Country Fire Authority Q1 results overview
Community engagement
Although CFA did not meet the YTD community engagement baseline, it delivered formal programs via online platforms, leveraging and utilising the resources and capabilities CFA has invested in over the past year. For much of the quarter, CFA was not able to deliver any community engagement activities in person (its primary mechanism to deliver these programs) due to COVID-19 related restrictions. As restrictions are eased, FSIM expects to see an increase in CFA community engagement activities.
Hazard identification
CFA did not meet its YTD hazard identification baseline and experienced a further decrease in CFA volunteer and staff hazard reports from Q4 FY 2020-21. CFA reports that the significant reduction in on site non-response activity due to COVID-19 related restrictions has resulted in a reduction in hazard identification. CFA has committed to developing a new hazard reporting checklist that aims to assist with targeting key hazards for identification and control. Further promotion of reporting and identification of hazards among CFA staff and volunteers is critical to meeting the key reform priority of keeping staff and volunteers safe.
Fatalities and injuries
CFA did not meet its persistent target of zero fire fatalities and fire related injuries. There were four fire fatalities in Q1, which is an improvement on the three-year average (five fatalities). CFA also reported 15 fire-related injuries in Q1 which is an improvement of the three-year average (21 fire-related injuries).
CFA has identified that current data sets provide limited insight into linkages between action and outcomes relating to injuries. To address this issue, CFA partnered with the Monash University Accident Research Centre to improve data around community fire-related injuries. CFA has conducted a pilot program to link CFA incident reporting system data with Ambulance Victoria injury data. CFA reports that this pilot has attracted interest nationally. CFA intends to extend beyond the scope of the pilot program to be able to link data between the two systems to produce monthly reports of injury count and severity. CFA anticipates that this improved data will assist it into the future to design appropriate interventions with the aim to decrease fire-related injuries. FSIM welcomes this approach to better understand the linkages between action and outcome for this indicator.
Female leadership targets
CFA is making progress towards the government mandated target of 15% (909) females in brigade leadership roles2 by mid-20223. Under the definition of brigade leadership roles used for this target in the Year One Plan, this target is unlikely to be met by mid-2022. However the number of females in brigade leadership positions is on an upward trend from Q2 FY 2020-21.
CFA continues to provide opportunities for females to undergo active operational roles continually meeting the YTD baseline each quarter. Also, CFA has more than 50% females in senior paid staff positions including the CEO and several heads of directorate.
Female brigade leadership as defined in this target does not accurately incorporate the multitude of leadership positions at brigade level. CFA reports that the female brigade leadership target in Q2 will include Brigade Management and Group Management roles, reflecting a broader definition of brigade leadership than is reported in Q1. In line with findings in the FSIM Annual Report4 and previous outcomes reporting5, FSIM supports amendments to the definition of brigade leadership that incorporates operational and non-operational brigade leadership roles.
Fire Rescue Victoria Q1 results overview
FSIM notes that FRV is finalising data sets to report against the Year Two Outcomes Framework indicators. As an interim reporting approach, FRV provided data in Q1 FY 2021-22 against the year one indicators. Given the outcomes and indicators will change under the year two framework, FRV has not identified updated targets for Q1 indicators. FSIM has therefore provided a comparison between FY 2020-21 and Q1 FY 2021-22 results.
Skills maintenance
Q1 results are significantly below FY 2020-21 results for specialist capability staff (Technical Operations skills maintenance completed). FRV reported that COVID-19 related restrictions remain a key factor impacting the delivery of planned skills maintenance activities, due to cancellation of courses and lack of access to non-FRV facilities.
FRV traditionally conducts skills maintenance activities in a face-to-face forum. However, the organisation is now developing and trialling flexible approaches to the delivery of skills maintenance programs including using online platforms and working to harmonise skill sets across the fire agencies.
With limited opportunities to conduct skills maintenance, there is a risk that FRV may not meet established training targets. FSIM anticipates that with eased COVID-19 restrictions and implementation of flexible delivery approaches, FRV will be able to demonstrate an increase in specialist skills maintenance activities in future quarters.
FSIM also notes that the percentage of ‘core skills maintenance drills completed’ indicator does not include Division B staff. The objective of this indicator is to ensure regular firefighting skills maintenance is undertaken at station level.
Although the Q1 FY 2021-22 result is 6.5% below Q4 FY 2020-21, without the inclusion of Division B staff in the Q1 results, it does not provide a complete picture of core skill maintenance across the organisation. The inclusion of Division B staff in results for this indicator in future quarters would be required for FSIM to appropriately monitor the FRV staff core skills maintenance indicator.
Fire education and risk reduction programs
FRV reported 21 fire education and risk reduction programs delivered in Q1, which is an increase from zero in FY 2020-21. As of Q1, FRV will report on the Firelighting Consequence Awareness Program (Fire-CAP) in FY 2021-22 quarterly outcomes reports, which is delivered as a critical risk mitigation program. FRV advised that COVID-19 related restrictions prevented all non-urgent programs from being delivered.
FRV’s Community Education Unit is preparing to recommence all fire education and risk reduction programs once Victoria reaches the 90% vaccination status for people over the age of twelve and school-based education programs are planned to recommence in 2022. FSIM supports FRV’s preparation to resume community education programs following the easing of COVID-19 related restrictions.
Conversations in the Mess6
The Conversations in the Mess program was postponed due to COVID-19 related restrictions with no sessions delivered in Q1, a continuing trend from FY 2020-21. FRV plans to re-launch the program in February 2022 once relevant restrictions are eased. FRV reports that alternative leadership engagement activities were undertaken via online platforms but not reported for this indicator.
FSIM is supportive of FRV leadership continuing to undertake engagement activities with staff and notes that a reduction in staff engagement activities risks impacting the reform priority of maintaining an engaged workforce that feels safe and respected.
FRV Safe
FRV resolved system generated email issues reported last quarter that delayed investigation initiation response times for Division B employees. However, there are still IT issues that continue to reduce efficiency and FRV reported that further improvements to FRVSafe indicator results are possible.
Road crash rescue (RCR)7
Q1 results for road crash rescue (RCR) response are a decrease from FY 2020-21 results. During the quarter, nine RCR responses exceeded the benchmark time. However, FRV reported that three (33%) of these responses were not more than 30 seconds over the benchmark and a further two (22%) incidents appear to have been impacted by severe weather events and/or traffic congestion.
In Q4 (FY 2020-21) FRV noted that a potential contributing factor to not meeting the target was that former CFA areas, now within the FRV Fire District, were set at the 20-minute standard but are now reported on via FRV’s internal 13.5-minute standard. Although no RCR responses that exceeded the benchmark time were within the CAoV for this quarter, FSIM will continue to monitor the appropriateness of this target. FRV also reports that there are other contributing factors that increase response times including distance of appropriately equipped vehicles to incidents, traffic congestion, limited access to incident scene and competing on-scene response priorities.
FRV continues to expand RCR support capability, focusing on attainment of equipment and skills to access patients in road crashes across more FRV locations. The review of the State Road Crash Rescue Arrangements Victoria 2017, anticipated to be implemented in Q3 2021-22, may identify some of the causes for unmet response times for road crash rescue incidents.
While FSIM understands that the RCR indicator may not be included in FRV’s Year Two Framework, FSIM may continue to monitor this indicator to ensure the target is appropriate and reflects community risk.
Percentage of Emergency Medical Response (EMR) times within benchmark8
Q1 results for emergency medical response (EMR) includes an increase (2 per cent) from Q4 FY 2020-21, which is a positive result for the community. The window for survival for patients who stop breathing is recognised as 10 minutes which sets a different service delivery standard timeframe compared to structure fires (7.7 minutes). This means that FRV has a greater chance to arrive on scene within the timeframe and improves the chance of a successful outcome for this particular type of emergency.
FSIM will continue to work with FRV to understand how FRV’s actions contribute to improvements in quarterly results.
2 Leadership defined as Captain and 1st through to 4th Lieutenant roles.
3 This target completion date is described in the Year One Fire Services Implementation Plan. Any amended targets and completion dates included in the Year Two to Five Fire Services Implementation Plan released in November 2021 will be used in future FSIM Quarterly Outcomes Framework Reports.
4 Fire Services Implementation Monitor Annual Report 2020-21, page 13
5 Fire Services Outcomes Framework Progress Report: Quarter 4 FY 2020-21, page 7
6 Conversations in the Mess refers to a formal program of visits to stations and work sites by FRV leadership aimed at improving engagement within FRV at a leadership level. The results are presented as the number of stations/work site visits as a percentage of the number of scheduled visits for the quarter.
7 This indicator calculates the number of emergency response times to road rescue callouts meeting the benchmark of 13.5 minutes as a percentage of the total calls for each quarter.
8 This indicator calculates the number of emergency response times to emergency medical response (EMR) callouts meeting the benchmark of 9.2 minutes as a percentage of the total calls for each quarter.
Updated