Questions taken on notice for the October 2023 Volunteer Forum

Below are answers to questions posted in the forum chat that were unable to be answered directly during the forum.

Will EOI for Interstate deployment be in use this Season, aka 2019-20 Season,was problematic for members online. Thank you

The EOI process is no longer utilised for interstate deployments , strike teams are activated via the District processes and IMT through the IMT availability tool and facilitated by the Region.

Many (I believe the vast majority) volunteers do not need / want formal qualifications for training - especially those from smaller brigades / those that cannot spare extended hours for training. What training is CFA proposing to provide for these volunteers?

CFA provides training to ensure that we are upskilling our members so that they can develop the skills and knowledge of operational activities. Some of these are recognised with a formal certificate but it is not the reason we provide training.

The training provided by CFA is aligned to the roles and skills that our members are require to have to undertake operational roles. It is designed to ensure

the health and safety of our members,
it covers the Standard Operating Procedure requirements, and
provides (where appropriate) practical skills development

at times a formal qualification is provided as an outcome of the training but it is not the reason for the training.

RPL process for training, OLD and out of date. When will it be revamped? Response from District is just do a course, too hard to complete the process. Not engaging.

RPL revamp is currently underway

RPL…Still waiting for the RPL from prepare, test and maintain equipment from 4 years ago…

Currently being redeveloped to facilitate easier access

I gave up trying to get on courses, it took me 3 years to get on a structure course, I suspect it’ll be another three for suppress wildfire before I can consider crew leadership.

Please speak with your CLD to discuss your circumstances

With gas fire attack buildings becoming more common, are there any concerns that internal operators aren’t being exposed to the realistic dangers of smoke and learning how to read smoke for safety?

The development of our 'Fire Attack Buildings' enable our learners to combat simulated internal structure fires in a safe environment. Smoke travel and signs/assessment of smoke are covered using alternative props to ensure our members are aware of the properties and dangers of smoke. Additional information, such as smoke dolls houses and videos are included (where necessary) to ensure our members receive the required information to remain safe on the fireground during internal operations.

With a renewed focus on structural firefighting, are we going to future proof our training by training in flashover. Commercial off the shelf training props exist, that could be procured.

Flashover training is included within the the 'Respond to urban' training package. It will also be examined in further detail within the 'Suppress urban fire package' currently under development. We continually review our training campus and mobile props to ensure appropriateness to the urban risk environment. Ongoing development of our props will continue to enable additional training of our members.

Is there any updates on hazmat operator

HazMat operator includes a couple of units. These are currently in the development workplan, with Employ personal protection at a hazardous materials incident currently being developed and the other components scheduled for early 2024

Great to see respond to urban training finally making it into the field, is there any plans for formal CFBT?

CFBT will need to be assessed for possible inclusion into our structural training suite. There is no planning for CFBT at this stage.

how are we going getting senior fire line leadership courses run such as Fire weather 1 and other requirements for sector commander and ground observers .

These are currently in development

Why does it take so long to get approval to allow GFF Trainees on trucks once the Assessment is competed

Once a member has been deemed competent through the GFF course the Captain/Brigade can approve a member to respond before the formal course certificate has been issued. The formal paperwork takes about 28 days to go through the system, but competency is deemed at the point of signature by the assessor.

As a BTC I can't enroll new members in GFF, it has taken up to two weeks recently from a member joining before they get on the course, even though it is digital for the start

Please speak with your CLD to arrange for a member to be enrolled in the GFF program.

Rohan, when you say ‘volunteer instructors’ can we now refer to all those delivering training as ‘instructors’ whether paid or volunteer?

Under the AFAC per review it was identified that those members who have obtained Cert IV TAE should be referred to as instructors. As we transition into this title, its important to state that we are talking about volunteers who meet the requirements of an instructor. Its intended that over time once our members are fully aware that we are referring to people who hold the qualifications that there wont be a requirement to use the term volunteer.

what is happening in relation to external providers. there are nationally recognised courses by rto's that require 1 quarter if the time to do than CFA courses we need courses that respect our time.

The training provided through External Providers will provide a base set of skills and knowledge. Whereas, CFA's training is designed to incorporate all the skills and knowledge required to undertake the operational role it is designed for which mat result in our training taking longer.

If someone undertakes training through an external RTO we will accept the Unit of Competency and apply a credit transfer. However, for some courses additional skills testing will be required to ensure that the individual has the right level of knowledge and skills to undertake the operational role connected to the course. If the person does not successfully complete the testing it may require the individual to complete the CFA training course.

Are volunteers allowed to apply to do the drone pilots course ?

CFA Operations Bulletin 002/2015 (V2) indicates that until further notice a CFA brigade or department must not own or operate an RPA (drone) or model aircraft. CFA utilises external providers through FRV and DEECA for operational use. As a result the RPA Commercial pilot course is not on our scope of registration.

why do we not follow the rules re USI's as that wss the whole idea of the USI

Unfortunately, CFA’s Learning Management System has not been configured to link to the national records, USI system. We do hope that this important National initiative will be available to CFA members in the near future and are working hard to make this happen.

Prepare Maintain Test Equipment... I do not believe CFA has gone about this the right way. CFA apparently expects members to know how to use every single piece of equipment.
The competency actually requires the candidate to be aware of processes associated with maintenance, including how to report when an item is unserviceable.
As a consequence of CFA's failure to get this right, we are the only fire service in Australia where most members are not competent to "Operate Pumps".
This issue needs to be dealt with properly. Why not talk to RFS or other services to find out how to do it?

CFA training is a combination of enterprise and nationally accredited components. At times, rather than cover off just the minimum requirements of a unit of competence, we add additional material to cover off organisational requirements. For example. Prepare, Maintain and Test response equipment requires the participant to on at least one occasion: Clean, maintain and restow response equipment. While this could be addressed using one piece of equipment, operationally we need members to be able to perform this task on multiple pieces of equipment and that is what our assessment does. The unit quite clearly the need to actually inspect, test, maintain and restow equipment. It requires you to do this in line with organisational procedures, but merely knowing the procedure or how to locate would be insufficient to address the requirements of the unit.

would love to know how to be tested regarding skills vs competencies. I have several qualifications from industry yet it is the first time I have heard this

If you are required to undergo additional skills testing your Regional Learning and Development team will reach out to you.

What is the timeline for HAZMAT operator being split back in 2 parts? Pt 1 Employ personal protection and pt 2 render hazardous materials incidents safe.

This is being done as part of the development work currently scheduled and will be available in 2024

Note the gross trg numbers are impressive, but how does it compare to the net training liability to meet the identified BOSP / BCPA / operational deficiencies? ie. what % of the gap has been bridged?

Each Region is required to develop a training plan to address the BOSP targets. These plans are reviewed against the BOSP gaps . From time to time the BOSP gap wont be fully addressed in the training plan due to the availability of members to nominate for courses, course material availability etc

I have heard LMS is being redeveloped? When?

Work is currently under way. We are undertaking a comprehensive review of all processes and configuration. You will start to see changes flow through over the next few months. As the work is comprehensive it will take approximately 18 months to be fully rolled out

Noting the relatively low number of courses our seconded workforce can sustain, is there a plan to contract ASQA UOC to commercial VET service providers to increase accessibility?

We have many qualified Volunteer Instructors who actively deliver training to members. This allows us to training many more members covering both accredited and enterprise courses. Training activities are only outsourced where we don’t have the required skill within CFA i.e. First Aid

Has OD&T commenced the Analysis & Design phases of putting all theory instruction online, and available through the LMS? And if not why not? A great way to increase trg availability & reduce inputs.

Yes

Can we please not 'work on them' too much, and just try to get the trg to the field. We need to be able to access competent training at volume now, & not try for bespoke perfection sometime never.

CFA has a clearly defined course development process that we follow in order to update materials. We also have an expanded team at the moment to allow us to work through the back-log of work.

Page last updated: Wednesday, 21 August 2024 3:04:15 PM