CFA Connect Blogosphere

When I started with CFA in November, I said I'd try to get around and meet as many volunteers as possible. My travels continue. In the meantime I just want to acknowledge the passion and commitment that I have witnessed in CFA volunteers, staff and supporters everywhere that I go. It is hard not to be infected by the enthusiasm that I see around me.

 

The State Government has now released its response to the final report of the 2009 Bushfires Royal Commission, meaning the Fires Task Force is winding down.

For nearly 18 months, Saturday 31 July 2010 was marked in our collective consciousness as a landmark day for CFA. While we continued to make long-term plans beyond the due date of the Royal Commission's final report, we knew that our future would be influenced by the findings, whatever the outcome. Now that the recommendations have been handed down, we are focussed on the response.

The Premier announced on Monday that the Government supports in principle 59 of the Commission's 67 recommendations. The remaining recommendations are being further considered before a decision is made on their adoption. Premier Brumby has made a commitment to act swiftly and decisively, with a short and targeted consultation period before the Government delivers its final response.

The final report of the 2009 Bushfires Royal Commission will be handed to the Governor this Saturday, 31 July. It should be made public by noon.

Premier John Brumby yesterday released a statement outlining arrangements for the public release of the 2009 Bushfires Royal Commission report. (Read the Premier’s full media release).

The public hearings phase of the 2009 Bushfires Royal Commission has come to an end with the Commissioners retiring to prepare their final report.

A new landscape is developing in the online world. When people log on to the internet now, they expect to be able to engage with corporations. Simply providing information without further means for discussion is no longer enough.

At CFA, we're embracing this new wave of online engagement; not because it's trendy, or it's fun to use the latest gadgets, but because it's what our community is demanding. Increasingly, our members, and the wider community, are relying on the online environment to find news, incident information and community safety advice from CFA. As a community service organisation with a diverse and geographically spread membership, we must listen and respond.

The 2009 Bushfires Royal Commission has reached a milestone with the last witness giving evidence.

The 2009 Bushfires Royal Commission heard evidence on issues including insurance and the funding of fire services, mapping, firefighter safety and information sharing during the sixth block of hearings held in March.

 

Recovery

The 2009 Bushfires Royal Commission shifted its focus to fuel reduction and land use planning during the fifth block of hearings held in February.

The work of the 2009 Fires Task Force is continuing as we enter 2010 and move into the final six months of the Royal Commission process.

As the first anniversary of 7 February approaches, I'd like to take a moment to reflect on the events of not only that day, but the weeks leading up to it, particularly the fires in Gippsland, and the tremendous work CFA members have done in Black Saturday's aftermath.

While I wasn't with CFA last fire season, like so many other Australians I watched the events unfold with anguish and sorrow, but also with an overwhelming sense of pride in the response.

The bushfire season is now in full swing and, as usual, is placing high demands on CFA members and their families. While this is happening, many parts of our organisation continue to implement the raft of changes that have flowed from the Royal Commission.

Throughout each year, and especially in tough times like the bushfire season, we value and respect the enduring effort that you apply to your role.

I listen and read with increasing amazement and incredulity to the proposals for bushfire warnings. The insurmountable problem is to address those in peril and uninformed; the problem is that "the authority" has poor intelligence about the fire-front progress and does not know who is unaware of the danger, nor where they are. Broad-brush approaches like ABC regional radio and telephone network "broadcast" would all appear to be broad-brush with poor targetability.