check your details to make sure they are correct and contact the Secretary with any errors or required updates.

It is recommended that you put the BMT, stations, car and tanker 3 numbers into your mobile for quick reference.

Geoff

Latest CFA Dispatch Channel Map (Further Information)

The channel map is purely an indication of the primary dispatch channels used across the state. It’s not meant to be a map indicating all channels used by all parties. We receive a lot of enquires, particularly from members in the country Districts & VicFire, requesting the information provided on this map as there are numerous “VicFire” channels used in the country Districts in addition to a lot of Brigades that are still Cat 5 and use the A channel as their “dispatch” channel.

The designation REG-14 is what’s displayed on the Motorola radios even though we now call them Districts. The new Tait radios display D14A 62.

My recommendation is to enjoy some Christmas cheer and don’t get too hung up on a map that was produced as general information only.
Regards,

Shane Peacock
Manager, Communications Operations
Technology Services Dept.

Latest CFA Dispatch Channel Map

For your information, please find attached the latest CFA Channel Map indicating the Dispatch Channels in use within the Districts following some recent changes due to new sites, Boundary Alignment, etc.

The designated location of the Channel is based purely on the physical location of the site only as I’m aware that several Brigades may use the channels listed in a neighbouring District if coverage permits.
Regards,

Shane Peacock
Manager, Communications Operations
Technology Services Dept.

Fire Danger Period District 14 Municipalities - Commences 0100 hrs Monday 3rd January 2011

Subject to the CFA Chief Officer signing off on our recommendation, it is planned to commence Fire Danger Period (fire restrictions) at 0100 hrs on Monday the 3rd of January for the following municipalities –

• Wyndham City Council
• Melton Shire Council
• Hume City Council
• City of Whittlesea
• Nillumbik Shire Council
• Banyule City Council

As we move towards this date, can all Brigades be aware of this announcement and if requested by members of the community for further information, please direct them to either the Victorian Bushfire Information Line 1800 240 667 or the CFA’s public website http://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/.
Additional local information will also be provided via local newspapers next week.

Regards

John Deering
Operations Manager
CFA District 14
Northern and Western Metropolitan Region

Fire restrictions - 3 January

Fire restrictions will commence on Monday 3 January, 2011.

Changes to mnemonics at end of pager messages

With the CAD upgrade next week (around the 13th December) there will be a change to the Brigade mnemonics that are presented to Brigades when they are paged for calls.

These changes mean that Brigades and GMTs/Region staff with “all-calls” pagers will now be able to see who has been notified of an incident.

The main change for members to be aware of is the introduction of the letter C to the front of the Brigade mnemonics (this stands for CFA), for example Buninyong – BUNI will now CBUNI.

D14 Exercise - Thanks and congratulations from Euan Ferguson, Chief Officer

I was impressed at what I saw on Sunday morning at the Kangaroo Ground Level 3 Exercise. Although I was distracted by some phone calls about an international deployment, I was able to visit the ICC, be briefed by Brian, visit the Exercise Control and have a quick brief by Troy, then inspect the Staging Area. The exercise was well reported (in a very positive light) by the evening news.

I know that these things do not just happen. I also know the incredible challenges of bringing in so many people and keeping them busy at different levels.

I felt it was an outstanding success – at least the bits I saw. I am sure that others would have expressed similar views.

Gentlemen – THANK YOU! Job very well done! I know you probably slept soundly on Sunday evening, but keep up the great work! I appreciate your effort and we are very much the better for it.

Please pass on my thanks and congratulations to all who were involved in the planning and execution of the exercise last Sunday.

Regards,

Euan Ferguson AFSM
Chief Officer
Country Fire Authority

FDP District 12

Would like to advise you that the FDP will be proclaimed in the Mitchell Shire and Murrindindi Shire on the 20th Dec 2010.

Discussions with all concerned within District 12 indicate they whole heartily agree with this date.

Districts 22 & 23 will be proclaimed on the same date.

Could you please advise the necessary Group Officers and Captains within your Districts.

Cheers
John Smith
Operations Officer
Mitchell Catchment

Community Safety update for Fire Ready Road show

Dear Community Safety Team,

I’m writing to make sure everyone is informed about the FireReady Roadshow, which will be launched to the media tomorrow morning.

The FireReady Roadshow will be visiting 41 locations around the State from 4 December 2010 – 13 February 2011, with the aim of raising awareness of the need for everyone to have a bushfire survival plan - including residents, holiday makers and day visitors.

May day calls on wrong channels

Can you please ensure when conducting drills that involve broadcasting a “May Day” message via the radio, the channel NOT be a Vicfire monitored frequency.

Regards,

Justin Dally
Operations Officer
District 14

Bushfire Safety Policy Framework

The Bushfire Safety Policy Framework has now been released as a public document on the Fire Services Commissioner’s webpage on the Department of Justice website:

http://www.justice.vic.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/justlib/doj+internet/home/community+safety/fire+safety/fire+services+commissioner/justice+-+victorian+bushfire+safety+policy+framework+-+%28pdf%29

Kind regards,

Liz Armitage
Executive Manager Strategic Communications
CFA

Neighborhood Safer Places now shown in the recently released Edition 3 North West map book

Please be advised that Neighbourhood Safer Places are now shown in the recently released Edition 3 North West mapbook, and will be shown in subsequent mapbooks. While they were not included in the Central Edition 3 mapbook the decision was made to include them from the North West onwards, after some consideration. The (relative) stability of the NSP dataset in the North West and South West mapbook areas suggested that, to firefighters, the benefits of including them outweighed the issues around the dataset.

Please bear in mind that it is likely that more NSPs will be added during the two and a half year lifespan of the mapbook, and some may be decommissioned – the CFA website remains the appropriate place to view the current list of NSP locations, and words to this effect are included on the bottom of each mapbook page that has an NSP on it.

Happy to discuss, and to those who have already fielded questions on this issue, my apologies for not sending this out earlier…

Cheers,

Pete Luckock
Policy Research Analyst
Operations Directorate

Bushfire Start Minimisation Review - Trials

As per tonight's (Monday 6 Dec) meeting attached is the EnergySafe letter received last week re the above -  for the Blog.  It is interesting to surmise how the Thomas Road power line (SWER) "will be operated in a different way" but I pretty sure that I can guess.

Pat Corr

Message from Gill Metz (sent 18-Nov)

Good afternoon everyone

As some of you might be aware, CFA CEO Mick Bourke last week announced several changes to CFA’s staffing arrangements. This is covered in his CFA Connect blog post of 12 November:

http://www.cfaconnect.net.au/blog-mainmenu-8/CFA-Makes-Changes-for-its-Future.html

As outlined in his post, I have accepted a role at CFA headquarters in Burwood working as part of a project team reviewing CFA’s funding arrangements. This is a challenging role and something I am very much looking forward to as this is an area of interest and one which I believe I can make a significant contribution (and which I believe will support the region into the future). This project is expected to last 12 months.

Replacing me in the role of District 14 Regional Manager will be DCO Greg Esnouf, who will bring much needed operational support to the district. I will hand over to Greg on Monday 6 December, so I would ask that everyone makes Greg welcome at the time.

Kind regards

Gill Metz, Regional Manager, District 14

Media Reports

I've fallen behind posting media reports.  The following are a batch of various items.

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Weekly media reports

• 19 November
• 3 December
• 10 December

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TV news reports from the District 14 exercise (nb: large files):

• ABC
• GTV9
• HSV7

Creswick Woollen Blankets

Creswick Woollen Mills are offering a fundraising opportunity.  $25 from the sale of each DC5 Blanket (wool aramind blend, $275 each) will be donated to a brigade of the purchaser's choice.

Some order forms will be available at the station if you or any of your family or friends are thinking of purchasing one.

District Exercise Photos

District 14 Exercise - 5 December 2010

Juniors events

Mr Reader and I attended a meeting last night with Mark Gravell and have arranged to have a '0 Birthday Party' for the Arthurs Creek/Strathewen Juniors on 21st December from 7 - 8.00pm. We will be having cake, snacks, balloons etc.

The invitation is for all 11-16 year olds, plus bring a friend with the view to new enrolments. As it is a birthday party, younger members and generally any interested Brigade members can attend, and we will have 'games' appropriate for the age of attendees.

We would also like to invite our Lieutants / Captain to the party and other relevant VIP's

We will then run sessions on the 11 Jan, 8 & 22 Feb, 8 & 22 Mar for all junior members. Future months will be advised at a later date.

On 28th January, our Junior Brigade has been invited to the Red Light Disco at the Yarrmabat CFA from 6.30pm - 8.00pm

Kerstin

Flood Safety Update & Information

Flood Safety Update & Information - 8th December 2010

Overall fuel hazard assessment guide - 4th ed

DSE have updated the fuel hazard assessment guide.  Refer attached for a soft copy of it.  It takes into account an additional layer of fuel, which I believe results in a higher tonnes/hectare measurement for some areas.

Brigade SOPs - v3

The Brigade SOPs have been updated again.  This is on advice from District regarding the two tanker response to areas without reticulated water.  The SOPs have been reverted to their original.

The updated SOPs can be found the "Brigade Documents" page.

Statewide Courses

Some upcoming statewide courses:

• CFA282 Assessor Program - 2-3 March & 9-10 March (4 days), Bangholme, closing 17 January
• CFA281 Plan & Facilitate Group Based Learning - 15 March, 23-24 March & 8 April (4 days), Bangholme, closing 31 January
• CFA280 Provide Training - 16-17 April & 15 May (3 days), Fiskville, closing 28 February

Brochure is on the board at the station.  Contact Andrew if you wish to apply.

Fire restrictions - 20 December (tentative)

The tentative start date for fire restrictions in Nillumbik is Monday 20 December.

Guidelines operating in the vicinity of extra high voltage transmission assets

SP-Ausnet has sought my assistance in reinforcing these Guidelines to CFA members after a number of unplanned and unannounced visits in the vicinity on these assets recently.

More pertinently, as the Summer Period approaches and fire prevention and response activities increase it is opportune to reinforce these simple guidelines with all members, especially the

• 4m total height limit and
• the easy availability of the 24/7 Emergency phone lines

These should be read in conjunction with SOP 11.04 Power Lines and Electrical Conductors – Working Near

Please find attached SP AusNet’s Guidelines For The Safety Of Fire And Emergency Services Operating In The Vicinity Of Extra High Voltage Transmission Assets

National Park Visit 21st November

Ian Maher from Kinglake will guide us around.

We will meet at the Fire station at 09.00hrs, and meet Ian Maher 09.30hrs Marshall Road & Buttermans Track entrance.  From there through the park to Wallaby Creek.

We have to limit our vehicles so only take 4WDs and fill them.

We will take all the portable radios plus the listening sets so each car has at least a listening set.

We can go to the Flowerdale Pub for lunch afterwards.  Contact Michael so he can book a table.
 
Michael

Weekly Media Report

• 10 November

Kris Perkovic
Media & Marketing Coordinator
CFA Northern & Western Metropolitan Region

From the CEO - Organisational Changes - CFA makes changes for the future

Please see attached announcement from the CEO, Mick Bourke.

Upcoming community events for men and families

Please find attached upcoming health and wellbeing activities within, or around, our region.  For your information and dissemination where appropriate.

Mens getaways and activities:

• Mediterranean Foodies Tour. (no flyer provided)
• Bemm River Fishing Getaways.
• Four wheel drive training course.
• Chainsaw training course.

Family events:

• An evening with Todd Russell (Beaconsfield Miner).
• Healesville Sanctuary Family Fun Day. (no flyer provided)

Regards

Shane Levarsha

2010-11 CFA/DSE Pre Season Update Video

Dear all

The 2010-11 CFA/DSE Pre Season Update video is now available online at: http://www.cfaconnect.net.au/news/2010-11-pre-season-update.html.

Please watch the video as it contains key community, operational and safety messages for the upcoming fire season including:

• The weather outlook;
• The new Bushfire Safety Policy and community preparedness;
• Changes to command and control arrangements and incident management;
• Warnings;
• Evacuations;
• Situational Awareness; and
• Intelligence Gathering.

A copy of the video will be distributed on DVD to your brigade by mid November. Please contact me at the end of November if your brigade hasn’t received a copy of the pre-season update.

Regards,

Kathrine

Movember

I'm growing a ridiculous mo for Movember and for men's health.  If you would like to sponsor me in this endeavour, please donate via http://au.movember.com/mospace/991714/

Geoff

Minutes - General Meeting - 4th October 2010

Minutes of last general meeting: 4th October 2010.  Also available in the "Brigade Documents" page.

Thanks very much to Sue for producing them.

Geoff

Traffic Management Plans - Whittlesea Show

Traffic management plans for Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th November 2010:

• The 449A plan shows the 8:00am to 3:00pm "to Whittlesea Show" Plenty Road traffic arrangements.
• The 449B plan shows the 3:00pm onwards "from Whittlesea Show" Plenty Road traffic arrangements.

Responding to natural gas explosions

Responding to natural gas explosions (Everyone Goes Home - Learning Media Center presentation)

CFA Dangerous Goods Department have viewed this presentation and recommend it for distribution as you see fit – especially pertinent is the section of the fire-fighter’s recovery

The Natural Gas industry is expanding or even “exploding” in its’ application both domestically and industrially – so please forward this on to front line members especially as you see fit

Regards

Peter J Lucas
Fire Services Liaison Officer
Victoria Police
Counter Terrorism Co-ordination Unit and
Emergency Management Department

Plenty Gorge Fuel Hazard Assessment report – 2010

Plenty Gorge Fuel Hazard Assessment report – 2010
(Note: large file - 6.6MB)

BoM Seasonal Outlook - October 2010

The BoM's latest quarterly seasonal outlook came out last Thursday 26th October for the period November to January. Headlines for our area:

• Rainfall: average rainfall predicted: http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/ahead/rain.seaus.shtml
• Temperature: average daytime temperatures but warmer nights predicted: http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/ahead/temp.seaus.shtml

Click on the links for more details.

Medical oxygen cylinders - change in colour

Please find attached a Protective Equipment Technical Advisory Note relating to a change in medical oxygen cylinders colours.

Regards,

Barry Foss
Operations Manager
Protective Equipment Department

Approved Level 3 ICCs for Bushfire for the 2010-11 Fire Season

Attached is the Approved Level 3 ICCs for Bushfire for 2010-11 Fire Season (signed yesterday).

Rachaele May
Bushfire Command & Control Review (MFB, CFA, DSE)
State Government Offices

Volunteer support

EMERGENCY SERVICES GRANTS DOUBLE TO RECORD LEVELS

From the Minister for Police & Emergency Services

Victoria's volunteer emergency services will see double again over the next year - double the Brumby Labor Government funding for emergency equipment through the hugely popular Community Safety Emergency Support Program grants.

Emergency Services Minister Bob Cameron said the Brumby Labor Government had doubled the program this year to $6.8 million (up from $3.3 million) and due to its popularity will double it again to a massive $13.6 million next year.

Weather readings

Michael, Lachie & Geoff R have weather stations that publish their readings to the Internet (when their computers are on, I'm guessing).  Click the following link:
http://www.wunderground.com/wundermap/?lat=-37.59438&lon=145.24303&zoom=12&type=hyb&units=metric&rad=1&rad.num=1&rad.spd=25&rad.opa=70&rad.stm=0&rad.type=N0R&rad.type2=&rad.smo=1&rad.mrg=0&wxsn=1&wxsn.mode=tw&svr=0&cams=0&sat=0&riv=0&mm=0&hur=0&fire=0&tor=0&ndfd=0&pix=0&dir=0&ads=0&psu=0&tfk=0

Nice way of getting really local weather!

I'll add the link to the "Useful Links" page.

VFBV - 27 October Meeting

The attached letter was sent to District 14 Manager G Mettz and Op Officer John Dearing today, copy is attached for your Brigades info. Full minutes from meeting will be emailed out in the next few days.

Thanks all for your attendance and input last night, and as arranged another Special Meeting will be held next Thursday night 4th November at 19.30hrs at Sth Morang Fire Station.

Please discuss these issues and outcomes with your members and perhaps prepare your thoughts for the next meeting.

Alan Squires
Secretary District 14

Special State Council Meeting & Newsletter

Attached is VFBV’s October 2010 Newsletter and a letter inviting all Brigades, Groups & District Councils to a Special State Council meeting Saturday 13th November.

Jenni Laing
VOLUNTEER FIRE BRIGADES VICTORIA

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If you wish to attend, please contact Michael or Geoff.

Busting bushfire myths

The video for "Busting Bushfire Myths" session at RiAus is up on Vimeo.

http://vimeo.com/16112713

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Bushfires are a dangerous and all too common part of the Australian summer. Yet recent research by the South Australian Country Fire Service has uncovered the myths, misconceptions, half-truths and downright lies about bushfires. Many who live, work or travel through bushfire-prone areas are not even aware that they could be at risk. Are you one of them?

In this interactive and entertaining session, ABC TV Catalyst presenter Graham Phillips and an expert panel of fire scientists present some common and dangerous bushfire scenarios. Would you know what to do in a real-life situation? Can you distinguish the myths from the truth? By understanding the basic scientific principles of bushfire behaviour you'll be better prepared to plan for and survive bushfires.

Join us for a fascinating night of fun that could one day save your life.

In association with the SA Country Fire Service, SA Dept of Environment & Natural Resources and ABC TV.

Fiona Dunstan
Manager Community Education and Public Warnings
SA Country Fire Service

New radios - Radio Replacement Project

Dear all.

Please see the below information regarding the radio replacement project. For you information, District 14 is going to be involved in the first round of the replacement program.

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Fire Danger Rating - Memo

Team; please find attached a copy of a memo regarding the changes to Fire Danger Ratings and information regarding the updated signage.

Regards

John Deering
Operations Manager
CFA District 14
Northern and Western Metropolitan Region

Dangerous Goods - Initial Emergency Response Guide HAZARD ALERT

SAA/SNZ HB 76:2010 Dangerous Goods - Initial Emergency Response Guide has an error that may have an operational impact. ARFF has quickly issued a Hazard Alert to its operational crews and advised the authors.

If you use this publication this information may be of assistance to you.

Regards

Peter Smith
Chief Fire Officer ARFF Australia
Manager National Operations

Strike Team Rosters - 2010/11 Fire Season

• Short Haul - 1406 (Arthurs Creek highlighted)
• Long Haul - 1422 (Arthurs Creek is not supplying appliances to this strike team)

The rosters are also available on the "Operations" tab.

Weekly Media Report

• 21 October

Kris Perkovic
Media & Marketing Coordinator
CFA Northern & Western Metropolitan Region

NEWS: $9.6 million for new Eltham Fire Station

Hi all,

I thought I would update everyone with a fantastic bit of news today when Minister Bob Cameron visited Eltham to announce the brigade would be receiving $9.6 million for the construction of a new fire station in the local area. Below is a brief news article detailing today’s announcement (this has also been posted to CFA Connect).

--Regards Gill

Group Exercise cancelled

The Group Exercise originally scheduled for this weekend has been cancelled. Thank you to those that volunteered to participate.

Unfortunately, despite their promises, CFA operations management did not do the exercise planning that they had committed to and insisted on doing themselves.

Geoff

Response to Acting Chief Officer's letter

You can comment directly against the letter on CFA Connect.  The link to the post is: http://www.cfaconnect.net.au/index.php?option=com_k2&id=2668:&view=item&Itemid=42  You can check the comment I have already made - feel free to add your own.

To comment, you will need to register with your CFA Online account.  All members have one.  If you have not activated it, please contact me and I will get you sorted.

Once registered, you will also get access to the CFA Connect Forum.  If you are having any difficulties in accessing either of these sites, or need some pointers on how to get going, feel free to contact me.

Geoff

Acting Chief Officer's letter

Dear Captain and Secretary

Can you please foward this email to your brigade members? A hard copy is also being posted for use on brigade notice boards/in brigade meetings.

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As we enter another fire season, CFA is better equipped and resourced than ever before and a huge amount of work is going on to prepare for the season and implement recommendations of the Royal Commission.

CFA is a team and family, made up of over 58,000 volunteers and around 1,600 staff who share an enormous duty and privilege in protecting the community.

Our organisation has been through some very difficult times and seen much change in the past 18 months and now is the time to stand together as a strong, united team. With our focus very much on preparing for the upcoming fire season, I’d like to address a number of topics that have been the subject of recent discussions. I hope that by addressing these issues, I can provide some reassurance as we continue our focus on the fire season.

Updated Brigade Operating Procedures

Brigade SOPs v2 has been released.

They can also be referenced on the "Brigade Documents" tab above.

Geoff

Weekly Media Report

• 30 September
• 8 October

Kris Perkovic

Media & Marketing Coordinator
CFA Northern & Western Metropolitan Region

New Guide to Help Prepare Homes in Case of Bushfire

Passed on by Lachie:

Planning Minister Justin Madden today launched a new practical guide to help more than 470,000 homeowners in high risk areas retrofit existing homes to better withstand a bushfire.

Ferntree Gully New Fire Headquarters

Ferntree Gully is home to a new state-of-the-art fire incident headquarters that will service the Mount Dandenong Ranges and Knox regions to provide even greater protection to those communities in times of bushfire.

More...

Lachie

Group Exercise - 24 October

Refer to the linked list on who has volunteered to do what at the Group Exercise.  If you want to be a crew leader or driver, or be involved with the ICCs on the day, please contact Geoff, Andrew, David or Michael.

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PS: I am trialling Google Docs in the above link to provide more dynamic documents.  You will see the latest version when you click on it, rather than a static saved version frmo whenever I post it.  Please provide feedback as to whether this works OK or not.

Blessing of Tanker 2

Brigade SOPs - proposed update

The BMT are proposing an update to the Brigade SOPs.  Please review the update prior to the general meeting on Monday 4 October.

Geoff

CFA Connect articles of interest

The following are some articles from CFA Connect that may be of interest. 

• VFBV’s new President
• PPC Update September 2010
• Exciting new Info Officer positions
• CEO update: Chief Officer, new dept

Remember that CFA Connect is the CFA's official source of online news.

Geoff

Training Visit to VicFire & FIRS

Hi all

We are arranging a visit to VICFIRE & FIRS located at CFA Head Quarters Tally Ho on Monday 8th November 2010.  This is to familiarise ourselves with how VICFIRE take 000 calls and turn us out. 

Also we will visit the FIRS Reporting section.  All fires have to be reported on by contacting FIRS so you can see how and why we do this!!! If you want to find out more about FIRS go to CFA Connect as there was an article about them a few weeks ago.

The plan is to take 20 people per visit.  When we get to CFA Head Quarters 10 will go to VICFIRE & 10 will go to FIRS then we will swap around.

If we get more that 20 people wanting to attend we can can arrange another visit for the remaining members on the Monday 16th November.

So please email or call Geoff or myself to put your name down. For new members this is must, you will be able to put a face to a voice that you hear over the radio and get a proper understanding on how the despatching system works...

Kind Regards

Michael Chapman

BoM Seasonal Outlook

BoM publish a quarterly seasonal outlook each month.  The latest one came out last Thursday 23 September for the period October to December.  Headlines for our area:

• Rainfall: average rainfall predicted: http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/ahead/rain.seaus.shtml
• Temperature: higher than average temperatures predicted: http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/ahead/temp.seaus.shtml

Click on the links for more details.

District 14 Newsletter, September edition

Please find attached the September edition of the District 14 newsletter.

Regards

Kris Perkovic
Media & Marketing Coordinator
CFA Northern & Western Metropolitan Region

Blessing of the Fleet - City of Whittlesea

The City of Whittlesea is conducting a Blessing of the Fleet on Saturday 2 October 10:00 at Plenty Ranges Arts & Convention Centre, South Morang.

If you wish to participate, please contact David.

Hepatitis B Vaccination Program

CFA is running a Hepatitis B vaccination program.  CFA funds the provision of the vaccination.  The program involves:

• 1st injection
• 2nd injection - 4 weeks after 1st injection
• 3rd injection - 24 weeks after 2nd injection
• Blood test (to confirm vacciniation) 8 weeks after 3rd injection

You need to organise the visits to the doctor.  The CFA delivers the inoculations directly to your nominated doctor.

If you are interesting in particpating, please contact Geoff to get an application form.

New Executive Manager Roles and Update on Chief Officer Recruitment

Hi, All

As you may recall, the Board has endorsed a new department in CFA for: Operational Training and Volunteerism

The Operational Training and Volunteerism department will be headed up by an Executive Manager who will report directly to the CEO. The Executive Manager will provide leadership, advocacy and consultation and planning in implementing a range of strategies and programs to support volunteer engagement and sustainability, along with the strategy and vision for CFA’s operational training, development program and facilities.

Also, the new role of Executive Manager Performance and Assurance has been created.

20 Sep Skills Maintenance

Apologies - we will not be doing Class A Foam training on 20 Sep.  There is something even more exciting planned!

Geoff

Plenty Road & Masons Rd Intersection Construction inc Traffic Signals

Universal Concrete Constructions has been contracted on behalf of Whittlesea City Council to reconstruct the Plenty Rd & Masons Rd intersection including Traffic Signal installation.

Works are scheduled to commence on 9/9/2010. We will be closing one lane of Plenty Rd and implementing temporary traffic signals running 24hrs a day throughout the duration of the project. We apologize for any inconvenience during this time.

Weekly Media Reports

Sorry, all - I fell behind a bit with these...

• 13 August
• 26 August
• 2 September
• 17 September

Additional material:

• State government response to the bushfires royal commission:
  http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/response-to-bushfire-royal-commission
• Media release for the state government response

CFA Connect articles of district 14 events:

• Brave Melton CFA firefighters yesterday rescued a 34-year-old man from a burning home in Comic Court, Melton West.
• Wyndham CFA crews yesterday attended separate hazmat incidents only kilometres from each other in a busy day for local brigades.

Minutes - General Meeting - 2 August 2010

Minutes of last general meeting: 2 August 2010.

Thanks very much to Sue for producing them.

Geoff

Upcoming events

Please note the range of upcoming events over the next few months:

• Mon 20 Sep - commencing Class A Foam training.  All required to attend to either gain you original certification, or for those already trained, to be familiar with the new foam being used by the CFA.
• Sun 3 Oct - Hurstbridge Farmer's Market.  Help required to man the gate - please contact Ros if you are available.
• Mon 18 Oct - Fire Investigation Information session.  Geoff Ranzenhofer from Greenvale CFA will be presenting.
• Sun 21 Nov - the tour of the National Park has moved to this new date due to the clash with the Melbourn Cup weekend.
• Sun 5 Dec - pre-season BBQ.

Geoff

"Renewin' Strathewen" T-Shirts

Reminder that Sue Apted is taking orders for "Renewin' Strathewen" T-Shirts.  If you want one, contact Sue.

Wattle Festival Roster

The following is the roster (so far) for the Wattle Festival  on Sunday 29 August

More people still required.  Please contact Peter Reader if you are available.

Strathewen power outage

We have notice of a power disruption for School Ridge Rd, Strathewen (affecting the shed) on Monday 30 August from 09:00 to 15:30.

Heavy Concept Tanker

The boffins have created a "Heavy Concept Tanker" to trial new ideas.  More information about the tanker is on CFA Connect: http://www.cfaconnect.net.au/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=2276:&Itemid=42

Local visits have been arranged if you are interested in checking it out:

Thursday 19/8/2010

1200 – 1400 hrs: Whittlesea Fire station
1500 – 1700 hrs: Eltham Fire station
1830 – 2030 hrs: Diamond Creek Fire Station

Matthew Temby Trust - Request for Auction Items

The Matthew Temby Trust - run by members of Doreen Fire Brigade - are looking for items for auction at an upcoming Gala Night.

Please refer to the attached letter for more information about the Trust and the request.

Weekly Media Report

• 29 July
• 5 August - Part 1
• 5 August - Part 2
• 5 August - Part 3

(Note: large files)

Wattle Festival

We are selling tickets again for the Wattle Festival steam train on Sunday 29 August.  Please contact Peter Reader petrepeat@optusnet.com.au to volunteer your services for a shift.

Geoff

LAST PAGER FIRMWARE UPGRADE TO VERSION 3.6 - THIS SATURDAY 7 AUGUST

To those Brigade Members with Pagers.

The last Firmware Upgrade to the new Firmware Version 3.6 is this Saturday commencing at 1.00 p.m.

Pagers not already upgraded should be switched on during the morning (if not already on, which they should be) with a battery with plenty of life left in it in the pager. Each OTA (Over the Air) transmission may take up to 3 hours depending on how busy Viper [which sends the transmission] may be at the time.

To check whether your pager has Version 3.6, do the following:-

• have pager on (press red and green buttons at the same time until pager boots up)
• press red button - if it shows Messages, press the red button a second time
• "Delete" will be on the screen
• press arrow key "Up" twice
• screen will show Advanced
• press green button
• General Status will be the top option on the screen
• press green button
• third one down is Version. If it shows 3.6 then your pager is upgraded.

If it does not show Version 3.6 then could you please make sure that your pager is turned on during Saturday morning ready for the upgrade.

Pagers not upgraded - after that members will not gain the full benefit from the pager until it is updated after a lengthy process of collecting, sending and then getting back.

It would be appreciated if all members could check their pagers for Version 3.6 and let me know by email patcorr@alphalink.com.au or phone 9714 8270 that their pagers are upgraded. Could you please do this by or during tomorrow night. I may have to make a few phone calls to people who do not respond but I hope not too many.

(If Advanced, General Status does not show you as the Owner, please let me know.)

All the Best

Pat Corr
Arthurs Creek RFB Comms officer

District 14 Championships Committee Meeting

There is a committee meeting for the District 14 championships scheduled for Saturday 4 September 09:00 at Plenty fire station.  If anyone is interested in representing the brigade at this meeting, you are more than welcome to attend on our behalf.

Strathewen power outage

Note that there is a scheduled power outage affecting Strathewen Shed on Tuesday 10 August from 09:00 to 15:30.

Copies of Royal Commission Report

If you want your own copy of the final report, you can order it online from http://www.vic.gov.au/ and follow the links, or from http://www.vic.gov.au/2009-victorian-bushfires-royal-commission-final-report-pre-order.html.

Bushfires Royal Commission Final Report

As members would know, the Bushfires Royal Commission Final Report is being released this Saturday 31 July. The following is a quick outline detailing how the report will be handed down and some of the welfare and support arrangements available to members.

How the Report will be handed down

Release timetable

The Final Report is scheduled to be presented by the Commissioners to the Governor on the morning of Saturday 31 July, 2010. It is proposed the Premier will then receive the report and table it in Parliament. The Premier has indicated that he will then make the report available to the public immediately. All of this is expected to occur by around midday.

CFA will receive the Report at the same time as the public. The full Report will be available online at www.royalcommission.vic.gov.au and also at www.vic.gov.au The Report will be available in hard copy to read at Information Victoria, 505 Little Collins Street, Melbourne.

The Premier will provide a full response to the Commission’s report on behalf of the State of Victoria – including CFA – within a few weeks. That response will include information about the implementation of initiatives arising from the Report. CFA will not comment on the details of the Report until the Government has formally responded to the findings.

This approach will ensure that all recommendations can be carefully considered, all relevant parties can be given an opportunity to provide input, and the response can be made in the best interests of the Victorian community. CFA will be included in the consultation process and our role will be to present our interests and opinions to Government to help inform the State’s response. One thing we have said consistently and will continue to say is that our members gave all they could and more during the 2009 firefight.

Media Arrangements

It is likely the media will contact individual Brigade Captains and members seeking comment on the Royal Commission Final Report. Should you require media advice, please call the CFA Media Line on 03 5330 3124 for assistance. District 14 Media Coordinator Kris Perkovic is also available to assist brigades with any media enquiries. Kris can be contacted on mobile 0400 986 954.

Welfare Arrangements

CFA has peers, chaplains, counsellors and psychologists available to provide support. Additional support for members will be available over the weekend, and in the coming days and weeks. For assistance or more information, please contact:

• 0407 277 894 for District 14 Acting CIS Peer Coordinator Di Dale
• 1800 628 616 for CFA After Hours Welfare Support
• 1300 361 008 for PPC Worldwide Counsellors and Psychologists
• 1800 337 068 for Converge International Chaplains and Psychologists

This support is available to CFA members and their immediate families free of charge. This support is confidential and may be accessed directly if desired.

As many of you may know, Peter Davis, the former Secretary of the Victoria Urban Fire Brigades Association (and a long standing member of CFA) has been working with the CFA taskforce on the Bushfire Royal Commission.

Peter can be contacted on 0458 933 797, or via p.davis@cfa.vic.gov.au. Any member with any issue or general inquiry in regard to the Royal Commission is urged to talk to Peter.

Should you have any additional concerns please do not hesitate to contact Shane Leversha, Human Resources Manager on 0400 590 389, or via s.leversha@cfa.vic.gov.au.

Copies of the Final Royal Commission Report

Corporate

Statewide, CFA has been allocated 100 copies of the Final Report and 300 copies of the Executive Summary for initial distribution on Saturday, and another 500 copies of the Final Report will be provided to CFA in mid August. The Region has been advised that the report will also be loaded on to a disc – we expect to receive a limited number of the discs sometime in August (awaiting confirmation of numbers).

The Premier has announced that any member of the public wishing to obtain a copy of the Final Report of the Bushfires Royal Commission should contact Information Victoria. In response, some Regions, Districts and Brigades have tried to order copies of the Final Report online and have discovered they can only order a maximum of two copies. When they query this with Information Victoria seeking additional copies, their order is being referred to CFA Strategic Communications for processing.

Accordingly, the following process has been implemented at state level:

1. The 500 copies of the Final Report that will be received in mid August and will be distributed across the State to Regions.
2. Information Victoria will be advised to refer any requests from a CFA Brigade or District for additional copies of the Final Report to their relevant CFA Regional Office.
3. CFA Regions are to manage requests for additional copies of the Final Report from the allocation they will receive in mid August.
4. Any orders that have already been received at CFA HQ will be forwarded to the relevant region for consideration.

District 14

Therefore, in District 14, Brigade requests for copies of the report are to be sent via email c.abela@cfa.vic.gov.au. District 14 will do its best to meet the requests from Brigades and Groups, including those that have already made requests for copies of the Report.

Electronic Distribution of reports

We are advised that the report will be on the Royal Commission website (http://www.royalcommission.vic.gov.au/) as soon as possible after it has been made public. It will also be loaded onto the government website (http://www.vic.gov.au/). A link will be placed on CFA Connect.

Regards

GILL METZ

REGIONAL MANAGER

CFA DISTRICT 14

Werribee are Australasian Road Rescue champions!

Hi all,


Some great news—Werribee last night took out the 2010 Australasian Road Rescue championships, following on from their victory on Friday in the State Championships. This is a massive achievement for the brigade and the team of Rob Mitchell, Michael Wells, Lino Zulian, Adrian Kendall, Phillip Menzies and Mark Mummery are to be congratulated.

Below is a link to the CFA Connect story on their win:
http://www.cfaconnect.net.au/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=2308&Itemid=42


And another link to their State championships victory last Friday:
http://www.cfaconnect.net.au/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=2299:&Itemid=42

Thank you to my colleague Alison Aprhys for her good work in reporting the news.

Regards

Kris Perkovic
Media & Marketing Coordinator
CFA Northern & Western Metropolitan Region

Support to Scouts Fantastic Race next Sunday 1st August

Hi All,


Please see below a request for assistance received from LowerYarra/Nillumbik Group for this coming Sunday. If anybody is available and interested to put in half day with a brigade car please let me know. I have asked District14 to supply a PFIT kit. I understand that they are fairly easy to operate with a laptop supplied and e-mail facilities. It sounds like a good opportunity to get to use one of these kits.

Please let me know if any of your members are interested and indicate whether morning or afternoon shift.

Many thanks

Best Regards

Urs Biedermann
Communications Officer
Whittlesea Diamond Valley Group

---

Hi Urs,


Apologies for the late request, but Brian had the briliant idea of asking you to be involved in this yesterday.

The job:

Nillumbik/Banyule Scouts via Russell Adams have asked us to provide communications for this race to record the scores by each team, transmit them to the MCV via Pfitkits and email. Time 0800 hours setup and briefing, finish about 1600 hours. Drinks and lunch provided by the Scouts if needed.

Location for MCV Rossanna Scout hall near the railway station.

Other needs: 3 Brigade cars complete with a Pfitkit a driver and an operator. We can have morning and afternoon shifts.

Our request to you is to provide on car, a Pfitkit and two personnel, possibly in shifts for the day. One a driver, the other to do the emailing of the score sheets, from each of the Railway stations involved between Eltham and Darebin. We will split the stations to be visited between the two or three cars available.

I will provide the smeacs briefing and the comms. plan.

Megan and I will operated the MCV.

Please advise if you are able to assist with the above.

Regards,

Lou Simonis

"Thank You" Family Fun Day - 29 August 2010

Hello All

A ‘Thank You’ family fun day has been arranged for all members of District 14 in recognition of their contributions over the last couple of Fire Seasons.

The day is booked for 29 August 2010, at Woodlands Historic Park, between 11:00 – 15:00.

Please see the attached flyer for more information.

To RSVP please confirm the amount of people you wish to attend to your brigade secretary (a limit of 18 people per brigade applies) before 9th August 2010.

Regards

Carleen Abela
Administration Support Officer
District 14

VFBV Publications

A number of important information items from the VFBV:

• Newsletter - July 2010
• Newsletter Supplement - July 2010
• VFBV Annual General Meeting - 18 September
• Position Vacant - VFBV Executive Officer
• District Change Advisors - RRDS
• Review of CO SOPs

Jenni Laing
VFBV

Structural PPC Update

Hi all,

Please find attached the July edition of the PPC Update.

Regards

Kris Perkovic
Media & Marketing Coordinator
CFA Northern & Western Metropolitan Region

Weekly Media Report

• 22 July

Kris Perkovic
Media & Marketing Coordinator
CFA Northern & Western Metropolitan Region

Chainsaw PPC offer

We have an upgrade on the chaps offer.

Mowers and more and willing to offer us Stihl pro series chaps for $195, originally $250. Same deal with small, medium and large. The are also offering the head ensemble which includes helmet, visa, earmuffs for $120 (were $150).

We need to put an urgent order in next week so that the Strathewen Land Care group will have gear for next weekend. If you want to add to this order please email your request to me by Sunday night.

We will put another order in after the CFA August chain saw course in a few weeks time. My email is lisaldorricott@bigpond.com.au


Thanks

Lisal

Quilt Raffle

Dear Auxiliary members and friends,

The quilt made by the Remnants Craft Group which was donated as a fund raiser for our Fire Brigade will be raffled at "Christmas in July" this Saturday. We would love to sell more tickets please. They are available at Workin' Clobber in Hurstbridge and from Lois (9714 8447) or me (9714 8270).

Thanks

Gayle

Weekly Media Report

• 15 July

Kris Perkovic

Media & Marketing Coordinator
CFA Northern & Western Metropolitan Region

Bread on Wednesdays

The Wednesday bread supply has changed to an 8pm collection at the fire station, and will be there until Thursday afternoon.

Lisal

Brad Jepson - Funeral Details

The funeral for the late Brad Jepson will be held at 10:30am, Tuesday 20th July at St Ambrose Church Hall, Templeton Street, Woodend.


The family have requested CFA fire service involvement and there will also be a guard of honour after the service. Members are requested to wear dress uniform if they have it, neat casual for others, (no ‘yellows’ or turnout gear please).

The family has also requested no flowers.

Thank you

---

It is with sincere sadness and regret we advise of the passing early today of Brad Jepson, current Group Officer of the Mount Macedon Group.

Brad has had a long a distinguished service with CFA over his 27 years within Region 14, including membership of Gisborne brigade (including Captain), and then moving residence and joining Woodend brigade. Brad held DGO positions since 2001, and Group Officer since 2006, following the footsteps of current CFA Chairman Kerry Murphy.

Brads presence will be sadly missed.

Our condolences are extended to his wife Shelley, daughter Amber, and all of his family, also to members of Gisborne and Woodend fire brigades and all of the brigades in the Mount Macedon Group.

Funeral details and any Fire Service involvement have yet to be confirmed and will be advised.

John Deering
Operations Manager
CFA District 14
Northern and Western Metropolitan Region

CSESP Review

The Department of Justice is reviewing the Community Safety Emergency Support Program (CSESP).  We got Tanker 3 as part of this program.

If you wish to provide input into the review, please do so via:

• Internet: www.ipsos.com.au/grantsurvey
• Phone: 1800 356 928

Weekly Media Report

• 1 July
• 8 July

Kris Perkovic
Media & Marketing Coordinator
CFA Northern & Western Metropolitan Region

State Regional Boundaries

The implementation of the State Regional Boundaries has commenced for CFA.  So far, there are minimal changes affecting us apart from some name changes as follows:

Old Name	New Name
Region 14	District 14
Outer Metro Norwest Area	Northern and Western Metropolitan Region

Also attached is a Welcome to District 14 letter from the Regional Manager.

As has been discussed in general meetings, a number of Region/District 13 brigades that border us will transition to District 14, including St Andrews, Panton Hill & Hurstbridge.  The date that this commences, however, is "dependant on changes to CAD and/or radio and IT systems taking place to ensure there are no operational risks. These can potentially transition before the upcoming fire season however this will be determined at a point in the future."

Transition of Kinglake, Kinglake West and Toolangi from Region/District 13 to Region/District 12 is unlikely to happen until 2011.

Some more information on changes from a Region/District 13 is available on CFA Connect: http://www.cfaconnect.net.au/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=2230:&Itemid=42

Firestar Rose fundraising

The Firestar Rose is the official rose of the CFA.  When Firestar Roses are purchased from http://www.firestarrose.com.au/, the purchaser's chosen CFA brigade gets a portion of the proceeds.  So tell of your friends and family of the Firestar Rose, and check that they put Arthurs Creek in as their chosen brigade.

Women and Career Firefighting Information Session

As some of you will be aware CFA has been actively encouraging a diverse range of people from our community to think about firefighting as a career choice for a few years now.

As part of these efforts we regularly hold information sessions which provide an opportunity for people to gain a greater understanding of the role and the organisation. We will again be holding an Information Session; this first one is specifically aimed at attracting more women to think about Firefighting as career choice.

If you know a family member or friend who may be interested, you are most welcome to forward this information on.

For general information relating to career firefighter recruitment check CFA’s public website under ‘Joining CFA’.

Please feel free to contact Martin Penrose or Pam Mitchell, (numbers listed below), if more information is required.

Women and Career Firefighting Information Session - 5th August 2010
Etihad Stadium
6.30pm to 8.30pm
6.30-6.50 Welcome and Overview CFA & Recruitment Process
6.50-7.30 Fire fighting Career from a female perspective/Q&A
7.30-7.50 Fire fighting Challenge Video and Preparation discussion
7.50-8.05 Fitness & Focus Training (Corporate Health)
8.05-8.30 Tea Coffee (Sample Equipment and attendee personal Q&A)

This session is free but attendees do need to register. Call Pam Mitchell on 92628841 (Parking at Etihad Stadium is around $8.00 after 5pm).

Important note:
CFA will be holding a ‘general’ Career Firefighter Information session open to all in Early October. This session will also be held in Melbourne. Information about his session will be advertised from the end of August

Fresh look

I've freshened up the look of the blog - going for a 'greener' feel. Feel free to provide feedback about whether you prefer the new look.

Geoff

Christmas in July

The Brigade is inviting (and paying for) Jim Usher, Mac Gudgeon and some Bendigo Bank people to come along to the Hall's "Christmas in July" to thank them for their contribution to the Brigade through "Footsteps in the Ash".

It would be really good if others connected with the Brigade could be there as well. "Christmas in July" is on Saturday 17 July at 7.00 p.m. Tickets are
$35 each and can be purchased from Lois 9714 8447.

Regards

Gayle

Brigade operating procedures

The Brigade Operating Procedures (version 1) have been finalised. A permanent link is under "Useful Documents" on the right sidebar.

Geoff

Rod Holland AFSM

Hi all,

Please find link below to a CFA Connect story on Rod Holland’s AFSM

http://www.cfaconnect.net.au/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=2165:&Itemid=42

Rod is a most deserving recipient of the AFSM, so congratulations Rod!

Regards

Kris Perkovic
Media & Marketing Coordinator
CFA Outer Metro Norwest Area

FDI & Weather Meters

Lachie has provided the slides from the skills maintenance night:

• McArthur Fire Danger Index and Kestrel 3000 Weather Station

Weekly Media Report

• 17 June
• 24 June

Kris Perkovic
Media & Marketing Coordinator
CFA Outer Metro Norwest Area

Chainsaw Chaps

Lisal has organised the following deals for Husqvarna chain saw chaps:

1. A black, generic, non labelled pair which meet Australian Standards. They have the small zip down the back which covers the calf. Cost is usually $160 but we can get them for $149.

2. The 'pro' option. They meet the same standards and offer the same protection as the pair above but these have the buckles down the back rather than the zips. They are black with lime down the bottom (they sound lovely!!). Cost is usually $209 but we can get them for $195.

Both pairs come in 3 sizes: short, regular or tall. He explained that for somebody who is 5’6, the regular pair is suitable. For taller than 5’6 you will need the talls and shorter than 5’6, go for short.

If we put in a decent order he may be able to push prices down another few dollars per pair but apparently the margins are low on this product.

If you are interested in purchasing a pair, contact Lisal at lisaldorricott@bigpond.com

Minutes - General Meeting - 7 June 2010

• 7 June 2010

Thanks very much to Sue A for writing them up.

Next general meeting is Monday 2 August 19:30 Arthurs Creek station.

Training Calendars

Updated training calendars have been published:

• District 14 training calendar - July to December 2010
• Statewide Training Courses

If you are interested in any of the training, contact Andrew Alford. Note that all training applications need to be approved by the BMT.

Training calendars are always avaiable at CFA Online: https://cfaonline.cfa.vic.gov.au/mycfa/Show?pageId=courseCalendar

If you don't have a login yet, contact Geoff Schmidt to get it activated.

District 14 Overview document

Hello all,

With the imminent move to the new CFA district boundaries, Region 14 has produced a document that provides a quick overview of the new District 14.

This document is a handy reference for outgoing transitioning brigades (Wallan, Mt Macedon, Romsey and Bacchus groups) and provides an update for existing Region 14 brigades.

The District 14 Overview is attached as a colour PDF but will also be mailed out as a hard copy document to all brigades early next week.

There have been a number workshops between Directorates and Areas over the last week to refine transitional arrangements. The results will be communicated out over the next few weeks

Kind regards
Gill Metz

Region 14 Newsletter

Hi all,

Please find attached the June edition of the Region 14 newsletter. If you could pass this onto members or make available at your brigade that would be appreciated.

Regards

Kris Perkovic
Media & Marketing Coordinator
CFA Outer Metro Norwest Area

Knox Group Specialist Appliance Show and Tell - Sun Jun 20

Hello everyone

Please find attached the following in relation to the Knox Group Specialist Appliance Show and Tell on Sunday 20 June at Knox Park:
1. A SMEACS briefing note
2. Notice board Flyer for your station
3. A listing of the appliances expected to attend on the day subject to operational requirements.

Many of you have made contact with members of other regions, groups and brigades in relation to this event however I do not have email addresses for many of these contacts so I need you to pass this email on to anyone who you have been in contact with who needs to know details for the event.

If you have any questions at all please don't hesitate to contact me by email or phone.

Thanks and regards

Ian Atherton
DGO3 & Group Training Officer
Knox Group

Weekly Media Report

Hi all,

Please find attached this week’s Media Report. As usual, if you could pass this on to members that would be appreciated

I have also attached an opinion piece by Tony Cutcliffe in the Australian (3 June 2010) and provided a CFA Connect link to the response from the VFBV. The first two pars are also provided below:

CUTCLIFFE INSULTS VOLUNTEERS
Tony Cutcliffe (“Many must share the bushfire blame” The Australian, 3 June) claims the volunteer based CFA “has been diluted by an influx of urban cowboys who cannot be allowed anywhere near a fire”.

In doing so, he insults 10,000 CFA volunteers serving in 200 brigades across Melbourne. Those volunteers provide professional standards of fire and emergency response 24 hours a day, every day of the year, to sixty percent of the metropolitan area.

More here: http://tinyurl.com/2cokr4b

Regards

Kris Perkovic
Media & Marketing Coordinator

Discounted ticket offer

Hi all,

Ticketmaster have kindly offered all CFA members special discounted tickets to ‘Candy Man’ at the Arts Centre, Playhouse for two weeks only.

SPECIAL OFFER:
‘A’ and ‘B’ Reserve tickets only $29.00 to the following shows:
-Wednesday 16 June at 1pm
-Thursday 17 June at 1pm & 7.30pm
-Friday 18 June at 7.30pm
-Wednesday 23 June at 1pm & 7.30pm
-Thursday 24 June at 7.30pm
-Friday 25 June at 7.30pm

To purchase tickets, FAX (03 9699 5835) or E-MAIL (groups.vic@ticketmaster.com.au) the attached order form.

For more information on the show, visit http://www.candymanshow.com.au/home.htm.

Hurry, as there are only limited seats available!!

Thanks,

CFA Events

Flag Message for The Queen’s Birthday

14 June 2010

In accordance with flag protocol, on the occasion of Her Majesty The Queen’s Birthday, the flying of the Australian National Flag is requested. Please fly or display the Australian National Flag on Monday 14 June 2010 to celebrate The Queen’s Birthday.

Thank you for your assistance.

Regards

Julie

CFA Region 14 Job Ads

• Wildfire Safety Presenter
• Community Fireguard Facilitator

Applications close 17 June.

Tanker Plumbing Diagram

Peter Jenkinson had produced the attached diagram some time ago, and it has recently been unearthed again.

It might be useful as a refresher and for those still trying to get their head around setting up for draughting.

Weekly Media Report

• 27 May
• 3 June

Kris Perkovic
Media & Marketing Coordinator
CFA Outer Metro Norwest Area

Things of interest

Dear Auxiliary members and friends,

It was really good to see so many at last night's meeting and pizza night.

I'm attaching a flier with a scan of the quilt that we discussed last night. Kay has kindly agreed to sell tickets at Workin' Clobber so can you please support the raffle by buying your tickets there or collect a book of tickets from Kay or Lois to sell yourselves.

The Remnants Craft Group made two quilts last year - one for us and one for Dixons Creek and members are interested in being kept up to date with its progress. Dixons Creek had a "blind auction" and raised $1000 - Fergusson Winery won it and now have it on display. Half that amount would be really nice!

David has asked me to let you know that it looks like the Brigade is getting a new vehicle to replace Tanker 1 hopefully before the end of the year. The vehicle is a 3.4D crew cab. This four wheel drive vehicle holds 3500 litres of water compared with our present truck's 2000 litres. This state of the art truck is currently at Caroline Springs.

To keep up with Brigade News please remember to access the blog

http://acrfb.blogspot.com/

http://acrfb-community.blogspot.com/

Regards

Gayle

Auxiliary Minutes 11 March 2010

Hi all,

Attached is Minutes of our last meeting - look forward to seeing you at the next meeting and Pizza Night.

Don't forget to let me know if you are coming so that we can place a Pizza Order. A small plate of something sweet to share would be appreciated.

Lois

Weekly Media Report

• 21 May

Kris Perkovic
Media & Marketing Coordinator
CFA Outer Metro Norwest Area

Dial Before You Dig

Training material (well, sorta).

Courtesy of Tim!

Auxiliary Meeting

Hello everyone,

We have had to change the date of our next meeting and get-together at the Fire Station as we had double booked the night with Landcare.

The new date for the meeting is Wednesday, 2 June and commencing at 7p.m. to enable us to have a quick meeting and then our Pizza Dinner. Please let us know when you can whether you will be attending the meeting. If you see anyone who you know is not on email, can you please let them know.

Minutes will be sent around as soon as the ever efficient (ha ha), Secretary gets them done.

Lois

NATIONAL RECONCILIATION WEEK

27 May 2010 to 3 June 2010

National Reconciliation Week is an important time for all Australians. It is the practice to mark National Reconciliation Week with the flying and display of the Australian Aboriginal Flag and the Torres Strait Islander Flag.

The two dates are significant in the history of reconciliation. The 27th of May is the anniversary of the date of the 1967 Referendum which successfully removed from the Constitution clauses that discriminated against Indigenous Australians. The 3rd of June is the anniversary of the High Court decision in the Eddie Mabo land rights case handed down in 1992. The theme for National Reconciliation Week 2010 is ‘Reconciliation: Let’s see it through!’ and highlights the 10th anniversary of the bridge walks.

Throughout the week, the Australian Aboriginal Flag and the Torres Strait Islander Flag should be flown on additional flagpoles, where available.

If there is only one flagpole available at a station the Australian Aboriginal Flag or the Torres Strait Islander Flag should not replace the Australian National Flag. But if two flagpoles are available, it is at the discretion of the authority concerned to determine which of the two flags is flown with the Australian National Flag. The Australian Aboriginal Flag and the Torres Strait Islander Flag have equal status and may be flown in any order after the Australian National Flag.

Your assistance is appreciated.

Julie McClaren
Adviser, Government Relations
CFA Headquarters

VFBV Newsletter April 2010

VFBV Newsletter April 2010 attached for info.

Jenni Laing
VFBV

Weekly Media Report

• 14 May 2010

Kris Perkovic
Media & Marketing Coordinator
CFA Outer Metro Norwest Area

Structural PPC Update - May 2010

Dear all,

Please find attached an update on the Structural PPC Project.

To ensure the widest dissemination, it would be appreciated if Regional Headquarters could add a copy of the PPC Update to Brigade mail-outs.

Regards

Leona

Leona Latcham
Program Manager
Personal Protective Clothing
CFA Protective Equipment Department

Burn-over investigations

The following document (quietly tucked away on CFA Online) makes interesting, but harrowing, reading. If you want a reason for pre-season burn-over practice, read this document.

2009 Fire Season - Summary of Near Miss Incident and Selected Injury Investigations

You will require a CFA Online login to access to the document. If you don't have one, contact Geoff to get your login activated.

Region 14 Boundary Alignment Update No 5

Hi all,

Just letting everyone know that another Region 14 Boundary Alignment Update has been posted to CFA Connect (number five).

The link to the story is here: http://www.cfaconnect.net.au/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=1991&Itemid=42

Previous updates can also be read on CFA Connect.

Kind regards

Kris Perkovic
Media & Marketing Coordinator
CFA Outer Metro Norwest Area

Chief Officer visit to Region 14 Friday 21 May

Chief Officer Russell Rees will visit R14 on Friday 21 May as part of his farewell tour of all regions. Visit will be at Gisborne ICC from 1145-1400hours. Lunch will be provided. Please advise your members. This is an open invitation to all R14 Volunteers. RSVP is essential to Carleen Abela on 8746 1400 by Monday 17 May for catering purposes.

Weekly Media Report

• 7 May 2010

Kris Perkovic
Media & Marketing Coordinator
CFA Outer Metro Norwest Area

Next Saturday 8 May

Some Arthurs Creek District Landcare members are going up to Deb and Peter Jenkinson's property,155 O'Deas Road, next Saturday morning to put in some trees and shrubs and pull some weeds.

If any Brigade members would like to join us they would be most welcome. We will start at about 9 a.m. and finish with a BBQ lunch. Could those coming please let Pat or Gayle (9714 8270 or email patcorr@alphalink.com.au) know so we can have sufficient sausages and vegie burgers on hand.

Regards

Gayle

Boundary Alignment Update

Hi all,

In case you haven’t seen it, the latest Boundary Alignment Update has been posted to CFA Connect.

http://www.cfaconnect.net.au/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=1937&Itemid=42

Kind regards

Kris Perkovic
Media & Marketing Coordinator
CFA Outer Metro Norwest Area

Weekly Media Report

• 30 April 2010

Kris Perkovic
Media & Marketing Coordinator
CFA Outer Metro Norwest Area

Training aids

A couple of training aids that you may find useful:

1. Understanding alert pages
2. Know your Fire Extinguisher
3. SMR Instructions

LOGISTICS OFFICERS?

Hello all,

There have been a number of discussions in relation to members who have logistics as a major apart of their employment. If you know of these members could you find out if they have formal training for this workplace role? If so please send in a copy of their certificate for recognition. If they already have CFA404 they maybe able to be recognised for CFA503 Logistics Officer; if not we will have an opportunity to identify these members and with GO approval offer, CFA404 training to enable recognition of CFA503.

If you know of members who have already had their qualification from their workplace for logistics recognised please let me know so I can check if they have CFA404. (The data isn’t easily obtained from Train due to the large number of recognised courses which exist across Registered Training Organisations.)

Thanks for your assistance with this.

Kind regards,

Susan Beatty
Manager Training and Development
Outer Metro Norwest Area

Anzac Day March 2010

The papparazzi were in Whittlesea for the Anzac Day March:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/arthurscreekrfb/sets/72157623817753709/

National Volunteer Week Morning Tea - Tuesday 11 May

Dear all,

We have had an invitation from Danielle Green to attend a morning tea to celebrate National Volunteer Week on Tuesday 11 May, 10.30 a.m. - 12 noon at the Arthurs Creek Hall.

The only catch is that we have been asked to do the catering for the morning tea!! Danielle's office thinks there may be between 30 and 40 people come along and as it is at the Hall it shouldn't be took difficult.

So - if you would like to come as a guest could you please let me know by Thursday so as I can respond on your behalf. If you would be available to help on the morning could you please let me know. We shouldn't need more than a few of us. Food-wise we are thinking of sandwiches, scones (jam and cream) and fruit scones. I can make sandwiches but would really like (or should I say need) help with the scones please.

As usual - thanks.

Gayle

Minutes - General Meeting - 12 April 2010

• Minutes - General Meeting - 12 April 2010

Next general meeting is Monday 7 June 7.30pm Arthurs Creek station.

Weekly Media Report

• 15 April 2010
• 22 April 2010

Kris Perkovic
Media & Marketing Coordinator
CFA Outer Metro Norwest Area

Region 14 newsletter

Hi all,

Please find attached the Region 14 newsletter. This will also be made available on Brigades Online.

Kind regards

Kris Perkovic
Media & Marketing Coordinator
CFA Outer Metro Norwest Area

Boundary Alignment Update No 2

Hi all,

Please see below link.

http://www.cfaconnect.net.au/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=1872&Itemid=42

More updates on boundary alignment issues will be posted to CFA Connect as it becomes available.

Regards

Kris Perkovic
Media & Marketing Coordinator
CFA Outer Metro Norwest Area

Russell Rees resignation media statement and CFA Connect article

Hi all,

As most of you would have heard, Chief Officer Russell Rees today handed in his resignation. Attached is the official media statement.

A CFA Connect piece on Russell’s CFA career has also been provided below:

Four decades at CFA

Russell Rees has been involved with CFA for more than four decades.

He joined as a career officer in 1978 but prior to that was a volunteer firefighter at Moe and Belmont, and had been a junior member from the age of 11.

Russell has had a long and distinguished career in CFA working across a range of locations, including Melton, Ballarat, Ararat, Geelong, Seymour, Colac and Lilydale. For some time he was an instructor at CFA’s Training College at Fiskville and in his last two years there was the Officer in Charge of Operational Training.

After an organisational restructure of CFA in 1994, Russell was appointed the Area Manager for the Yarra Area, based in Lilydale. Russell was responsible for a range of organisational change initiatives, as well as leading his team during the 1997 Dandenong Ranges fires.

In 1998, Russell was appointed a Deputy Chief Officer at CFA headquarters, with responsibility for Policy and Standards.

In August 2001, he was appointed by the CFA Board to the position of Chief Officer, and has since been reappointed twice, in 2006 for three years and in 2009 for a further two.

Russell has played significant roles in CFA’s operational response during major campaigns such as the January - March 2003 North East and Gippsland fires, the December 2005 -January 2006 Grampians fires and December 2006 - February 2007 Great Divide fires.

Russell also has had significant involvement at state and national level, influencing the direction of emergency management in Australia. He has chaired the AIIMS Steering Committee of the Australasian Fire Authorities Council (AFAC) and sat on the Operations Strategy Group and Environmental Management Working Group at AFAC.

He has represented CFA across Victoria on a range of committees, including the Victorian Emergency Management Council Coordinating Group.

Russell is a recipient of the Centenary Medal awarded in 2003 and the Australian Fire Service Medal awarded in 2005.

Apologies if some of you may have already received this information.

Regards

Kris Perkovic
Media & Marketing Coordinator
CFA Outer Metro Norwest Area

Weekly Media Report

• 9 April 2010

Kris Perkovic
Media & Marketing Coordinator
CFA Outer Metro Norwest Area

Chainsaw training - 8&9 May

The following people are attending the chain saw training course on 8&9 May:

• Rowland Kelly
• Lindsay Brain
• Ken Neilson
• Robyn Harris
• Helen Cocks
• Tim Whitefield
• Ben Dalton
• Roger Dalton

Invitations to the next course will be issued shortly.

Memorial service for fire fighters

We have received an invitation to this year's memorial service for fire fighters.  This is the same as last year's when the plaque for Joe was included in the service.

Click for larger image

The service is on Sunday 2 May commencing 11.00am at Fiskville Training College (near Ballan).