Fire Rescue Victoria


Fire Rescue Victoria is a fire and rescue service in the state of Victoria in Australia that serves the capital Melbourne and major regional centres throughout Victoria. 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. Many peri-urban and regional stations are co-located with volunteer brigades of the Country Fire Authority.
FRV was formed on 1 July 2020 by a merger of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade, 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. The changes were strongly supported by the United Firefighters Union, which represented paid firefighters in both services, and strongly opposed by Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria, a peak body affiliated with most CFA brigades. In the years leading to the formation of FRV, the UFU and VFBV engaged in multiple acrimonious industrial disputes with the CFA, and fire services reform became a major issue in Victorian state politics, with the Labor state government aligned with the UFU, and the Coalition opposition, including the National country representatives, taking the side of VFBV.

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 recommended that a Fire Commissioner be appointed to advise on the boundary between the two services, the Metropolitan Fire District. The 2009 VBRC also recommended strengthening the CFA's integrated model, in which paid and volunteer firefighters train, locate and respond together using the same equipment and training.
The origins of the service created significant political controversy. 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 the UFU. 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 she said was ". 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 " 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.
Subsequently, on 19 May 2017, Premier Daniel Andrews and Minister for Emergency Services James Merlino announced changes to the Victorian Fire Services. Neither the Chief Officers, CEOs or Boards of the CFA or MFB were consulted on the development, and neither was the Emergency Management Commissioner. It was publicly released only a day after the fire services themselves were informed and no material changes were made to the proposal before it was passed by Parliament despite significant concerns raised by those parties in public, in the Select Committee and the Parliamentary

Fire District Review Panel

Following the creation of Fire Rescue Victoria, the Victorian Government will establish the Fire District Review Panel. The panel will regularly review the Metropolitan Fire District and advise the Minister for Emergency Services on any changes to be made. The Minister will have the final decision to change the district boundaries. Currently, the Metropolitan Fire District is established by the Metropolitan Fire Brigades Act 1958. Any change to the district boundaries must either be by amendment to the act or by request of a municipal council. The district boundaries have not changed since the 1950s, although the capability to do this has existed in the CFA legislation, as has the ability to increase resources where needed using a scaling system to increase resources to support volunteers in urban centres. This scaling up has been removed under the reform and the only model allowed in future is either a fully volunteer or a fully career fire station, with no more integrated training and response which was endorsed in the VBRC.

Emergency Services Infrastructure Authority

The Emergency Services Infrastructure Authority was established in 2016. ESIA oversees planning, project management, procurement, construction of new fire stations and upgrades to existing stations. It will oversee a $44m station building program for the CFA.
The establishment of ESIA was subject to consultation with FRV, the CFA, the Victoria State Emergency Service, Life Saving Victoria and unions and other representative bodies.

Transitioning CFA stations

Part of the change is to transition 38 CFA stations to Fire Rescue Victoria. Many of these stations currently house both career and volunteer firefighters. The career firefighters will become part of Fire Rescue Victoria. The Government and CFA will work with volunteers to identify the best solution for volunteers at each brigade.
RegionBrigades
North EastShepparton, Wangaratta, Wodonga
South EastMorwell, Traralgon, Latrobe West
North WestBendigo, Mildura
South WestPortland, Warrnambool
WestBallarat City, Lucas
North East Metropolitan AreaBoronia, Rowville, South Warrandyte
South East Metropolitan AreaCranbourne, Dandenong, Frankston, Hallam, Mornington, Pakenham, Patterson River, Rosebud, Springvale
North West Metropolitan AreaCaroline Springs, Craigieburn, Eltham City, Greenvale, Melton, Point Cook, South Morang, Sunbury, Tarneit
South West Metropolitan AreaBelmont, Corio, Geelong City, Lara, Ocean Grove

List of FRV fire stations and appliances

The FRV Fire District encompasses over 1000 square kilometers of the previous Metropolitan Fire District in Metropolitan Melbourne, and includes the response areas of 38 previous CFA Brigades
The FRV fire stations are listed below along with the appliances located at each station under the control of the FRV
The Fire Trucks will have no design change just change from MFB logo to the new FRV logo.
Station NumberStation NameAppliance/Callsigns
1Eastern HillPumper 1A , Pumper 1B, Ultra-Large Pumper 1, Ladder Platform 1, Control Unit 1, District Car 1A, District Car 1B, Rehabilitation Unit 1
2West MelbournePumper 2A, Pumper 2B
3CarltonPumper 3, Rescue 3
4BrunswickPumper 4
5BroadmeadowsPumper 5, Pumper Tanker 5
6Pascoe ValePumper Tanker 6
7ThomastownPumper Tanker 7,Pumper 7 Teleboom 7, Rescue 7, District Car 7
8Burnley Complex
9SomertonPumper Tanker 9, Pumper 9
10RichmondPumper 10, Teleboom 10, Transporter 10A, Transporter 10B, pods: Breathing Apparatus Support, Bulk Decontamination, Fire Duty Support, General Purpose, High Angle Rescue, Hose Layer, Heavy Rescue Support, Urban Search And Rescue, Tripper Rescue Support
11EppingPumper Tanker 11
12PrestonPumper 12
13NorthcotePumper 13
14BundooraPumper 14A, Pumper 14B
15HeidelbergPumper 15
16GreensboroughPumper Tanker 16
17Woodstock or Donnybrook
18HawthornPumper 18
19North BalwynPumper Tanker 19
20Box HillPumper 20
21Not in use
22RingwoodPumper Tanker 22, Teleboom 22
23BurwoodPumper 23, pods: Water Recycling Module 5
24Glen IrisPumper 24
25OakleighPumper 25, Teleboom 25, Ladder Platform 25, Rescue 25, District Car 25
26CroydonPumper 26, Pumper Tanker 26
27NunawadingPumper Tanker 27, Rescue 27
28Vermont SouthPumper Tanker 28
29ClaytonPumper Tanker 29
30TemplestowePumper 30, Pumper Tanker 30
31Glen WaverleyPumper 31 Pumper Tanker 31
32OrmondPumper 32
33MentonePumper Tanker 33
34HighettPumper Tanker 34, Pumper Tanker 34
35WindsorPumper 35A, Pumper 35B, Ladder Platform 35
36Not in use
37Not in Use
38South MelbournePumper 38A, Pumper 38B, BA38, BS38, Hazmat38
39Port MelbournePumper 39A, Pumper 39B
40LavertonPumper Tanker 40
41St AlbansPumper Tanker 41
42NewportPumper Tanker 42, Ultra-Large Pumper 42
43Deer ParkPumper 43, Pumper Tanker 43
44SunshinePumper Tanker 44, Teleboom 44, Rescue 44, District Car 44A, District Car 44B, pods: Equipment and Resource management , Water Recycling Module 3
45SpotswoodPumper 45
46AltonaPumper Tanker 46
47FootscrayPumper 47, Ladder Platform 47, Transporter 47, pods: Fire Duty Support, Hose Layer, Mechanical Loader
48Taylors LakesPumper Tanker 48
49Laverton NorthPumper Tanker 49
50Ascot ValePumper 50
51Keilor EastPumper 51A, Pumper 51B
52TullamarinePumper Tanker 52
53SunburyPumper 53
54GreenvalePumper 54
55Caroline SpringsPumper 55
56MeltonPumper 56, Rescue 56
57TarneitPumper 57
58Point CookPumper 58
59Not in use
60VEMTC
61LaraPumper 61, HAZMAT 61
62CorioPumper 62A, Pumper 62B, BA
63Geelong CityPumper 63A, Pumper 63B, Ladder Platform 63, Rescue 63
64BelmontPumper 64
65Armstrong Creek
66Ocean GrovePumper 66
67Ballarat CityPumper 67A, Pumper 67B, Ladder Platform 67, BA
68LucasPumper 68, HAZMAT 68
69Not in use
70WarnamboolPumper 70, Aerial Pumper 70, Transporter 70
71PortlandPumper 71
72MilduraPumper 72, Aerial Pumper 72, Tech Ops 72
73BendigoPumper 73A, Pumper 73B, Ladder Platform 73, BA
74WangarattaPumper 74, Transporter 74
75SheppartonPumper 75, Aerial Pumper 75, HAZMAT 75
76WodongaPumper 76
77TraralgonPumper 77, Ladder Platform 77
78MorwellPumper 78, Aerial Pumper 78
79Latrobe WestPumper 79
80CraigieburnPumper 80
81South MorangPumper 81
82Eltham CityPumper 82
83Not in Use
84South WarrandytePumper 84
85BoroniaPumper 85
86RowvillePumper 86
87DandenongPumper 87A, Pumper 87B, Ladder Platform 87, Rescue 87
88HallamPumper 88, HAZMAT 88
89SpringvalePumper 89
90Patterson RiverPumper 90
91FrankstonPumper 91A, Pumper 91B
92CranbournePumper 92
93PakenhamPumper 93
94MorningtonPumper 94
95RosebudPumper 95
96Not in use
97Clyde North
FBSouth WharfFB1, FB2, FB4, FB6

South Wharf station appears to no longer have a station number assigned, station number 70 has been reassigned to Warnambool.
No tankers have been allocated to FRV and their fleet will only compose of 2wd appliances. Any incidents requiring 4wd tankers will be paged to the nearest CFA brigades for support.

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 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. The bill was a "Disputed Bill" and could be considered after the next election by a committee known as the Dispute Resolution Committee in line with the Constitutional Act 2003. The bill was reintroduced on 29 May 2019 and passed through both houses on 20 June 2019.

Progress

The latest MFB EBA has been passed by Fair Work Australia, and is anticipated to be the template for the new FRV EBA. 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, a rise in the Fire Services Levy 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. 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.