CFA Connect Blogosphere

Lets call the consultation with some effected Brigades over 'Boundary restructure' for what it is - A disgrace'
The CFA is a signatory to a Volunteers Charter which clearly explains and dictates a process for consultation around major change within the organisation as it impacts on volunteers.
The boundary changes imposed by the Board before Christmas last year and then not relayed on to members by any official channels until well into the new year are an unequivocal breach of that Charter.
Any consultation taken after the fact on the implementation of the decision is a sham and should be seen as such. It is disappointing that the first major reorganisation many new members such as myself will see is this a heavy handed top down paternalistic example called 'Boundary reorganisation'.
Initial 'blogging' by the CEO indicated that this was primarily organisational but we now find that there will be response area changes. This fluid interpretation of an 'organisational' change means that many Brigade members have had their natural rights under their Charter voided as real changes which impact directly on them are hurried through.
The CEO's latest 'clarification' clarifies nothing - gave it to a couple of year tens today who scratched their heads before stating the obvious. "He hasn't said anything new" they commented (who says our young people can't think for themselves?).
Being a new member of a relocated brigade on the edge of its new region I don't know what the real impact will be; not because there will be no change but because we have not been included in a decision which will impact on our brigade our community and our families.
The CFA Board and CEO need to have a long hard look at the Charter and themselves. While it is obvious that those who decided on this process will not have the good grace to hold it over until proper processes can take place, they do need to apologise to the people they have stood over on this issue(particularly those long standing members who were given specific Guarantees about the process should this issue arise). They then need to explain how they will ensure it never happens again.

Brendan Jenkins CFA member Moe South

hi while i feel for brigades affected by this lets get the facts right this is not a CFA or CFA board decision they are conforming with the instruction from the state Government who have told them to make the changes.
Ian Kerboeuf CFA member 30+ years

Ian is right, the call came from the state government not the CFA.

This should have happened long ago, we must focus on the bigger picture and not the small perspective of the individual. Personally I thinks it's sad to see that so many members are against progress.

Thanks to LL and IK ...... but still

*The lack of consultation stands out is a failure of the CFA
*State Governments need to hear if there are any concerns and Boards need to ask for further time and consideration in order to get their responsibilities (including adequate consultation) right.
*'reorganisation', in and of itself, doesn't equal 'progress' and can be counter productive if it diverts people and resources from essential tasks
- like making sure an emergency services public web site has all appropriate information included and doesn't pack it in at crucial times.
*a call for proper consultation doesn't equal opposition to 'progress'. What sad is that some would see it that way.
*With Federal changes in the wind for the bulk of DHS responsibilities they are probably the worst agencies with which to align.
*Making arbitrary bureaucratic line even thicker doesn't necessarily help the inevitable difficulties when the natural world decides to cross over them.
As I said in my last contribution I still don't know what the full effect of the realignment will have as my immediately impacted brigade has not been told. Thanks for your contributions to the discussion.

Brendan

Just to clear something up it is state government boundaries not DHS, DHS are currently aligned with these boundaries so I can see how the confusion has come about.

As a long time volunteer, I am hopeful that the changes being imposed will benifit our communities and not detract from brigade service delivery -viability. Whether that decision is going to prove beneficial or not, only time will tell. The decision however, was not made in the 'spirit' or undertakings of our signed Volunteer Charter. It is high time that our 'masters', political and organisational, came to terms with the fact, "CFA is our volunteers", not the converse. Too many negative (to volunteers)decisions have been made to 'appease and buy peace' in Industrial and Political realms. Very few of those major decisions have had the volunteer or communities best interests at heart. Far to often do our 'suits' give ground to those 'demands' in the absence of the tenets of the Volunteer Charter. Its time for that to end, a change of a different kind will perhaps be in the best interests of us volunteers, after all, CFA is the volunteer; volunteers who are our communities.

Allan Small
R13