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Herald Sun
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Herald Sun
Jacinta Allan trying to overturn sweeping power Dan Andrews gave to UFU
The Allan government is sensationally challenging sweeping powers over Victoria's fire services which were controversially handed to the United Firefighters Union by Daniel Andrews. In a stunning U-turn that is set to spark industrial war, the government wants to overturn the UFU's right to be consulted on virtually any change to the operations of Fire Rescue Victoria, from rostering and training to uniforms and equipment. A string of fire service chiefs resigned or were booted after warning in 2016 that the consultation rules – demanded by UFU boss Peter Marshall after his members helped Labor win the 2014 state election – amounted to an effective veto over CFA and MFB operations. Emergency services minister Jane Garrett also quit when Mr Andrews sidelined her and backed Mr Marshall's power grab, plunging the government into a political firestorm that also sparked a major corruption investigation. Nine years later, under Premier Jacinta Allan and Emergency Services Minister Vicki Ward, the government is now pushing back against the veto powers, requesting the Fair Work Commission exclude the consultation clauses from a new workplace agreement. And in a further flashpoint, the government is offering a 12 per cent pay rise to firefighters over the next four years, while the union wants a whopping 25.9 per cent increase backdated to 2022 on top of further raises over the life of a new agreement. The CFA board was sacked by Mr Andrews for opposing a similar industrial overhaul that was later enforced on the MFB and then FRV, which was created in 2018 by the former premier in a restructure that split paid and volunteer firefighters into separate agencies. The controversy also harmed Bill Shorten's bid to drag Labor to power in the 2016 federal election, with party insiders blaming the issue for their candidates falling short in crucial Victorian seats. Negotiations over the new deal have dragged on for three years, with the stalemate now before the industrial umpire as the first intractable bargaining case to be tested in Victoria. Ms Ward's submission, backed by FRV, has been made to the commission ahead of mediation talks on July 23. After the last agreement expired in 2022, the UFU sought even more power including a new registration board that would grant them full control over who could be a qualified firefighter in Victoria. Ms Ward is calling for the commission to reject the proposed registration board, and lock out the union from any decisions on fire district boundaries. She also wants the union to work with FRV on any future income insurance programs after the union's previous scheme left the taxpayer-funded fire service with a Fringe Benefits Tax bill of millions of dollars. Insiders familiar with the dispute said the minister's submission showed the Allan government had major concerns about the UFU's control over the fire services, and wanted to have the union to be 'brought back into line'. The move comes after Fire Services Implementation Monitor Niall Blair delivered a scathing verdict on the restructure and the consultation rules last year, warning the union exerted too much control over basic decision-making. 'The 'consult and agree' clause in FRV's enterprise agreement for operational staff, which previously applied to MFB staff, disables the ability of management to implement policies without reaching consensus with the Union,' Mr Blair said in his report. A Victorian Government spokesperson said on Thursday: 'The UFU were presented with an offer in 2023, which was rejected. We have accepted their decision to take it to intractable bargaining and we are respecting that process.' 'Nothing the government is doing in the FWC reduces firefighter numbers or their pay – in fact, the government's submission proposes a pay increase for firefighters.' Read related topics: Daniel Andrews
Time of India
02-07-2025
- Climate
- Time of India
Bhopal rains flood underpass; school van trapped in water; cops rescue 10 kids
BHOPAL: A school van got stuck in rising water while attempting to cross the Subhash Nagar Underbridge on Wednesday morning, following heavy rainfall in the area. Water accumulated at the underpass, creating hazardous driving conditions. Despite the water level being visibly high, the van driver tried to drive through. As the vehicle moved forward, water rose above the wheels, causing the engine to stall and the van to become stranded midway. An MP Nagar Dial-100 First Response Vehicle (FRV), patrolling nearby, spotted the van stuck in the water. Acting swiftly, police personnel rescued the children from the vehicle and ensured their safe transportation to school. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai No injuries were reported, and the timely response of the police prevented a potentially dangerous situation. Head Constable Rajeev Gautam said that he was deployed on Dial-100 FRV from Tuesday night till Wednesday morning. It was raining in the morning. Around 7 am, when he, along with other staff, was patrolling the area, he spotted a van stuck in water at the Subhash Nagar underbridge. He went to check and found that there were around 10 school students from class 1-5, including girls, in the van. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Sharp Design, Smoother Drives. Toyota Glanza Learn More Undo The wheels of the van were submerged in the water, and the children were panicking. HC Gautam said that he immediately informed the police station and managed to rescue the children one by one. He took the children out in their arms and rushed them to the police van. Later, they were sent to their destination. The school van driver negligently tried to pass through the water at the underpass.
ABC News
19-06-2025
- General
- ABC News
Toorak mansion destroyed in overnight blaze in inner Melbourne
A two-storey home in the prestigious suburb of Toorak, in inner Melbourne, has collapsed after it was engulfed in flames in the early hours of Friday. Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) said crews arrived at the St Georges Road mansion within five minutes of being called about 12:18am to find flames throughout both levels. More crews were called in to help fight the blaze and to stop it from spreading to neighbouring properties, which an FRV spokesperson said were "under significant ember attack". No-one was at home at the time as it was undergoing renovations. FRV said the home collapsed due to the intensity of the fire. It took about 45 minutes to bring the blaze under control. The cause of the fire was yet to be determined with FRV specialists and police to investigate. Firefighters remained on scene throughout the night to ensure the fire was fully extinguished.
The Advertiser
01-06-2025
- General
- The Advertiser
Firies forced to use paper maps to find emergencies
More than two years after a cyber attack crippled communication systems, firefighters in one state are still being forced to use personal phones and printed maps to navigate to emergencies. Fire Rescue Victoria is investigating the cause of five system outages last month, which lasted up to seven hours at a time. The United Firefighters Union says the outages are risking public safety, a claim FRV strongly denies. The Station Turn Out (STO) system, used to dispatch crews to emergencies failed, with firefighters receiving phone calls from dispatchers asking if they had received notices to attend emergencies. The notices had never arrived. Firefighters and dispatchers had to rely on fallbacks and workarounds like manual phone calls, pagers, and pen and paper to respond to emergencies. The union says one outage occurred in late April, followed by the five in May. The same system also provides emergency tones throughout stations, delivers routing information to firefighters and advice on hydrant location. In its absence firefighters relied on a combination of Google Maps on their personal phones, Melway street directories, and separate apps. The union said neither the outages nor resolutions were communicated by management to firefighters -instead they became aware through communication between stations or a call from Triple Zero Victoria. In a letter sent to Commissioner Gavin Freeman seen by AAP, United Firefighters Union Secretary Peter Marshall said the failure of the critical systems put firefighters and the community at risk. "The failure of these systems has potentially grave impacts," Mr Marshall told AAP on Sunday. "Firefighters are resourceful in protecting public safety, but these failures make that job more difficult and dangerous." On Sunday, Fire Rescue Victoria confirmed it had experienced "intermittent technical issues" since May 24. "We are working closely with Triple Zero Victoria and external experts to investigate the underlying cause of these STO/Firecom outages and resolve the ongoing issue," a spokesperson said in a statement. "When STO/Firecom outages occur, FRV has contingency plans in place which ensure there is no impact to emergency response. "At no time has public safety been compromised and the community should continue to contact Triple Zero (000) as usual in an emergency." Victorian health minister Mary-Anne Thomas said cyber attacks were a real and present threat to both the private and public system. "It's important that all our public services have contingency plans in place should there be an incident, and that's what FRV implemented," Ms Thomas told reporters on Sunday. Questions still remain over the December 2022 cyber attack. The hack significantly affected Fire Rescue Victoria's technology and communications systems and exposed sensitive information. It also left the Firecom firefighting information system offline for a year, and affected the rostering system for much longer. More than two years after a cyber attack crippled communication systems, firefighters in one state are still being forced to use personal phones and printed maps to navigate to emergencies. Fire Rescue Victoria is investigating the cause of five system outages last month, which lasted up to seven hours at a time. The United Firefighters Union says the outages are risking public safety, a claim FRV strongly denies. The Station Turn Out (STO) system, used to dispatch crews to emergencies failed, with firefighters receiving phone calls from dispatchers asking if they had received notices to attend emergencies. The notices had never arrived. Firefighters and dispatchers had to rely on fallbacks and workarounds like manual phone calls, pagers, and pen and paper to respond to emergencies. The union says one outage occurred in late April, followed by the five in May. The same system also provides emergency tones throughout stations, delivers routing information to firefighters and advice on hydrant location. In its absence firefighters relied on a combination of Google Maps on their personal phones, Melway street directories, and separate apps. The union said neither the outages nor resolutions were communicated by management to firefighters -instead they became aware through communication between stations or a call from Triple Zero Victoria. In a letter sent to Commissioner Gavin Freeman seen by AAP, United Firefighters Union Secretary Peter Marshall said the failure of the critical systems put firefighters and the community at risk. "The failure of these systems has potentially grave impacts," Mr Marshall told AAP on Sunday. "Firefighters are resourceful in protecting public safety, but these failures make that job more difficult and dangerous." On Sunday, Fire Rescue Victoria confirmed it had experienced "intermittent technical issues" since May 24. "We are working closely with Triple Zero Victoria and external experts to investigate the underlying cause of these STO/Firecom outages and resolve the ongoing issue," a spokesperson said in a statement. "When STO/Firecom outages occur, FRV has contingency plans in place which ensure there is no impact to emergency response. "At no time has public safety been compromised and the community should continue to contact Triple Zero (000) as usual in an emergency." Victorian health minister Mary-Anne Thomas said cyber attacks were a real and present threat to both the private and public system. "It's important that all our public services have contingency plans in place should there be an incident, and that's what FRV implemented," Ms Thomas told reporters on Sunday. Questions still remain over the December 2022 cyber attack. The hack significantly affected Fire Rescue Victoria's technology and communications systems and exposed sensitive information. It also left the Firecom firefighting information system offline for a year, and affected the rostering system for much longer. More than two years after a cyber attack crippled communication systems, firefighters in one state are still being forced to use personal phones and printed maps to navigate to emergencies. Fire Rescue Victoria is investigating the cause of five system outages last month, which lasted up to seven hours at a time. The United Firefighters Union says the outages are risking public safety, a claim FRV strongly denies. The Station Turn Out (STO) system, used to dispatch crews to emergencies failed, with firefighters receiving phone calls from dispatchers asking if they had received notices to attend emergencies. The notices had never arrived. Firefighters and dispatchers had to rely on fallbacks and workarounds like manual phone calls, pagers, and pen and paper to respond to emergencies. The union says one outage occurred in late April, followed by the five in May. The same system also provides emergency tones throughout stations, delivers routing information to firefighters and advice on hydrant location. In its absence firefighters relied on a combination of Google Maps on their personal phones, Melway street directories, and separate apps. The union said neither the outages nor resolutions were communicated by management to firefighters -instead they became aware through communication between stations or a call from Triple Zero Victoria. In a letter sent to Commissioner Gavin Freeman seen by AAP, United Firefighters Union Secretary Peter Marshall said the failure of the critical systems put firefighters and the community at risk. "The failure of these systems has potentially grave impacts," Mr Marshall told AAP on Sunday. "Firefighters are resourceful in protecting public safety, but these failures make that job more difficult and dangerous." On Sunday, Fire Rescue Victoria confirmed it had experienced "intermittent technical issues" since May 24. "We are working closely with Triple Zero Victoria and external experts to investigate the underlying cause of these STO/Firecom outages and resolve the ongoing issue," a spokesperson said in a statement. "When STO/Firecom outages occur, FRV has contingency plans in place which ensure there is no impact to emergency response. "At no time has public safety been compromised and the community should continue to contact Triple Zero (000) as usual in an emergency." Victorian health minister Mary-Anne Thomas said cyber attacks were a real and present threat to both the private and public system. "It's important that all our public services have contingency plans in place should there be an incident, and that's what FRV implemented," Ms Thomas told reporters on Sunday. Questions still remain over the December 2022 cyber attack. The hack significantly affected Fire Rescue Victoria's technology and communications systems and exposed sensitive information. It also left the Firecom firefighting information system offline for a year, and affected the rostering system for much longer. More than two years after a cyber attack crippled communication systems, firefighters in one state are still being forced to use personal phones and printed maps to navigate to emergencies. Fire Rescue Victoria is investigating the cause of five system outages last month, which lasted up to seven hours at a time. The United Firefighters Union says the outages are risking public safety, a claim FRV strongly denies. The Station Turn Out (STO) system, used to dispatch crews to emergencies failed, with firefighters receiving phone calls from dispatchers asking if they had received notices to attend emergencies. The notices had never arrived. Firefighters and dispatchers had to rely on fallbacks and workarounds like manual phone calls, pagers, and pen and paper to respond to emergencies. The union says one outage occurred in late April, followed by the five in May. The same system also provides emergency tones throughout stations, delivers routing information to firefighters and advice on hydrant location. In its absence firefighters relied on a combination of Google Maps on their personal phones, Melway street directories, and separate apps. The union said neither the outages nor resolutions were communicated by management to firefighters -instead they became aware through communication between stations or a call from Triple Zero Victoria. In a letter sent to Commissioner Gavin Freeman seen by AAP, United Firefighters Union Secretary Peter Marshall said the failure of the critical systems put firefighters and the community at risk. "The failure of these systems has potentially grave impacts," Mr Marshall told AAP on Sunday. "Firefighters are resourceful in protecting public safety, but these failures make that job more difficult and dangerous." On Sunday, Fire Rescue Victoria confirmed it had experienced "intermittent technical issues" since May 24. "We are working closely with Triple Zero Victoria and external experts to investigate the underlying cause of these STO/Firecom outages and resolve the ongoing issue," a spokesperson said in a statement. "When STO/Firecom outages occur, FRV has contingency plans in place which ensure there is no impact to emergency response. "At no time has public safety been compromised and the community should continue to contact Triple Zero (000) as usual in an emergency." Victorian health minister Mary-Anne Thomas said cyber attacks were a real and present threat to both the private and public system. "It's important that all our public services have contingency plans in place should there be an incident, and that's what FRV implemented," Ms Thomas told reporters on Sunday. Questions still remain over the December 2022 cyber attack. The hack significantly affected Fire Rescue Victoria's technology and communications systems and exposed sensitive information. It also left the Firecom firefighting information system offline for a year, and affected the rostering system for much longer.
Canberra Times
01-06-2025
- General
- Canberra Times
Firies forced to use paper maps to find emergencies
The United Firefighters Union says the outages are risking public safety, a claim FRV strongly denies. The Station Turn Out (STO) system, used to dispatch crews to emergencies failed, with firefighters receiving phone calls from dispatchers asking if they had received notices to attend emergencies.
