AS the Country Fire Authority dispute rolls on, local people are being assured any changes brought about by a new enterprise bargaining agreement will not directly affect them.
Kerang Fire Brigade captain, Ramon Steel made the assurance last week, and again went on the record yesterday to quell local concerns.
“I want to reassure the general public that nothing changes no matter what happens; the fire siren will still go and we’ll still turn out,” he said.
“We will not compromise the public safety at all.”
Captain Steel said the media saturation of the dispute had left many local people deeply fearful of how they would be affected.
“I can’t go down the street without someone saying ‘what’s going on, are we going to be okay, are you guys going to be okay’ but nothing’s going to change no matter which way it goes,” he said.
Under the new enterprise bargaining agreement, the United Firefighters Union wants a clause that at least seven professionals attend fires handled by stations with a mix of career and volunteer firefighters.
The union also wants to ban paid firefighters from taking orders from volunteers except during major bushfires.
But Captain Steel said these demands wouldn’t affect Kerang or any other local brigades.
“We are 100 per cent volunteers, we run our own fires completely and that’s not going to change,” he said.
Premier Daniel Andrews sacked the CFA board on Friday after it refused to support the deal, and the Minister for Emergency Services, Jane Garrett – a staunch defender of the CFA – resigned.
Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria chief executive, Andrew Ford told 3AW on Sunday morning some CFA volunteers had already resigned over the deal, but he urged others to “hang in there”.
VFBV obtained a Supreme Court injunction delaying implementation of the government’s decision to accept the agreement.
Captain Steel said volunteer resignations would achieve nothing.
