The Union’s State Committee is currently looking to fill two vacancies on the executive of the Country Sub Branch. The two vacant positions are likely to be filled by a vote of the fourteen member State Committee of Management and will hold office – until the Triennial Sub Branch election required by the Unions registered rules on the 31st March 2008. 

The vacant positions are open only to members of the Country Sub Branch – those being permanent firefighters and station officers stationed in country fire stations. Each of the Unions Sub Branches has a four member Sub Branch executive committee that is charged with representing the members of that particular Sub Branch and ensuring that the Union represents its members. If you are interested in filling one of the two these vacancies you should write, fax or email office@fbeu.net and explain why the Unions State Committee should appoint you to one of these positions.

The State Committee will be meeting on October 17th this year and considering the vacancies. I urge you to seriously consider getting involved and putting your hand up for one of these positions.

Nathan Begley

Returning Officer Sunday 30th September, 2007

Following negotiations between the Union and the Department over improvements to the manner in which members can store, archive and retrieve Pre Incident Plan’s (PIP’s). The Union’s State Committee has endorsed a proposal that will allow members to enter PIP’s electronically and allow access to the content of PIP’s electronically. 

The Department has also proposed a trial of a system to map structures on the urban/bush interface. The system termed ‘iZone’ has been agreed to on a trial basis on the strict condition that members are only to participate in the iZone system whilst ever members are provided with the support and resources necessary. At the completion of the trial the Union’s State Committee will assess the continuation of the iZone system based on the benefits attributed to members. 

Simon Flynn

State Secretary

On the 13th of October last year the Union imposed bans on members participating in Compartment Fire Behaviour Training (CFBT) after concerns were raised that the fuel used in the training may be detrimental to members health. Those bans are now lifted after the Department has agreed to implement a series of measures aimed at safeguarding member’s health.

The Department late last year engaged a firm of environmental scientists to examine firefighters exposure to toxic substances whilst undergoing CFBT. Not surprisingly that firm ‘Heggies Pty Ltd’ found that whilst ever firefighters maintained full PPE protocols inside the hot cells, they were highly unlikely to absorb, inhale or ingest the toxic substances given off by burning particle board. The testing conducted by Heggies however found that some toxic substances may remain within members structural PPE after the CFBT session has been completed.

The report drawn up by Heggies made a series of recommendations all of which the Department has now agreed to implement. These include new occupational hygiene procedures, a regular monitoring regime for CFBT instructors and a management plan for the systematic cleaning of firefighting PPE. The Department has now also agreed to a raft of changes in the way gear and equipment contamination is to be dealt with throughout the state and has agreed to roll out a major Occupational Health and Safety initiative. As such the bans imposed on CFBT are now lifted.

Simon Flynn

State Secretary

On Saturday September 8th several thousand people from all walks of life will be meeting at the Sydney Town Hall on George Street to protest against the decisions being made at the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) meeting. The meeting will host 400 leaders of the most dominant multinational corporations in the world and bring together 21 heads of state. This meeting has been organised as an opportunity for business to lobby for a rewrite of international conventions and domestic legislation to make it easier to increase profits and reduce costs. Read more…