COUNTRY Fire Service volunteers have been assured their organisation will retain its own identity ahead of newly released emergency services reform.
However, CFS Volunteers Association president Roger Flavell, Lenswood, said the plan is still lacking detail.
Emergency Services Minister Tony Piccolo announced the reform, and assured the CFS, along with the State Emergency Service and Metropolitan Fire Service, will be untouched on the front line.
He said the three groups will report to a common Commissioner, with a clear chain of command.
“The reform of the sector is expected to create efficiencies and remove duplication to bolster frontline services. This will ensure the sustainability of the sector well into the future,” Mr Piccolo said.
“It will be dynamic, innovative and enhance service delivery to the community, with one of the main focuses being the allocation of resources based on community risk and equity.”
Mr Flavell said the reform was still in very early stages but he believed it was important to maintain the independence of the CFS.
“We believe the three organisations tend to work differently, especially between volunteers and career (full-time staff organisations) and we need to maintain our own operational structures,” he said.
Mr Piccolo has claimed that the three organisations will remain separate but report to a single Commissioner.
Mr Flavell said the Volunteers’ Association will continue to be vocal during the next 18 months to two years while the reform is implemented.
“We’re mindful of what’s best for volunteers and we’ll keep that on track,” he said.
“There will be a lot of work in the next 12 to 18 months, or even longer.”
Mr Flavell said some aspects of the reform still raised red flags.
“We think the CFS runs very efficiently now,” he said.
“A lot of us are struggling to see what the benefits are but the government is keen to go down this path so we need to be in there.”
Mr Flavell said the CFS volunteers contribute millions of dollars in-kind to the community for the government.
“There has to be a provision in place to people are willing to volunteer,” he said.
“They have to feel valued and a lot of that is around being able to make decisions.”
Mr Flavell said the association has been promised by the minister that there will be no impact on the group and brigade levels and minimal change at the regional level, with potential co-location where there is overlap between services.
The changes to the reform also include common training, potential asset sharing, procurement and management, and aligning regional boundaries.
The Volunteer Marine Rescue flotillas will formally become part of the SES, while the AS Fire and Emergency Commission will also be integrated into the new structure.