QUARTERLY OPERATIONAL UPDATE
Chief Officer’s Message for 2021 This year I’m pleased to introduce the first of the new Quarterly Operational Updates, which replace the once-a-year Seasonal Focus with four smaller updates. This increases the information given to CFA members by providing relevant topics at the time of each update. The Quarterly Operational Update will be released in September, December, March and June. In this September update we are sharing information about: • Chief Officer Expectations for the upcoming fire season • safety shares generated from current CFA safety issues • new hazard tree marking symbols • transfer of control • cultural heritage awareness.
Chief Officer Expectations for the upcoming fire season Our fire season is rapidly approaching and we’re working together to make sure all members prepare themselves for the summer season. This year the minimum safety requirements of the Chief Officer are unchanged, but they need to be carried out taking into account COVID-19. In light of this, my expectations are as follows: • Everyone comes home, every time, safely. The safety of our people is my highest priority. • COVID-19 will still be impacting our communities and CFA. Remain focused on keeping yourselves safe and ALWAYS follow the COVID-19-safe procedures on Members Online. • CFA encourages all members to get vaccinated against COVID-19. • All members responding during the summer bushfire season must have currency in: ☑ the safety requirements of Minimum Skills/General Firefighter ☑ the annual entrapment drill as per SOP 9.32. I cannot afford to exclude it from this year’s safety requirements as we cannot reduce our commitment to every single one of our member’s safety ☑ tree hazard awareness training. This year there are new nationally accepted markings. I encourage all members to complete the tree hazard course to become familiar with the new marking system. This is not compulsory if your three-year endorsement is still current. During my tour in 2020-21, I committed to carrying out a review after this bushfire season, with help from VFBV, to
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look at the Chief Officer’s requirements for subsequent fire seasons. As per previous fire seasons the points that need to be at the front of your mind when responding to fires over summer are: • weight of attack – hit fires hard and fast • do your part to ensure information and warnings are issued to our community members so they can make informed decisions about their safety • be ready, both physically and mentally, for a long season. Take advantage of the quiet times and support services on offer to all members, manage your and your crew’s fatigue • engage and communicate with your community to ensure they are ready • confidently make decisions at all levels – back your training and knowledge • work together with all agencies and at all levels: state, region, district, group, brigade and, most importantly, the community.
Safety shares Safety shares are a new type of communication we are implementing in CFA. A safety share is a short one-page document that has been developed to communicate lessons learned and outcomes from safety issues experienced in CFA. In this quarterly update, there are six key investigations with important lessons that members should focus on as part of pre-season preparation. These include working alone, signal 55, pump casing failure and hazardous material incident response. I encourage members to familiarise themselves with the key messages from each of these safety shares. Finally, there are two basic but important principles I would encourage every member to consider and take forward, not just for the upcoming season but always: 1. Look after your people and those around you 2. Always be ready. Look after yourself, your families and your teams and be ready for the challenges our environment presents. While I know that many of our members do what they do for their communities for the want of nothing, I would like to simply say thank you and stay safe. Use this QR code to access the Quarterly Operational Update or go to cfa.vic.gov. au/quarterlyoperationupdates
