The Volunteer Workforce and Culture Steering Committee was established to bring together three of Victoria’s emergency services organisations with a strong volunteer workforce - Country Fire Authority, Life Saving Victoria and the Victoria State Emergency Service. Comprised of the Chief Executive Officers from the three agencies and the Emergency Management Commissioner, the Committee continues to focus on collaboration and knowledge sharing across agencies to build an inclusive and supportive workplace for all.
The committee has focused on several key deliverables over the past 12 months:
- Issuing a joint Statement of Intent
- Developing a strategy to support the attraction and retention of a diverse volunteer workforce
- Developing a mechanism to measure volunteer recruitment, retention, demographics and the success of diversity and inclusion programs
The Statement of Intent
It is important to acknowledge that volunteers are the largest component of Victoria’s emergency service workforce and must never be overlooked in the matter of workplace culture and support.
The statement, issued by the executive leadership of Country Fire Authority, Life Saving Victoria, Victoria State Emergency Service and the Emergency Management Commissioner, acknowledges the unique and vital role volunteers play in preventing, responding to, and supporting communities to recover from, emergencies. It reaffirms their collective commitment to ensuring volunteers are supported by the organisations they work for and can operate in a safe work environment.
The department acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the Traditional Custodians of the land and acknowledges and pays respect to their Elders, past and present.