Fire Rescue Victoria

Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) is a fire and rescue service in the state of Victoria in Australia that serves the capital Melbourne and major regional centres throughout Victoria.[4] FRV operates 85 fire stations with full-time staff firefighters, around half of which are in the Melbourne metropolitan area, and the remainder in regional cities and large towns throughout the state.[5] 34 of these stations which are classified as peri-urban and regional stations, are co-located with volunteer brigades of the Country Fire Authority (CFA). FRV was formed on 1 July 2020 by a merger of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB), a fully career service responsible for much of the Greater Melbourne area, with the 1400 career firefighters of the CFA, some of whom had operated in "integrated" staff and volunteer brigades on the Melbourne urban fringe and in other centres. FRV Deputy Commissioner Ken Block stated on 1 July 2020 that under the CFA and MFB merge; Fire Rescue Victoria is now made up of more than 3600 operational firefighters.[6]

Fire Rescue Victoria

Operational area
Country	Australia
State	Victoria
Address	Eastern Hill Fire Station 456 Albert Street, East Melbourne
Agency overview[1]
Established	1 July 2020
Employees	Operational: 3,652 (2020)
Annual budget	A$1 billion (2020)
Staffing	Career
Commissioner	Ken Block
Facilities and equipment[2]
Districts	10
Stations	85
Pumpers	83
Pumper tankers	24
Ultra large pumpers	2
Telebooms & aerial pumpers	9
Ladder platforms	8
Rescues	8
HAZMATs	4
Breathing apparatus	5
Fireboats	4
Website
frv.vic.gov.au

Urban areas to be serviced by Fire Rescue Victoria[3]

History

Victoria has been serviced by the Metropolitan Fire Brigade and Country Fire Authority since the 1950s. Following the Black Saturday bushfires, the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission (2009 VBRC) recommended that a Fire Commissioner be appointed to advise on the boundary between the two services, the Metropolitan Fire District.[7] The 2009 VBRC also recommended strengthening the CFA's integrated model, in which paid and volunteer firefighters trained, were located and responded together using the same equipment and training.

The origins of the service created significant political controversy.[8] The genesis for the proposal to split paid and volunteer firefighters, creating two separate services where the integrated turnout model would no long apply, was to resolve an industrial dispute arising from Enterprise Bargaining Agreement negotiations between the CFA (and separately the MFB) and the UFU.[9] These negotiations, which started in 2014 and were still causing problems for the government in 2017, raised objections by VFBV, volunteers, the leaders of the fire services themselves and the Minister for Emergency Services at the time, Jane Garrett MP, who resigned rather than support a deal Stefan Gaiseanu said was "unworkable." The key objections related to concerns that the EBA would significantly disadvantage CFA volunteers and the ability of the CFA Chief Officer to manage them, and the powers of the Chief Officer. Statements by the CEOs and Chief Officers of the CFA and MFB, Emergency Management Victoria, VFBV and others at the Select Committee into the Bill canvassed serious concerns about the impact of the EBA and said that splitting the fire services to resolve an industrial dispute would compromise public safety.

In October 2016 the Australian Federal government passed amendments to the Fair Work Act 2009. These amendments were to prevent any enterprise bargaining agreement terms that "[affect] the ability of an organisation to engage, deploy, support, equip or manage its volunteers". The Government of Victoria stated that creating an enterprise agreement while maintaining a combined career and volunteer firefighting service would be very difficult without such terms.

Governance

Legislation

The Fire Rescue Victoria Act 1958, amended and retitled from the Metropolitan Fire Brigades Act 1958, establishes the Fire Rescue Commissioner as the head of a body corporate named Fire Rescue Victoria, the successor in law to the Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services Board. The functions of FRV set out by the Act are:

to provide for fire suppression and fire prevention services in the Fire Rescue Victoria fire district; and

to provide for emergency prevention and response services in the Fire Rescue Victoria fire district; and

to implement the fire and emergency services priorities of the Government of Victoria; and

to provide operational and management support to the Country Fire Authority in consultation with and as agreed by the Authority... and

to carry out any other functions conferred on Fire Rescue Victoria by or under this Act or the regulations or any other Act or any regulations under that Act.

— Section 7(1), Fire Rescue Victoria Act 1958.[10]

The Act also requires FRV to assist in the response to any major emergency within Victoria, in cooperation with other emergency service organisations and under the direction of Emergency Management Victoria (EMV). The Act grants FRV broad powers to carry out its functions as directed by the Commissioner. Additional powers and duties of FRV and the Commissioner are established by other legislation, including:

• Electricity Safety Act 1998
• Emergency Management Act 1986
• Emergency Management Act 2013
• Gas Safety Act 1997
• Building Act 1993
• Building Regulations 2018.[11]

In the State Emergency Response Plan published by EMV, FRV is the control agency within the FRV Fire District for accidents, including gas leaks, hazardous materials incidents and collapses; fires and explosions; and transport, industrial, high angle and confined space rescues. It supports CFA with these incidents outside the FRV Fire District and other agencies as required.[12]

The Fire Rescue Commissioner and any Deputy Commissioners are appointed by the Governor of Victoria on the advice of the Minister responsible for fire services, for a period of not longer than five years. The Minister may give the Commissioner general direction on policies and priorities of Fire Rescue Victoria but has no power to make operational or strategic decisions, such as on the location of fire stations or the conduct of firefighting operations.

Fire District Review Panel

The FRV Act establishes a three-member Fire District Review Panel required to report at least every four years, or on the request of the Minister, on whether the boundaries Fire Rescue Victoria Fire District should be altered to provide for appropriate emergency services coverage. Members of the Review Panel are required to have expertise in fire and emergency services policy, but must not be current members of a Victorian fire service, firefighters' union or volunteers' association.

The final decision on whether to alter the FRV Fire District boundaries is that of the Minister. However, any recommendations of the Review Panel must be made publicly available by both FRV and CFA, regardless of whether they are accepted.

The Fire District Review Panel mechanism was initially recommended by the Royal Commission into the 2009 bushfires. It is intended to provide an objective, independent decision-making process for determining where professional and volunteer firefighters operate, in order to alleviate some of the tensions which led to the formation of FRV. However, the initial FRV Fire District was not subject to the Review Panel process.[13]

Structure

The inaugural Fire Rescue Commissioner, Ken Block, is supported by six Deputy Commissioners and a Deputy Secretary. One Deputy Commissioner is attached to the Office of the Fire Rescue Commissioner. Two operational regions, North & West and South, East & Central, are led by Deputy Commissioners. Three further Deputy Commissioners are assigned to the portfolios of Fire Safety, Strategy and Operational Training. The Deputy Secretary leads non-operational and corporate services.[14]

Each of the North & West and South, East & Central regions is further divided into five regions, as follows:[15]

North & West	South, East & Central
Northern	Central
Western 1	Eastern
Western 2	Southern 1
Western 3	Southern 2
North & West Regional	South & East Regional

Stations and equipment

Appliance overview

A Scania pumper with previous MFB markings. FRV logos and markings are progressively being rolled out to replace old MFB and CFA markings across the existing fleet

All FRV stations operate at least one pumper or pumper tanker. Aerial and specialist appliances are located across the Melbourne area and in many of the regional cities, from where they also provide support into CFA areas.

Code	Appliance type
AP	Aerial Pumper
BA	Breathing Apparatus
BS	Breathing Apparatus Support
CU	Control Unit
DC	District Car
HZ	Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT)
LP	Ladder Platform
P	Pumper
PT	Pumper Tanker
RHB	Rehabilitation
R	Rescue
T	Transporter
TB	Teleboom
TO	Technical Operations
TR	Technical Rescue
UP	Ultra Large Pumper
WT	Water Tanker

A system of modular "pods", carried by Transporters fitted with hydraulic lift arms, is also used to support specialised operations.

Code	Pod type
BA	Breathing Apparatus
BD	Bulk Decontamination
ERM	Equipment and Resource Management
FDS	Fire Duty Support
GP	General Purpose
HAR	High Angle Rescue
HL	Hose Layer
HRS	Heavy Rescue Support
ML	Mechanical Loader
TRS	Tripper Rescue Support
USAR	Urban Search and Rescue
WRM	Water Recycling Module

Stations

No	Name	District	FRV appliances			Co-located with CFA
			Pumper	Aerial	Specialist & support
1	Eastern Hill	Central	P1A, P1B, UP1	LP1	CU1, DC1A, DC1B, RHB1
2	West Melbourne	Central	P2A, P2B
3	Carlton	Central	P3		R3
4	Brunswick	Central	P4
5	Broadmeadows	Northern	P5, PT5
6	Pascoe Vale	Northern	P6, PT6
7	Thomastown	Northern	P7, PT7	TB7	R7, DC7
8	Burnley Complex	Training and administration facility
9	Somerton	Northern	P9, PT9
10	Richmond	Central	P10	TB10	T10A, T10B Pods: BA, BD, FDS, GP, HART, HL, HRS, USAR-1, TRS
11	Epping	Northern	PT11
12	Preston	Northern	P12
13	Northcote	Central	P13
14	Bundoora	Northern	P14A, P14B
15	Heidelberg	Northern	P15
16	Greensborough	Northern	PT16
18	Hawthorn	Central	P18
19	North Balwyn	Eastern	PT19
20	Box Hill	Eastern	P20
22	Ringwood	Eastern	PT22	TB22
23	Burwood	Eastern	P23		Pod: WRM-5
24	Glen Iris	Southern 1	P24
25	Oakleigh	Southern 1	P25	TB25, LP25	R25, DC25
26	Croydon	Eastern	P26, PT26
27	Nunawading	Eastern	PT27		R27
28	Vermont South	Eastern	PT28
29	Clayton	Southern 1	PT29
30	Templestowe	Eastern	P30, PT30
31	Glen Waverley	Southern 1	P31, PT31
32	Ormond	Southern 1	P32
33	Mentone	Southern 1	PT33
34	Highett	Southern 1	P34, PT34
35	Windsor	Central	P35A, P35B	LP35
38	South Melbourne	Central	P38A, P38B		BA38, BS38, HZ38
39	Port Melbourne	Central	P39A, P39B		FS39 also respond nearby fireboats: FB1, FB2, FB4, FB6.
40	Laverton	Western 1	PT40
41	St Albans	Western 2	PT41
42	Newport	Western 1	P42, UP42
43	Deer Park	Western 2	P43, PT43
44	Sunshine	Western 2	PT44	TB44	R44, DC44A, DC44B Pods: ERM, WRM-3
45	Spotswood	Western 1	P45
46	Altona	Western 1	PT46
47	Footscray	Western 1	P47	LP47	T47 Pods: FDS, HL, ML
48	Taylors Lakes	Western 2	PT48
49	North Laverton	Western 1	PT49
50	Ascot Vale	Central	P50
51	Keilor	Western 2	P51A, P51B
52	Tullamarine	Western 2	PT52
53	Sunbury	Western 2	P53			Yes
54	Greenvale	Western 2	P54			Yes
55	Caroline Springs	Western 2	P55			Yes
56	Melton	Western 2	P56		R56	Yes
57	Tarneit	Western 1	P57
58	Point Cook	Western 1	P58			Yes
59	Derrimut	Western 1	PT59
60	VEMTC	Training facility
61	Lara	Western 3	P61		HZ61	Yes
62	Corio	Western 3	P62A, P62B		BA62	Yes
63	Geelong City	Western 3	P63A, P63B	LP63	R63, TR63	Yes
64	Belmont	Western 3	P64			Yes
66	Ocean Grove	Western 3	P66			Yes
67	Ballarat City	North & West Regional	P67A, P67B	LP67	BA67, TR67	Yes
68	Lucas	North & West Regional	P68		HZ68
70	Warrnambool	North & West Regional	P70	AP70	T70	Yes
71	Portland	North & West Regional	P71			Yes
72	Mildura	North & West Regional	P72	AP72	TO72	Yes
73	Bendigo	North & West Regional	P73A, P73B	LP73	BA73	Yes
74	Wangaratta	South & East Regional	P74		T74	Yes
75	Shepparton	South & East Regional	P75	AP75	HZ75	Yes
76	Wodonga	South & East Regional	P76			Yes
77	Traralgon	South & East Regional	P77	LP77		Yes
78	Morwell	South & East Regional	P78	AP78		Yes
79	Latrobe West	South & East Regional	P79
80	Craigieburn	Northern	P80		T80	Yes
81	South Morang	Northern	P81			Yes
82	Eltham City	Eastern	P82
84	South Warrandyte	Eastern	P84			Yes
85	Boronia	Eastern	P85			Yes
86	Rowville	Southern 1	P86			Yes
87	Dandenong	Southern 2	P87A, P87B	LP87	R87	Yes
88	Hallam	Southern 2	P88		HZ88	Yes
89	Springvale	Southern 1	P89			Yes
90	Patterson River	Southern 1	P90			Yes
91	Frankston	Southern 2	P91A, P91B			Yes
92	Cranbourne	Southern 2	P92			Yes
93	Pakenham	Southern 2	P93			Yes
94	Mornington	Southern 2	P94			Yes
95	Rosebud	Southern 2	P95			Yes

History of Legislation

The legislation was presented to the Victorian Upper house just before Easter 2018, and led to a record sitting to allow it to pass, including controversy over pairing of a cross bench member[16] and accusations the Government was using the absence of a sick MP, an independent who was the casting vote on the legislation, to push through a vote in her absence by extending the sitting into Good Friday, which had never happened before. The legislation was defeated on the third reading on Easter Sunday.[17] The bill was a "Disputed Bill" [18] and could be considered after the next election by a committee known as the Dispute Resolution Committee in line with the Constitutional (Parliamentary Reform) Act 2003.[19] The bill was reintroduced on 29 May 2019 and passed through both houses on 20 June 2019.[20]

Progress

The latest MFB EBA has been passed by Fair Work Australia,[21] and is anticipated to be the template for the new FRV EBA.[22] The EBA continues to contain the provisions that concerned its opponents and continues to concern them given FRV staff will transfer their industrial arrangements when seconded to CFA, raising concerns that those provisions will still impact the volunteers. While not mentioned in the 2019/2020 Victorian State Budget,[23] a rise in the Fire Services Levy[24] of 10% is widely anticipated in response to a rise in paid staff numbers, despite a previous government promise the levy would be frozen for two years after implementation. This levy is paid by all landholders and businesses in Victoria, with the country areas not being served by FRV being levied at a higher rate.[25] The State Budget included an efficiency dividend of $1.8B across the public service, and it is unknown what the impact on FRV will be.

See also

• Metropolitan Fire Brigade
• Country Fire Authority
• VFBV

References

1. Hunt, Peter (7 October 2020). "United Firefighters Union CFA-takeover drives cost to $1 billion". Herald Sun. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
2. Fire Rescue Victoria Operational Employees Interim Enterprise Agreement 2020 (PDF). Melbourne: Fair Work Commission. 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2020.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
3. "Reforming Victoria's Fire Services". Fire Services in Victoria. Archived from the original on 3 February 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
4. "About us". Fire Rescue Victoria. 25 June 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
5. "Response area". Fire Rescue Victoria. 30 June 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
6. "CFA: proudly volunteer". Country Fire Authority (Press release). 1 July 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
7. 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission Final Report Summary (PDF) (Report). Volume 1. Parliament of Victoria. July 2010. pp. 18–19. ISBN 9780980740820. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
8. Willingham, Richard (21 June 2019). "Four-year political storm ends, but real test for fire services reforms lies ahead". ABC News. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
9. Anderson, Stephanie (12 August 2016). "CFA: How the Victorian Country Fire Authority dispute unfolded". ABC News. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
10. "Fire Rescue Victoria Act 1958 - Sect 7". AustLII. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
11. "Governance". Fire Rescue Victoria. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
12. "Role statement - Fire Rescue Victoria". State Emergency Management Plan. Emergency Management Victoria. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
13. Parliament of Victoria, Fire Services Bill Select Committee (August 2017). Inquiry into the Firefighters’ Presumptive Rights Compensation and Fire Services Legislation Amendment (Reform) Bill 2017 (PDF). Melbourne: Victorian Government Printer. p. 35.
14. "Our structure". Fire Rescue Victoria. 17 November 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
15. "FRV District Map - Victoria" (PDF). Fire Rescue Victoria. 11 September 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
16. "CFA bill: State Government under fire". The Weekly Times. 28 March 2018. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
17. "Firefighters' Presumptive Rights Compensation and Fire Services Legislation Amendment (Reform) Bill 2017". Legislation Victoria. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
18. McDonald, Robert. "Parliament of Victoria - 10. Bills". www.parliament.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
19. "Victorian Statute Book Act". www.legislation.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
20. "Firefighters' Presumptive Rights Compensation and Fire Services Legislation Amendment (Reform) Bill 2019". Legislation Victoria. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
21. "Metropolitan Fire And Emergency Services Board, United Firefighters Union Of Australia, Operational Staff Agreement 2016" (PDF). Fair Work Australia. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
22. "Firefighter shuffle is back on table". Herald Sun. 22 May 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
23. "Delivering for all Victorians Victorian Budget 19/20". budget.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
24. "Fire Services Property Levy". State Revenue Office of Victoria. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
25. "Fire services property levy current rates". State Revenue Office of Victoria. Retrieved 28 May 2019.

External links

• Fire Services Reform information page at Department of Premier and Cabinet website