PRODUCED BY AND FOR THE VICTORIAN SES VOLUNTEERS
ISSUE 183 JUNE 2016
Printpost Approved PP 100001634
THE FUTURE OF SES VOLUNTEERING • SAVE OUR SES HAZARDOUS MATERIALS EMERGENCY EXERCISE
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CONTRIBUTIONS Letters to the editor If you have a point of view you feel would be of benefit to VICSES, or a request for any article which other members may be able to help source, mail it to PHOENIX. If your Unit has a need to publicise an event or Unit activity, send it to PHOENIX. Content for Phoenix Photography should only be supplied digitally or as original prints (please supply stamped, self-addressed envelope for returning). Please avoid scanning of any type. Text should be supplied electronically as a Microsoft Word document. Closing date for all PHOENIX material: August 2016 edition – Friday July 8 October 2016 edition – Monday September 12 December 2016 edition – Monday November 7 February 2017 edition – Monday January 9 April 2017 edition – Monday March 6
Send all articles to:
Email: phoenixeditor@vesa.com.au Address: PO Box 1085, Craigieburn, VIC 3064
VESA CONTACTS VESA Phoenix Editor & Mailing List Enquiries To add, edit or delete members to mail list or password and technical support contact: PHOENIX EDITOR Ellen Lawes E: phoenixeditor@vesa.com.au
www.vesa.org.au Contents 2
From the Chair
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Emerald Unit
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The future of SES volunteering
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Save our SES
2016 Victoria Police and Emergency Service Games
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Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience
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Bendigo SES Anzac Day
FBT Transwest hazardous materials emergency exercise
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CFA volunteers’ motorcade comes to State Parliament
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2016 Viva Festival at Federation Square
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Manningham Unit training camp
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Improving our vehicles, equipment and clothing
24 Letters
VESA STATE BOARD EXECUTIVE & STATE BOARD OF DIRECTORS INDEPENDENT CHAIRPERSON Faye Bendrups
TREASURER, SECRETARY & DIRECTOR CENTRAL WEST Mr Chris Patton
M: 0435 964 455 E: fayebendrups@hotmail.com
M: 0407 310 555 E: secretary@vesa.com.au E: director.cw@vesa.com.au
DIRECTOR NORTH EAST REGION Mr Chris Brown
ALTERNATE DIRECTOR OF CENTRAL EAST REGION David Rowlands
M: 0417 550 076 E: c.brown10@bigpond.com
M: 0423 777 633 E: director.ce@vesa.com.au
DIRECTOR SOUTH WEST REGION Vacant
DIRECTOR NORTH WEST REGION Mr Pat Torney E: pat_torney@hotmail.com
Advertisers Alert Countrywide Austral is appointed by the Victoria Emergency Service Association as the authorised publisher of PHOENIX. For enquiries re advertising in this magazine, please contact the printers and publishers:
DIRECTOR MID-WEST REGION Vacant
DIRECTOR EAST REGION Mr Bob Aisbett M: 0427 532 093 E: director.er@vesa.com.au
VICSES PEER SUPPORT COUNTRYWIDE AUSTRAL Level 2, 310 King St, Melbourne GPO Box 2466, Melbourne 3001 Ph: (03) 9937 0200 Fax: (03) 9937 0201 E-mail: admin@cwaustral.com.au ACN: 30 086 202 093 Design/Layout Jason Jeffery & Kathryn Steel
Peer Support can be accessed at any time by ringing 1800 899 927 and asking for SES Peer Support (EAS Paging). Peter Kueffer Clinical Director can be contacted on mobile 0417 565 927 or by ringing 1800 899 927 (EAS Paging).
CHAPLAINS CONTACT DETAILS CENTRAL REGION Major Arthur Ford
NORTH WEST REGION Rev David Mills
EAST REGION Judy McLeod
SOUTH WEST REGION Rev Denise Naish
SOUTH WEST REGION Rev David Thompson
CENTRAL REGION Vacant
MID-WEST REGION Fr David Turner
CENTRAL REGION Rev Max Woolcock
M: 0416 085 634
M: 0427 383 538
M: 0425 708 730
M: 0417 347 821
M: 0407 466 356
M: 0407 128 077
M: 0418 517 685
Disclaimer Countrywide Austral (“Publisher”) advises that the contents of this publication are at the sole discretion of the Victoria Emergency Service Association Inc. (VESA) and the publication is offered for background information purposes only. The publication has been formulated in good faith and the Publisher believes its contents to be accurate, however, the contents do not amount to a recommendation (either expressly or by implication) and should not be relied upon in lieu of specific professional advice. The Publisher disclaims all responsibility for any loss or damage which may be incurred by any reader relying upon the information contained in the publication whether that loss or damage is caused by any fault or negligence on the part of the publisher, its directors and employees. Copyright All advertisements appearing in this publication are subject to copyright and may not be reproduced except with the consent of the owner of the copyright. Advertising Advertisements in this journal are solicited from organisations and businesses on the understanding that no special considerations other than those normally accepted in respect of commercial dealings, will be given to any advertiser.
The data that VESA holds for its members is solely used for the production and distribution of Phoenix and associated products.
REPORTS
from the
CHAIR IS SES AT THE CROSSROADS IN TERMS OF ITS FUTURE VIABILITY? With council withdrawing support and State Government funding limited, is it time to re-evaluate what it is that we offer to the people of Victoria? How long can volunteers continue their skilled and selfless work if government continues to chip away at their core? Susie O’Brien wrote in the Herald Sun (May 23, 2016): “I find it astonishing that securing the financial viability of the SES is not higher on the agenda of either councils or the State Government. Ask any taxpayer or ratepayer, and they’ll tell you they’d prefer to have a properly supported SES rather than $5 million for the Victorian Bike Share initiative or a room full of media advisers for the Premier and his ministers. It’s not enough for Emergency Services Minister Garrett to say state funds would be maintained and that she’s “disappointed” by what councils are doing.” O’Brien began her article with, “In times of emergency, there’s nothing more reassuring than a sea of orange SES suits coming to the rescue”, and ended with, “People always assume the SES will be there to step in when needed, but that will not always be the case unless this vital service is properly funded”. O’Brien is spot on. SES is not and has never been, adequately funded. There have been repeated campaigns for increased support over the decades. There have been calls to government, business, insurance council, and other organisations, largely unheeded. While the service is now better equipped than in previous times, and has a substantial cohort of volunteers, it is still constrained by lack of funding, indifference by government, and now, increasing loss of council support. Volunteers continue to do their own local fundraising; running trivia nights, tin shakes, car boot sales, dinners
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and raffles to make up for funding shortfalls and ensure they have the equipment and operational resources to serve the community. How viable is a 1950s-60s style fundraising model in a 2016+ world? Not very. Guess what? In 2016 everybody is under more pressure, many are ‘on call’ 24/7 to their workplaces by internet and mobile phone, people work longer hours, have more demands on their time, have longer to travel and employers are less able to release volunteers during work hours or are less sympathetic to requests for leave. Time is
do, write to them and ask for their support, ask them to write to the local members to express support for SES. Further on in this edition of Phoenix, you will find an ‘Open letter to the Victorian community’. Use it, copy it, send it to as many people as you can. Ask 20 friends and acquaintances to do the same. Post it online. There’s a federal election on and now is a time when people and politicians listen. I quote a VESA predecessor, President Terry Stephens, from the October 1988 edition of Phoenix: “I cannot over-emphasise the need for each and every SES volunteer
I cannot over-emphasise the need for each and every SES volunteer to get actively involved. We have all invested too much of our time and money in this undertaking (SES) to see it go down the drain through the complete apathy of the government. Former VESA President, Terry Stephens
at a premium, and volunteers already give up significant amounts of it to provide operational response crews 24/7, run their local unit like a small business, take over training functions, up-skill/re-skill/re-train, administer an overwhelming amount of paperwork, maintain their LHQ, manage a fleet of vehicles and vessels, build/mend/ repair equipment, run websites, Facebook pages, email communications, the list is endless. There’s not much time left over to fundraise. What can we do? Every volunteer is important. It is now up to each and every SES volunteer to make themselves known to their local community, local businesses, local councillors and members of State and Federal Parliament. Talk about your SES volunteering work, show them what you
to get actively involved. We have all invested too much of our time and money in this undertaking (SES) to see it go down the drain through the complete apathy of the government”. Yes, 1988. The funding issue was in crisis then and it is again now. Terry Stephens wrote in 1988 that “The government is saying that the SES volunteers are irrelevant … the SES volunteers are providing in large part, the funds to meet the day-to-day operations of the Service. This is a scandal”. He described the level of funding as “laughable”. It still is.
Faye Bendrups Independent Chair, VESA
www.vesa.org.au
REPORTS
The future of SES volunteering:
WHAT IS AT STAKE?
RECENT MOVES WITHIN LOCAL MUNICIPAL AND STATE GOVERNMENT HAVE SERIOUS IMPLICATIONS FOR COMMUNITY SAFETY IN VICTORIA. WITH COUNCIL RATE CAPPING, SUPPORT IS BEING WITHDRAWN FROM SES UNITS. AND IN A SEPARATE ISSUE, THE FIREFIGHTERS UNION, THE UFU, IS REPORTED TO HAVE NEGOTIATED A DEAL WITH PREMIER DANIEL ANDREWS WHICH THREATENS THE VIABILITY OF VICTORIA’S EXCELLENT CFA VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTING FORCE.
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here is nothing new in this sidelining of emergency volunteers. Since early Civil Defence then SES times, funding has been inadequate and the needs of the volunteers – and therefore of the community – underestimated or ignored. Where to from here? What does the community want and expect from volunteer emergency response agencies? Are they willing to fund this? Should it be a State Government responsibility? What might communities look like without services such as VICSES, CFA, Red Cross, Surf Lifesaving and others? As Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria (VFBV) CEO Andrew Ford points out: “If you undermine, deactivate and progressively push out volunteers, who will provide Victoria with a surge capacity to respond to major fires and emergencies?”. What alternatives could replace them? How will safety be affected? Will the contemporary community be more resilient, more able to respond without professional assistance, more skilled, more adept at dealing with their own emergencies? The answer to this last question might appear to be a resounding ‘NO’. SES units continue to report instances of being called to emergency events that are completely preventable, or not emergencies at all: blocked gutters, dying trees not managed, backyard damage with no impact on life or property, trees in need of pruning, social housing not serviced by authorities, insurance companies handballing ‘too hard basket’ work to SES units, repeat jobs which residents leave unrepaired. Then there are the demographic considerations: Melbourne, in particular, has a challenging multicultural social makeup, with hundreds of languages spoken. People have come from all over the world with a range of previous community living experiences. Overseas students living independently may never have needed to maintain gardens or property in their home countries. New migrants may have come
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from places where apartment living is the norm, not individual housing. They may never have held a hammer or a drill and may have no idea of basic home maintenance. Residents who move into new suburbs on Melbourne’s outskirts may never have thought about the threat of bush or grass fires. It is most likely that few households have an emergency kit prepared. Sadly, lack of awareness can have fatal consequences as we have seen with people dying while attempting to drive through floodwater. In 2014-15, VICSES volunteers responded to more than 22,000 incidents, totalling more than 250,000 hours of work. VICSES is the control agency for flood, storm, tsunami and earthquake but the work of the volunteers extends to many other functions. What about the role of SES in assisting other agencies? Do the public know, for example, that the police do not keep a stock of cones, tarpaulins, light towers, marquees, etc, for use at crime scenes or accidents? It is the SES which is called in to assist with these resources, and often to remain stationed at the scene until police investigations are complete. Evidence searches are routinely conducted by SES volunteers, with a variety of tools to help lift drain covers, poke amongst undergrowth, investigate waterways, bring stretchers to retrieve drowned bodies, tarpaulins to cover human remains at train suicides, portable lighting and generators for clearing of drug houses or specialised cutting equipment for large and small rescues, in domestic situations and across the whole of Victoria’s road network. SES volunteers are also invaluable during the fire season, being deployed as Staging Area Managers and Base Camp Managers to assist the firefighting agencies. They also assist with transport of resources and ICC roles. Most members are aware – but is the public? – that there are units with specialised skills such as vertical rescue, alpine search and rescue, swift water rescue, air observers
and more. Every time someone is lost in the bush or a child goes missing, SES volunteers are there. More often than not, media reports focus on the (yes, generous and selfless) ‘spontaneous volunteers’; untrained members of the public who want to help. SES is taken for granted. Even at road crash rescue events, it is usually individuals from other agencies who become the spokespeople or focus in the media reporting, while SES volunteers quietly get on with the job. How many times have you heard (erroneous) reports of ‘ambulance officers’ conducting rescues from accident scenes? How will the community fare without SES volunteers in severe weather events? All predictions are that in future these will grow in intensity and frequency. Ask the Knox resident whose house was made safe in a sudden storm, or the Keilor resident who lost their roof on Christmas Day, or the business owners in Elizabeth Street who were all flooded in the Melbourne hailstorms, or the householder in Belgrave whose front room ended up under a tree, or the family whose car was crushed by falling branches while parked at a local community meeting. Ask all the people of Whittlesea whose properties were cleared of debris and roofs temporarily mended; ask all the residents of Nathalia whose entire town was at threat of complete inundation. Ask relatives of passengers lost on the downed MH370 flight, searched for by SES air observers; ask Tassie firefighters supported by SES SAMs and BCMs. Ask Robinvale, Mallacoota, Wye River, Warrnambool, Ballarat, Mildura, Omeo, Halls Gap, Morwell, Orbost, Bright, Healesville, Marysville. Ask anywhere in Victoria and you will find SES volunteers are integral to, or have been a support for, community safety, community cohesion, community resilience, saving lives and property and building social capital. Faye Bendrups Independent Chair, VESA
June 2016
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REPORTS
Open Letter to the Victorian community
SAVE OUR SES Fellow Victorians,
VICSES VOLUNTEERS HAVE BEEN RESCUING LIVES AND PROPERTY IN VICTORIA FOR 40 YEARS. NOW YOU CAN HELP TO RESCUE US. IF SES IS LOST, IT WILL NEVER BE RE-BUILT. SAVE THIS GREAT TRADITION OF ORDINARY PEOPLE PUTTING IN TO THEIR LOCAL COMMUNITY, HELPING EVERYONE TO BUILD A BETTER VICTORIA. VICSES has around 5,000 volunteers across Victoria, who work tirelessly 24/7, 365 days a year to save lives and property, responding to emergencies such as road crash rescue, storm damage ripping off roofs, trees blown over on cars or houses, line searches for lost or missing people, supporting MFB and CFA in the fire season and assisting police with crime scenes. For the first time in over 40 years, there are now some SES local units under threat of closure.
Who pays for SES? No one pays the volunteers, they do it for nothing to help others. Funding and support to provide trucks, rescue equipment and other essential resources has traditionally come from State Government and local council. It has never been enough and all SES units also raise their own funds through tin rattles and other fundraising activities. Many councils believe they can no longer afford to support the SES and want State Government to take over. State Government is not making up the shortfall. What does this mean? If SES is not supported adequately, services to the community will be compromised and safety will be affected. There are 5,000 volunteers waiting to see if they can continue to serve their local communities like they have done for the past 40 years; millions of hours of volunteer emergency response service to the people of Victoria. Those skilled volunteers live in their local area, they are great leaders, setting a fantastic example of team spirit, dedication to others and building cohesive communities. Help save our SES. Thank you, VICSES Volunteers
ACTION PLAN TO SAVE OUR SES Victorian community: what can you do? It is your money that pays rates and taxes. What are local and State Government priorities? Why should your community miss out on a professional emergency service? 1. Send the ‘Open letter to the Victorian community’ to your local MP, local council members and community representatives. Send a copy to Minister Jane Garrett, jane.garrett@parliament.vic.gov.au and the Premier of Victoria, Daniel Andrews, daniel.andrews@ parliament.vic.gov.au. 2. Ask them all what they are doing to support the SES. 3. Urge them to provide a guarantee that SES will be supported into the future. 4. Encourage your family and friends to do the same.
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VICSES volunteers and units: what can you do? Post the ‘Open letter’ up at your local library, in community bulletins, school newsletters, circulate it to family and friends. Put together a short one-page profile of your unit. Include statistics about how many call-outs you have attended, and describe any particular task that was a highlight. Choose a unit member to profile, add any testimonials you may have and a dynamic action photo. Suggestion for one-page unit profile: 1. Local unit name 2. Number of volunteers 3. Number/types of call-outs attended and an estimate of time served p.a. 4. Event highlight(s) 5. Example profile of a member
6. Quotes from thank-you letters, or other feedback/testimonials 7. Action photo 8. Attach the unit profile to the ‘Open letter to the Victorian Community’ and send copies to all stakeholders: • The Attorney-General, George Brandis QC, senator.brandis@aph.gov.au • Premier of Victoria, Daniel Andrews, daniel.andrews@parliament.vic.gov.au • Minister for Emergency Services, Jane Garrett, jane.garrett@parliament.vic.gov.au • Minister for Police, Lisa Neville, lisa.neville@parliament.vic.gov.au • Your local state members • Your local federal members • All members of your local council • Local businesses • Local churches • Other local groups in your area (social, sports).
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FEATURE
New institute to promote education and professional development in disaster resilience and emergency management IN NOVEMBER 2015, THE AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE FOR DISASTER RESILIENCE (AIDR) WAS LAUNCHED BY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AUSTRALIA TO DELIVER A RANGE OF PRODUCTS AND SERVICES IN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND DISASTER RESILIENCE.
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partnership between AFAC, the Australian Red Cross, the Bushfire & Natural Hazards CRC and the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department, AIDR is responsible for delivering some, but not all, the products and services that were previously delivered at Mt Macedon by the Australian Emergency Management Institute, which closed in June 2015. The driving force behind AIDR is the National Strategy for Disaster Resilience (NSDR) which is focused on building disaster resilient communities across Australia. The NSDR is the first step in a long-term, evolving process to deliver sustained behavioural change and enduring partnerships that will help to minimise the effects of natural and man-made disasters and to improve the recovery of affected
individuals and communities. Whilst there are a number of working definitions for disaster resilience, it is clear that risks can never be completely known, quantified or eliminated and that resilience needs to acknowledge the existence of risk and at the same time, prepare for the unexpected. AIDR’s core programs are based on three central themes: • Professional development for the current workforce; • Developing the future workforce; and • Finding and connecting knowledge and capabilities from across the sector Volunteers can benefit from several of AIDR’s activities at no cost (other than travel to venues), including: • Leadership development programs, • Professional development courses and
events (where a limited number of places are usually reserved for volunteers), • Scholarships for Emergency Management Volunteers, and • Free online access to: • the Australian Journal of Emergency Management (www.ajem.infoservices.com.au) • the Disaster Resilience Knowledge Hub and the Emergency Management Library (www.emknowledge.org.au). AIDR’s founding Director is an SES volunteer, providing an opportunity to actively promote and support the interests of emergency management volunteers in state and national forums. For more information on AIDR or to contact us, go to www.aidr.org.au.
New volunteer opportunities: Emergency management scholarships IN APRIL, THE MINISTER FOR JUSTICE, MICHAEL KEEGAN, ANNOUNCED A NEW $1 MILLION AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT SCHOLARSHIP FUND TO BOOST EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.
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o be administered by the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience, the scholarships will be available to Australian citizens or permanent residents who are volunteers in an emergency management agency, for accredited emergency management vocational (VET) or higher education (university) studies. These scholarships will equip emergency management volunteers to best prepare and respond to a range of disasters and to build national resilience. www.vesa.org.au
More than half of the scholarships will be reserved for specific groups of volunteers: those who live in a regional or rural area; female volunteers; and Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander volunteers. Whilst guidelines and application forms for the scholarships are still being developed, it is likely that applicants will be asked to demonstrate how the proposed course of study (a) will contribute to growing capacity in emergency management, and (b) is aligned to the business plan and/or workforce development strategy of the
organisation in which they are a volunteer. The scholarships will not be available to fund training that is ordinarily provided by an organisation for the training and development of its volunteers. The scholarship fund will be available over three years, with applications expected to open in September 2016, for courses that start in 2017. This is a wonderful opportunity for volunteers and as more information becomes available, it will be from www.aidr.org.au/ education/scholarships-for-volunteers. June 2016
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FEATURE Anzac Day 11am service.
BENDIGO SES ANZAC DAY AS WE ALL KNOW, THE STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE HAS ITS ORIGINS IN CIVIL DEFENCE. IT SEEMS TO BE THAT THE STRUCTURE OF THE SERVICE, AS WELL AS THE ACTIVITIES WE UNDERTAKE, BOTH SERVE TO DRAW VOLUNTEERS WHO HAVE SOME MILITARY SERVICE IN THEIR BACKGROUNDS. THIS VARIES FROM FULL TIME SERVICE INCLUDING DEPLOYMENTS TO THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN IN RESERVE FORCES AND CADETS. THE LINK TO SERVICE TO OTHERS IS A STRONG ONE. Anzac Day dawn service.
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hile many volunteers from our Unit have attended Anzac Day and Remembrance Day services as individuals for many years, our formal relationship with the Bendigo RSL is still quite young. The Unit first started assisting at the Anzac Day service about five years ago with simple tasks such as handing out the orders of service.
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Over the years this has developed to the point that this year, Mr Cliff Richards, the president of the Bendigo RSL, paid us a very high compliment indeed, saying that they would now struggle to manage the event without our assistance. We work closely with the RSL in the lead up to the service, planning how much water will be required for the veterans,
the cadets, other marchers and attendees. We work with the Venturers, helping them to hand out the orders of service to all attendees and the Australian flags to the children. We are on hand to assist with medical attention if required – almost invariably someone succumbs to the heat or the emotion of the day, or may simply be unaccustomed to standing for the length www.vesa.org.au
FEATURE
Anzac Day wreath.
Allison Williams-Rees and Casey Murn.
Allison Williams-Rees, Dave Lee, Casey Murn, Karen Gloster, Russell Harley and Natalie Stanway.
of the service, and collapses. Thankfully all of these instances have been minor. We always lay a wreath at the service on behalf of our Unit, alternating this privilege so that a new volunteer takes part each time. For the first time, in 2016, we were formally invited to march in the parade, and two of our volunteers did this under our SES flag.
We value the relationship we have with the RSL and will continue to nurture it, and do what we can to give back to those who have already done so much for our country. We also use this opportunity to remember those we have lost personally, including our own volunteers who have served. For those who are not aware, SES volunteers are able to join Bendigo RSL
as an affiliate member, rather than a social member. This entitles you to extra benefits when you dine at your local RSL, as well as use of the facilities, and the opportunity to serve on the sub-branch committee. Your membership fee helps support the running of the RSL. Submitted by Natalie Stanway Bendigo Unit June 2016
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FEATURE
CFA VOLUNTEERS’ MOTORCADE COMES TO STATE PARLIAMENT ON SATURDAY, APRIL 23, CFA VOLUNTEERS HELD A MOTORCADE OF OVER 420 VEHICLES FROM ALL REGIONS OF VICTORIA, DRIVING INTO MELBOURNE AND PAST PARLIAMENT HOUSE. THE VOLUNTEERS DEMONSTRATED THEIR SUPPORT FOR THE CFA LEADERSHIP AND MINISTER JANE GARRETT AFTER NEWS SPREAD OF A DEAL DONE BY PREMIER DANIEL ANDREWS WITH THE UNITED FIREFIGHTERS UNION WHICH WOULD SIDELINE CFA VOLUNTEERS AND DOWNGRADE THEIR INPUT AND CONTROL.
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FEATURE
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he CEO of VFBV, Andrew Ford, stated: “The CFA and the Minister were negotiating with the union in good faith for a reasonable financial settlement for paid firefighters but would not agree to surrender proper management and operational functions or to marginalise volunteers as the union demanded. It has become clear to volunteers that in recent days the Premier reached a deal with Peter Marshall which gives the union virtually all it wants. And that includes marginalising experienced and qualified volunteer firefighters who are committed to volunteer community service and flooding the organisation with unneeded extra paid staff to replace thousands of urban volunteers without increasing public safety. “The cost implications of the Premier’s sell-out are huge, with the fire service levy on households and business expected to significantly grow year on year for years into the future as more and more volunteers are replaced by paid employees under the union’s system. The public safety implications are particularly troubling. If you undermine, deactivate www.vesa.org.au
and progressively push out volunteers, who will provide Victoria with a surge capacity to respond to major fires and emergencies? The CFA Board and its leadership, including CEO Lucinda Nolan and Chief Fire Officer Joe Buffone, know what’s at stake in respect of cost and operational capacity to keep Victorians safe.” VESA was represented at the motorcade to show support for the CFA volunteers. Undermining of CFA has implications across other services, including SES. VESA feels that this CFA/UFU move severely undermines the State Government’s efforts to support volunteers via the effective work currently being done by the Volunteer Consultative Forum and the Ministerial Council for Volunteers. Further it undercuts Emergency Management Victoria’s (EMV) project to develop a framework for evaluating the social, economic and environmental value of volunteers, volunteering and volunteerism. This is an assault not only on CFA volunteers but on all emergency service volunteers, as well as the established practice of volunteering in Victoria and the principles
of volunteerism. This deal can affect the wellbeing of local Victorian communities and compromise local knowledge and local stakeholder investment in emergency response activities. It can weaken community resilience and self-reliance. Volunteer emergency service workers currently provide in excess of one billion dollars service value to the Victorian economy each year. How will this new deal be paid for? What other volunteering services will be cut back to fund this agreement? What is the cost-benefit? How many disillusioned volunteers will Victoria lose? How can Victoria afford to pay UFU members to fill the shoes of 60,000 trained volunteers? How will it affect local communities across the state? What does it mean for community safety and risk management? What about surge capacity in major national emergencies? It seems that no volunteer organisation is safe from unilateral interference, without consultation, without a clear understanding of the consequences. Can volunteers in Victoria assume the respect of this government? June 2016
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FEATURE
IMPROVING OUR VEHICLES, EQUIPMENT AND CLOTHING VICSES CURRENTLY ADOPTS A RIGOROUS PROCESS AROUND THE DESIGN, SPECIFICATION, PRIORITISATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF OUR VEHICLES, EQUIPMENT AND PERSONAL PROTECTIVE CLOTHING (PPC) AND PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE). BY AND LARGE, VICSES CONTINUES TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF MATERIAL WE PROVIDE TO OUR MEMBERS TO ENSURE THEY CAN CONTINUE TO DO THEIR VALUABLE WORK SAFELY AND EFFECTIVELY.
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ur Assets and State Operations teams are working in partnership to improve our collective understanding and approaches to specification and delivery but we realise we can keep doing better in ensuring improved outcomes for our volunteer members. The guiding principles for our collaborative approach are illustrated to the right. VICSES has quality assurance processes in place to ensure the supply of equipment that meets these principles as best as possible and I recently observed our operational communications and assets teams working together to develop an integrated process to ensure better truck rotation outcomes for units. However, we have identified areas that we can improve on. We need better collaboration with our volunteer end users at early design stage rather than pre-implementation stage. We need a twoway conduit with our end users to ensure meaningful continuous improvement throughout all our assets programs and we need to hold ourselves, our contractors and our suppliers to the standards we expect. To progress this, we are implementing the following: • The Road Rescue Taskforce will be broadened to cover across the range of Road Crash Rescue (RCR) and General Rescue (GR) related vehicle, equipment and training needs. • The PPC&EE Taskforce will be broadened to ensure linkages across various related committees and working groups. • The Fleet Working Group will progress the next phase of prioritised vehicle specification considerations with a focus on timely outcomes – we have just completed the 4WD twin cab and passenger vehicle options analysis for approval.
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Safe for use
Fit for purpose
But the biggest shift is going to be on ensuring we strengthen the volunteer involvement in these committees, taskforces and working groups. To do this, we will pursue options to make sure the meetings and communications are volunteer friendly – that means times and days that suit volunteers as well as effective access to modern technology to enhance involvement. My team will also be focussing on getting out in the field more to liaise directly with our members at unit level to ensure we are able to work closer with our regions and align our end user focus.
Best value
In developing improved pathways, processes and engagement I ask us all to consider what is meant when I refer to ‘we’. It is not VHO, regions, units and members working in isolation. It is all of us collectively focussed on ensuring we deliver on the three principles I mentioned above. We achieve this by adopting a focus on respect, responsibility and responsiveness. I’ll be in touch as we continue to evolve our model. Submitted by David Baker Deputy Chief Officer Operations Capability www.vesa.org.au
FEATURE
EMERALD UNIT
TRIVIA NIGHT FUNDRAISER SUCCESS
TEAM ‘SMARTYPANTS AND FRIENDS’ TOOK THE 2016 TRIVIA NIGHT PRIZE, HELD AT EMERALD RSL, NARROWLY BEATING THE BLACK COCKATOOS BY FOUR POINTS.
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he team, made up of SES members Peter and Mary Copp along with their family and friends, were just ahead all through the nine rounds of questions compiled by Mike Rathbone. Over $2,500 was raised thanks to participants from Emerald CFA, RSL members, Healesville SES, Emerald SES and the hills community, even local MP Jason Wood played the first few rounds before he had to head off. This was the second quiz night held in what is hoped to now become an annual event. A big thank you goes out to the RSL for use of the venue, their committee members and also SES Auxiliary members Jan Simpson and Marg Frankland for their tireless work behind the bar plus the many local businesses for donations for the raffle and silent auction.
The winning team with their trophy crafted by the winning captain Peter Copp.
WEAR ORANGE WEDNESDAY IN BELGRAVE IF YOU SAW A FLURRY OF ORANGE IN BELGRAVE ON MAY 11 THERE WAS NO NEED TO PANIC, IT WAS “WEAR ORANGE WEDNESDAY”, WHERE YOU GET THE CHANCE TO THANK SES CREWS THROUGHOUT THE STATE FOR THE WORK THEY DO IN THE COMMUNITY.
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ur newly appointed Deputy Controller, Brendan Smith, headed a team of volunteers to meet and greet businesses, shoppers and commuters to hand out information about being storm safe. Belgrave is just one of the many hills communities served by Emerald SES and a couple of our members live there. “We spoke to many businesses and locals to get our StormSafe message across and also explained our roles within the community,” said Brendan. “This was really well received and we also made some great new supporting businesses in the process.”
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Emerald members Mary Copp and Brendan Smith with one of the local businesses.
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Swimming medallists.
2016 VICTORIA POLICE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES GAMES THE 2016 STATE GAMES KICKED OFF IN GREAT STYLE. VICSES MEMBERS STARTED ON FRIDAY, APRIL 8, WITH THE SHOOTING AND SWIMMING EVENTS.
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ICSES members participated in over 40 sports, with over 20 gold, silver and bronze medals having been won in swimming, cross country, archery and rowing. This year we see the introduction of two new sports in the State Games: AFL 9s and CrossFit, two of the fastest growing sports in Australia. The Games are held every year to encourage camaraderie and interoperability between emergency service agencies who ordinarily only see each other during times of well, emergencies! Held in various locations across the state, the Games bring together a diverse group of people for friendly competition in a social setting. VICSES started participating in the Games in the early 2000s with just single figures entered back then, however now we see well over 100 members regularly joining in with the fun.
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Australasian Police & Emergency Service Games (AP&ES) Don’t forget that VICSES members can enter the Australasian Police & Emergency Service Games (AP&ES) which are to be held on the Sunshine Coast from Saturday 8 to Saturday 15 October, 2016. The Australasian Games website is live and SES members (volunteers and staff) may compete, however you must have at least 12 months of continuous active voluntary service or be a current staff member to be eligible. Retired members must have completed 10 years of service to participate. All entries must be lodged online. Further information regarding the games is available on the Games website. Process for the AP&ES games State Headquarters will assist in cocoordinating VICSES entries in the
Games so please email the Games team if you would like further information. Details are to be emailed to emergencyservicesgames@ses.vic.gov.au. If you would like more general information check out the Games website for a complete list of sports, entry costs and time commitment required: http://www. apandesgames.com.au. Please note the following important information: • Entry fees are the competitors’ responsibility • Entries can be lodged via the website. This is a great opportunity for all our volunteers and staff to participate in the Games and to help raise the profile of VICSES. So come along and join other members by representing Team VICSES. Submitted by Gerry Sheridan www.vesa.org.au
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Cross country medallists.
Michael Bakatsoulas (shooting). www.vesa.org.au
Rowing medallists. June 2016
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FBT TRANSWEST HAZARDOUS MATERIALS EMERGENCY EXERCISE
ON WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, FBT TRANSWEST (FBTTW) CONDUCTED AN ON-SITE EMERGENCY SCENARIO EXERCISE AT THEIR STORAGE DEPOT IN TOTTENHAM. FBT TRANSWEST HAS OPERATED AS A PRIVATE COMPANY SINCE 1972 AND IS A WORLD LEADER IN THE CARRIAGE, HANDLING AND STORAGE OF HAZARDOUS AND NONHAZARDOUS PRODUCTS.
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he objective of the emergency exercise included to test FBTTW’s Emergency Management Plan without the prior knowledge of the workforce and to demonstrate and familiarise FBTTW’s emergency capabilities with MFB, VICPOL, Maribyrnong MERO, SES and EPA. A practical demonstration of FBTTW’s ISO tank containers was also conducted. ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation) tanks are designed for carriage of liquids and can withstand substantial pressure and damage. An ISO tank can hold 24,000 litres of product and weigh four tons. The tanks are the safest method for moving liquid materials worldwide and are six times stronger than a road train. Local SES was invited by FBTTW’s National Operations Manager Ian Davies to participate in this exercise in an observer role, as was WorkCover. While other agencies (eg VICPOL, MFB) will have authority over management of an incident involving hazardous materials, it is possible that SES will be involved in the event of evacuations, management of other associated hazards, providing police or MFB with equipment such as marquees, lighting trailers, assisting as Staging Area Managers if the event escalates, and so on. Local SES involvement leads to improved relations with local businesses and other response agencies and increased awareness of the scope of hazardous materials stored in the region. The potential for unexpected events should never be underestimated, and the west side of Melbourne has seen many past serious incidents, not least of which was the Coode Island explosion in 1991 which resulted in 8.5 million litres of burning chemicals creating a toxic cloud over parts of Melbourne. The exercise scenario began at 0935hs with the FBTTW Logistics Clerk doing his regular bund check and detecting an ISO tank demonstration.
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MFB crew at FBTTW storage facility.
continued from page 16 ammoniacal odour in the ISO storage stack. Management was informed, the site was closed to incoming vehicles, yard works were restricted while investigations continued. The Chief Warden issued a ‘no movement stand by order’ and the office air conditioner was isolated. Within 13 minutes, a full site evacuation was initiated and MFB called to assist. MFB responded within seven minutes. The staff evacuation process took four minutes to final roll call. The bund foam pourer protection system was activated, neighbouring businesses were contacted and movements near Transwest’s boundaries were restricted. By 1000hs, the exercise was complete, and the Chief Warden advised assembled staff, contractors, visitors and neighbours that this was a drill only and that it was safe to resume activities. Before the debrief, FBTTW conducted a walk-through for MFB responders and observers, giving a practical demonstration of product flow from an ISO tank, showing site pumping equipment, foam stocks, and the mobile emergency trailer and equipment. The 2016 FBT Transwest emergency exercise demonstrated their focus on safety, preparedness in organisational and management skills, communications, staff participation and evacuation, appropriate resource and equipment provision and deployment, site access by external responders, and relevant documentation availability. In March 2015 FBTTW was awarded a ‘Highly Commended Recognition’ from the Australasian College of Road Safety, and in October 2015 was awarded ‘Best Practice Safety’ at the Australian Freight Industry Awards. Submitted by Faye Bendrups Footscray Unit
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Straddle tank loader. www.vesa.org.au
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MFB checking pumps. www.vesa.org.au
Protective wear. June 2016
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2016
VIVAFestival
at Federation Square
the culmination of Multicultural Week FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS NOW THE METROPOLITAN FIRE BRIGADE HAS BEEN INVOLVED WITH THE CELEBRATION OF THE CULTURAL DIVERSITY ENJOYED BY THE CITY OF MELBOURNE BY HOSTING A SITE AT THE VIVA FESTIVAL. 20 PHOENIX
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he Viva Festival features four stages showcasing multicultural music and dance performances, a delicious range of international cuisines, a world art and craft market, children’s activities, demonstrations and activities. In 2014, MFB extended an invitation to their colleagues at the CFA to join them, and for the first time, this invitation was extended to VICSES in this year. The timing was perfect, as the team in Emergency Management and Planning in State Office was nearing the conclusion of the CALD (Culturally and Linguistically Diverse) project. The opportunity to take part in a celebration of cultural diversity, and to do this jointly with MFB and CFA, was one we simply couldn’t pass up. Tamsin and Natalie from VHO had some preliminary meetings with our MFB and CFA counterparts to scope out the plans for the day, and made contact with Faye, the Controller of Footscray Unit, to invite the volunteers there to be involved. Not only is Federation Square within their response area, but Footscray Unit has one of the most culturally diverse populations in Victoria within their patch, including both the City of Melbourne and the City of Maribyrnong. Footscray Unit are well versed in participating in community events like this, and within the Unit there is an expectation that volunteers take part in a minimum number of community events per year, so the invitation was very well received. Volunteers and staff from all three agencies “bumped in” to Federation Square from 10.30am, setting up a joint marquee. We had tables set up with colouring-in sheets and activity books for the kids, and many handouts for www.vesa.org.au
the adults, including Home Emergency Plans and fire safety questionnaires. Our translated StormSafe brochures were a real hit, and it was good to be able to see the language ID cards in use to ensure people were provided information in their language of choice. If your unit doesn’t have a language ID card, and you feel one would be useful in either a community engagement or operational context, get in touch with your regional office and arrange to get a copy. The Run4Kids had taken part early that morning, and much of the initial crowd coming through were participants or supporters of that event. There were many families there, and the kids certainly drew their families to our stall, lured in by the promise of a fire helmet giveaway and a ride in the SES pedal car. They also had the chance to sandbag a house or do some roof repairs using corflute tiles on the Footscray Unit Storm House.
Everyone was able to take some time to walk around the festival and try some of the wonderful cuisine, and watch some of the talented performers on the various stages, including firefighter April and Captain Koala. The flamingo walkers were spectacular and the atmosphere was so positive, inclusive and enormous fun. The staff from VHO would like to offer a heartfelt thank you to the fire agencies for inviting VICSES to take part in this event for the first time. We are looking forward to being involved in future years. Of course, we couldn’t have done it without the amazing volunteers from Footscray Unit. Thank you to Faye and the team for bringing along the car and the house, for engaging with the community so very well, and for giving up their day to help spread safety and preparedness messages throughout the community. Submitted by Natalie Stanway Bendigo Unit June 2016
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MANNINGHAM UNIT TRAINING CAMP THIS YEAR’S UNIT CAMP WAS HELD ON THE WEEKEND OF APRIL 15-17, AT THE CRESCO SCOUT CAMP, LOCATED AT POUND BEND, WARRANDYTE. THIS CAMP IS LOCATED CLOSE TO WARRANDYTE, HOWEVER, IS REALLY A BUSH SETTING RIGHT NEAR THE YARRA RIVER, WHERE THE CAMPERS WERE ABLE TO ENJOY STARLIT NIGHTS.
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he camp started on the Friday night with a social dinner following what turned out to be a slightly late set up due to members attending a call-out. During the weekend, we had a variety of training scenarios conducted, where members were able to hone their skills and even learn some new ones in the bush setting, as well as enjoying some social activities in the evenings. A boating exercise saw members in our IRBs, rescuing a ‘casualty’ from the water (one of the waterproof manikins) successfully, as well as an involved land search using SES vehicles and members on foot rescuing two casualties with
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the help of the vertical stretcher and rope systems. In addition, a team building exercise was led by one of the members, which saw a team of six with one as the leader, responsible to ensure that a metal pin was placed into the bottle of water in the centre of a circle. This was made all the more difficult by the fact that the volunteers were tied to one another with cord and the metal pin was attached to the cords and the team had to face away from the bottle at different places in a circle. They were directed by the leader verbally to move in the correct directions to enable the pin to be dropped successfully into the water bottle.
Over the weekend, we had 19 Unit members join in the fun and activities and all stated that they had enjoyed the weekend a lot. Lucy said it was “Insane fun”; Emma added “When the river is low, don’t go boating!”; Julia said “The search was a great way to break in my new boots” and Hannah added “The team building exercise was a great way to improve our communication”. Overall, the organisers said that despite the hard work of planning, organising, managing and catering for the weekend, it was really worthwhile and are looking forward to setting next year’s Unit camp. Submitted by Annette Duras www.vesa.org.au
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LETTERS
Portland SES Victoria
We would like to share a thank-you message that we received on our Facebook page.
Hello, a couple of weeks ago four of your wonderful volunteers assisted my husband to recover our vehicle from the beach near Swan Lake. It was very likely that our vehicle was going to be inundated by the rising tide and our family would have been left with nothing on our return journey to Tasmania. We really appreciate your help and professionalism and would like to make a donation to the Portland SES branch. Could you please let me know the best way to do this (e.g. direct deposit details). Kind Regards Sam Routley.
National SES Volunteers Association Seeks Support from all Candidates in the Federal Election IN 2015 THE NATIONAL SES VOLUNTEERS ASSOCIATION (NSESVA) WAS FORMED. A LETTER FROM THE NSESVA PRESIDENT CHARLIE MOIR, ESM, IS CURRENTLY BEING SENT TO ALL CANDIDATES IN THE FEDERAL ELECTION, SEEKING THEIR SUPPORT FOR SES. THE LETTER INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING CONTENT:
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am writing to you on behalf of the 43,000 men and women that volunteer their time to building a resilient Australia before, during and after emergencies in their local communities throughout Australia with their local State Emergency Service units. State Emergency Service Volunteers freely give their time in cities, towns and remote communities throughout the country to provide services to prepare for, and respond to floods, storms, tsunami, road accident rescue, vertical rescue, alpine rescue, medical first response and aircraft observation to name a few. These Volunteers are highly skilled and do this freely and are prepared to put themselves in harm’s way to contribute to building a safer and more resilient Australia.
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I am seeking information from you as the candidate for <ELECTORATE> on how you will be supporting State Emergency Service Volunteers if you are successful in obtaining a seat in Parliament on the following matters: • Provision of tax deductibility of expenses up to $1,500 that volunteers have relating to emergency management activities (eg fuel to travel to and from training or emergency responses, phones, data costs, uniforms, meals, tools and personal protective equipment etc); • Establishment of a Medal under the Australian Honours and Awards System to recognise the service of State Emergency Service Volunteers in line with those provided to police, fire and ambulance officers;
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•
•
•
Recognition in legislation of the contribution that Volunteers, including State Emergency Service Volunteers, make to Australian society; Support for State Emergency Service Volunteers that are injured or lose their lives during the course of serving the community before, during or after disasters; Access to standardised Emergency Management training that is recognised throughout Australia; and National harmonisation of Emergency Management legislation to enable a greater standard of interoperability between the State based emergency services.
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A QUICK GUIDE TO VESA VICTORIA EMERGENCY SERVICE ASSOCIATION
WHAT IS VESA? VESA works to advocate for VICSES volunteers, actively supporting Unit leadership teams and engaging cooperatively with VICSES management and Government. • VESA is a non-profit organisation which exists to further the interests of VICSES volunteer members. • VESA uses its dedicated focus on volunteers to select and drive the resolution of issues that impact on skills, safety and how VICSES volunteers undertake their duties. It is important to note that VESA is an Association not a Union. VESA does not engage in adversarial campaigns but it does seek to further the interests of VICSES volunteers, and the public they serve, by promoting appropriate standards in training, equipment and ethics in VICSES.
WHO IS VESA? VESA is wholly staffed by VICSES volunteers and is funded by VICSES Units. VESA is comprised of all VICSES Units – two Delegates are selected to represent each Unit, Regional Councils and a State Board.
VESA’s MISSION To be pro-active in the pursuit of excellence in service delivery for VESA membership and to maintain an effective communication and interaction with all emergency and support agencies.
VESA’s VISION To ensure that the highest level of skills training is available to the volunteers of VICSES. To ensure that the resources available to volunteers are applicable to the respective operational requirements.
VESA’s STRUCTURE VESA is broken up into 7 Regions: South West, Central West, Central East, North West, North East, Mid-West and East. Each Region has a Regional Council which seeks input from local Units, meets and discusses the issues identified and selects issues for escalation to the VESA State Board.
Unit Delegates Each member Unit of VESA elects two delegates who convey the thoughts and feelings of their Unit and its members to the Regional Council. The time spent on this important duty can be as much as the Delegate wants to put in or as little as the Delegate needs to. Each Unit is different and the Units’ Delegates will need to put in the effort that their Unit expects from them. It is a responsible position but not an overly onerous or laborious one.
VICSES Regional Manager and reporting issues and the outcomes to the respective Units and the VESA State Board. The Regional Councils raise issues relevant to VICSES Volunteers to be presented to the VESA State Board for the formulation of policy on the issues they perceive need to be addressed, and to further advocate an outcome with the VICSES CEO or VICSES Board for action.
Regional Council Positions Each Council elects members to undertake the following roles: • President • Secretary • Director • Alternate Director
VESA Board The structure of VESA was recently streamlined to involve Regional Councils to assist Units and Volunteers in the presentation of their local issues to the Regional Manager. This will enable the majority of local issues to be dealt with directly by those most affected by and able to rectify the issue. Regional Councils, via their elected Directors, minutes of meetings and unit reports will be able to keep the State Board informed of those issues so that the Board can recognise and monitor any wide ranging issues as they develop. If appropriate, the board will present them to the respective VICSES Management stream for resolution.
VESA Board Positions • Chairperson • Vice Chairperson • Secretary • Treasurer • Board Member • Board Member • Board Member
PHOENIX MAGAZINE VESA publishes the Phoenix magazine for VICSES volunteers. Phoenix is published six times a year and features articles and photos of interest, submitted by volunteers and staff.
WANT TO GET INVOLVED? As a VICSES volunteer, you are welcome to participate in a VESA Regional Council. Meetings are held once a quarter at various Unit LHQs. The discussion is very informative and presents a great opportunity to network and share best practices across Units.
Regional Councils The elected delegates of the Units from within the region form their Regional Council. When units have been unsuccessful in raising issues themselves with their Regional Manager the Regional Council is charged with addressing those local issues with their respective
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