26
Setting appropriate course requirements CFA advised that its District Training Coordinators use information from the annual reviews carried out in accordance with section 29 of the Country Fire Authority Act 1958 26 to plan the courses to be delivered at training centres across the state over the following 12-month period and meet firefighter training demand. CFA advised that instructor-to-participant ratios are determined for each scheduled course to ensure that training outcomes can be achieved in a safe manner. CFA has provided IGEM a document that records, for each training course currently delivered: •
maximum class size
•
the assessor ratio – the required ratio of instructors to trainees
•
prerequisites required of trainees
•
the class of instructor qualified to deliver the course.
CFA advised that Learning and Development managers are responsible for ensuring that enough instructors are allocated in accordance with the requirements for each course. CFA further advised that PAD (Practical Area / Drill) supervisors at training centres are responsible for allocating enough PAD operators to support each course.
Finding IGEM notes that while the commitment was not implemented as planned, it considers alternative action has been implemented that addresses the recommendation and commitment.
Recommendation 10 That the Victorian Government conduct an audit of CFA occupational health policies—both those by the CFA Board and those recommended by external reviews—to determine if they have been implemented effectively throughout the organisation. Government commitment: Cross-reference to the response to Recommendation 8. CFA is already taking action to improve its health and safety culture and practice, such as undertaking a complete review of its management system to meet the certification requirements of AS4801 and ISO14001. The newly appointed CFA Board is overseeing the audits to ensure compliance with its obligations under the WorkSafe statutory scheme to satisfy itself about the effectiveness of its safety systems and to determine what systems and processes may be most appropriate in each circumstance. Lead agency
CFA
Status
Complete
The inquiry drew attention to several instances where CFA did not effectively implement its own OHS policies. It recommended that the policies be audited to determine whether they had been effectively implemented throughout CFA. The government response supported the recommendation in principle.
26
Refer to Appendix B for definition of section 29 reviews.
