CFA Community Safety Blog

Today I announced my resignation from CFA. It has been an extremely tough decision to leave the team that I feel so privileged to work with, and this has led me to a great deal of reflection about the last few years.

Community Safety at the Champs

I recently had the opportunity to visit the Southern Metropolitan Region with Chief Officer Euan Ferguson and was inspired to write about it.

The aim was to give Euan a tour of Southern Metro and the various challenges our Community Safety staff are taking on, and I really enjoyed getting out and about to experience first-hand all the great work they're doing.

I hope everyone had a great break, I certainly did.

With the recent growth of staff in the Bushfires Program and particularly within Community Safety we found that there was no more room at the HQ inn.

So with a little encouragement, all of the staff members who make up the HQ function of Community Safety moved from Buildings 8, 4, 5, and 24 Lakeside Drive to come together under one roof at No. 16 Lakeside Drive, East Burwood.

It's been an extremely busy and rewarding time for everyone in Community Safety - and things aren't showing any signs of slowing down.

I had the opportunity to present at the Fire Australia Conference about the great work we're doing, in particular how we're using technology to better connect with our communities.

I'd like to inform you of the ‘FireReady Roadshow' which will be visiting over 40 community events around the state across ten weeks.

 

A two-year journey has recently ended for several of our senior Community Safety staff graduating from the specialised Advanced Diploma of Public Safety (Community Safety), and congratulations are owed.

Not one but two top honours were awarded to CFA last night at the prestigious 2010 Australian Safer Communities Awards.

CFA's Chief Executive Officer Mick Bourke accompanied Brodie Rafferty of CFA to take out the state government category for the Victorian Fire Risk Register (VFRR).

I'd like to thank everyone that took part in Fire Action Week 2010, in particular those who worked to make Planning Day happen, and commend all involved for their tremendous contribution to bushfire preparedness in Victoria.

The launch of Fire Action Week saw Premier John Brumby issue a call to action to all Victorians alongside Fire Commissioner Craig Lapsley, Emergency Services Minister Bob Cameron and Environment Minister Gavin Jennings.

Fire Action Week 2010 kicks off this Sunday to help Victorians prepare and plan for bushfire, no matter where they live.

 

A big thankyou in advance to all of you who will participate in Fire Action Week this October.

At the time of writing, CFA is working hard with our partner fire agencies, government departments and the wider community to encourage all Victorians to prepare for the upcoming fire season.

 

The experiences I've gained during my involvement with many of the recent community consultations held by the State Government made it clear to me not only that participative democracy is alive and well, but how proud I am to work for CFA.

 

As CFA makes its way toward the next fire season, the Victorian Emergency Services sector is coming through a period of reflection and review of the past two fire seasons. The Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission delivered their final recommendations on July 31 and the State is still underway developing their response.

The benefits of this period of reflection, in my view, are two-fold. Entering the next fire season, Victoria's fire services will work from the most deeply considered approach to bushfire planning available to date, which can only result in a safer and more prepared community.

Informed too by these recent events is the continuing work on the second Bushfire Preparedness Program (BFPP2). Since May this year, CFA and our partners from across the state have worked through a period of intense consultation and engagement to this point we are at today, where the BFPP2 program is beginning to take shape.

Within the BFPP2 Program 2010-14, CFA and our service delivery partners will be able to effectively measure how the level of bushfire preparedness improves in Victorian communities.

Relationship building and the importance of working together emerged as a major theme of the recent State Municipal Fire Prevention Forum, which was a fantastic learning and networking opportunity from all reports.

The 2009/2010 fire season has been one of hard work and significant change for CFA, and I think it's important for everyone to take a moment to reflect on what we've achieved.

I want you all to know that CFA’s leadership team and the Community Safety Directorate, with support from managers in the field, have been working hard to articulate the work required of us to educate and engage our communities on bushfire safety and survival. 

This has required us to work at a very fast pace to take into account the learnings from last summer and to work with our key partner agencies.