Fireys win their right to transfer

After years of lengthy negotiations, two of the shire’s leading brigades have officially won the right to transfer to the Department of Fire and Emergency Services. A unanimous council decision last week ended the saga, which saw an impasse between Wallcliffe and Rosa Brook volunteer bushfire brigades and the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River hierarchy. An amendment will retain the two brigades’ place on the Shire’s Bushfire Advisory Committee, with reassurances the switch to DFES will not make any practical difference to the brigades’ responding to local emergencies. Debate about the transfer has raged for more than three years, with a series of forums and a committee formed to steer the project. But two separate votes in recent years failed to get the numbers for the shift, which at one point was considered for all Shire-managed brigades. Shire president Ian Earl saluted DFES for keeping out of the discussions and allowing local members to determine their fate. The matter was recently clarified after Shire chief executive Stephanie Addison-Brown was endorsed to discuss the transfer directly with DFES Commissioner Darren Klemm. A Memorandum of Understanding will be developed to guide future operations. Volunteers were disallowed from talking about their success because of a Shire media policy, and they will face the same media ban after DFES made changes to its code of conduct forbidding members lobbying politicians and the press. Cr Earl noted the shift would mean transferred brigades would deal with the DFES for their future administration needs. The Times understands Rosa Brook and Wallcliffe will have a DFES officer to guide them through the change. Brigade leaders wanted the shift to streamline and reduce admin duties which put an extra workload on volunteers. But the move will also free the brigades to negotiate directly with DFES on fireground, personnel, equipment, and local response issues.