Wildfire PPC audit

Please check over your wildfire PPC – boots, trousers, jacket, gloves, helmet, goggles. If any items need replacing, please contact Geoff by Sunday 5 December.

Retrofit tanker protection systems

CFA has a program to retrofit crew protection systems to pre-2005 tankers.

CFA has produced a booklet describing the systems and how to use them.

• Retrofitted Crew Protection System

There are no dates currently provided to update our tankers and it's not likely they will be done for this fire season.

However, you may find yourself on a composite crew on a tanker that does have this new system.

We urge you to read the linked documentation to familiarise yourself with the system and how it works.

2011-12 Fire Season Media Campaign

Today the Minister for Emergency Services, the Hon. Peter Ryan launched this summer’s fire media campaign. The campaign this year is a lot more hard hitting and may be challenging to some members of the community, including some CFA members. The campaign will air from Thursday 1st December 2011.

We need to bring home the reality that the bushfire threat applies to all Victorians. The intent is to make sure that people, particularly those who live in high risk bushfire areas, are better prepared against the threat of fire. As we know, community complacency is a constant challenge when encouraging people to take some time out to plan their course of action.

Hard hitting TV ads launch

CFA has released some hard-hitting new ads.  CFA will be publishing the times when the ads will be shown on CFA Connect, so if you don't want to see them then you can avoid them.

Links:

• Ads
• Chief Officer's blog entry describing the reason for the ads, and the support services available to members if the ads are too confronting

Geoff

North West Metro newsletter November 2011

• North West Metro newsletter November 2011

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There has been a technical issue with forwarding this newsletter and unfortunately, we have lost the text in Tina’s column. I am unable to fix this now the newsletter has been sent, so have pasted the column into this email, below.

From the CEO: Second Bulletin on 'Creating Our Future Together'

Welcome to the 2nd Creating our Future Together BULLETIN.  This Bulletin focuses on LEADERSHIP: the role of the Senior Leadership Team - the values, behaviours and actions that we are accountable for.

Creating Our Future Together

(Note: you will need a CFA Online logon to access this.  Contact Geoff to activate your account if you have not already done so.)

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Scroll down to see the list of bulletins. The first and second ones are posted.

Presentation on Effects of Topography upon Wildfires - Local Perspective

On Sunday 11th December at the Kinglake West Hall (next to the Fire Station) Kinglake West are conducting a training session related to the effect of topography upon wildfires a local perspective. This session will be hosted by Jamie McKenzie (CFA) and ‘hopefully’ Fabian Crowe (CFA) who conducted the investigation of the Black Saturday fire in the Humevale / Coombs Rd area. The session will commence at 10:00 and conclude at 12:00 with a barbeque lunch provided by the Brigade.

Also for catering if you could advise the numbers attending from your area and if you have any special dietary requirements by 7th December please?

Seasonal outlook - Dec to Feb

Rainfall:

• A drier season is somewhat more likely across most of Tasmania, southern Victoria and southeastern SA. See http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/ahead/rain.seaus.shtml

Temperature:

• Warmer days are more likely over Tasmania, Victoria and southern parts of both NSW and SA. See http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/ahead/temp.seaus.shtml

Crew leader briefings

Crew leader briefings are scheduled for:

• Sunday 4 Dec 09:30 Yarrambat Fire Station
• Thursday 8 Dec 19:30 South Morang Fire Station

All crew leaders should attend one of these sessions.  Crew leaders:

• Andrew Alford
• Lachlan Bakewell
• Michael Chapman
• Pat Corr
• Peter Jenkinson
• David McGahy
• Paul McGahy
• Gordon Norris
• Brendan Parkinson
• Peter Reader
• Warren Rees
• Geoff Schmidt

Emergency procedures drill

To be operational this fire season, you must have completed an emergency procedures drill.  If you have not completed it, you will not be getting on any of the appliances in any capacity.

There will be ample opportunity to go through this drill over the next few weeks - at rosters and skills maintenance evenings.

It is your responsibility and obligation to ensure that you have made yourself available to do this, and have had your name recorded as having completed it.

Geoff

2011/12 Pre-Season Briefing

There are 10 separate videos in the briefing. Recommend that you watch them all - total time is 53:14.

District 14 Operations Report - November 2011

November D14 Operations Report by John Deering.

Written transcript available on CFA Connect: http://www.cfaconnect.net.au/news/d14-operations-report-november-2011.html

Pre summer welfare & welfare survey

Correspondence to brigades
Just a heads up to let you know that the above (attached) correspondence has been sent to all brigade secretaries within D14. The purpose is to ask for your assistance in reminding brigade members of the support services we have available at CFA prior to the 11/12 fire season.

Member Welfare and Wellbeing Survey
I am especially seeking your support in assisting the Peer Team to ensure that the welfare and wellbeing survey is completed by NWMR members. The survey should take no longer than 2 – 3 minutes to complete and believe that it is an important piece of work that will identify any potential welfare gaps within the district and ensure that we are delivering a better or more tailored service to our members.

The link to the survey is as follows: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NWMR

I would greatly appreciate if you could please assist me by distributing this email and link to your brigade members / networks and encouraging your colleagues to complete it. Hardcopies of the survey are also available upon request.

Thanks in advance for supporting this initiative.

Regards,
Sam Chhay
Acting Manager Human Resources
Northern & Western Metropolitan Region

Communique from the CEO: Civil Litigation and Opt-Out Notice

As you are aware, CFA is a defendant in civil litigation arising from the Kilmore East Fire on Black Saturday. The proceedings were instigated against SPI (AusNet) on behalf of a class or group who suffered loss and damage of all types as a result of the fire. CFA has been joined as defendant (along with DSE, Victoria Police and SPI’s inspection contractor, UAM).

The legal system in Victoria as it applies to class proceedings means that all those who suffered loss or damage as a result of the Kilmore East Fire are potentially members of the class represented in the proceedings unless they choose to opt out.

Therefore, some of our volunteers and staff may be members of the class because they suffered loss or damage as result of the fire.

Shortly, a notice will appear in the local newspapers in the area of the fire as well as The Age and The Herald Sun advising how to opt out of the proceedings if you wish to do so. CFA’s lawyers have prepared an explanation of this notice for CFA’s volunteers and staff.

It is an individual and personal decision whether any volunteer or staff member wishes to participate in the proceedings and CFA respects each individual’s right to decide based on their own circumstances. Unfortunately, because CFA is a defendant in the litigation it cannot provide any individual advice and if any volunteer or staff member has concerns or queries they may wish to seek their own independent legal advice.

A more detailed document concerning the opt-out notice will be available tomorrow on CFA Connect and you are encouraged to read this for the extra information it will provide.

Mick Bourke
CEO

VICFIRE Changeover - Kinglake, Kinglake West, Toolangi

Please note the information below from CAD support regarding the transition of Comms and CAD arrangements for the Brigades that are moving to District 12.

The Brigades are as follows:

KINGLAKE - currently in Maroondah Grp District 13 moving to Yea Grp District12.
KINGLAKE WEST - currently in Maroondah Grp District 13 moving to Yea Grp District12.
TOOLANGI -currently in Maroondah Grp District 13 moving to Yea Grp District12.

WALLAN - currently in Hume Grp District 14 moving to Mitchell Shire Grp District 12.