Fire Rescue Victoria Ranks
Note: Nothing contained in this post is to imply any endorsement from Fire Rescue Victoria or its representatives.
Fire Rescue Victoria is a newly established fire and rescue service to meet Victoria’s evolving need for dynamic fire danger response. It started on July the 1st 2020 and is part of the Fire Service Reforms in Victoria. [1]
The organisation employs career firefighters along with technical and corporate staff. It works closely with the
Country Fire Authority which is staffed primarily by volunteer firefighters. Here’s a quick video before going through the full run-through of FRV’s Ranking System.
Fire Rescue Victoria’s Commissioner
The organisation is headed by Fire Rescue Commissioner, Gavin Freeman, who has years of experience in fire and rescue services. Gavin built his career with the Tasmania Fire Service with 32 years of service, including serving as Chief Officer.
As a Chief Fire Officer he has a wealth of experience working with both career firefighters and volunteers. Gavin replaces Ken Block who served as the President of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs for a total of three terms.[2]
Area Covered By the New Look Fire Rescue Victoria
FVR currently operates a total of 85 fire and rescue stations across Victoria including 38 regional stations.
The 47 metropolitan fire stations include:
The Metropolitan area is now known as “FRV Division A”
The 38 regional stations that were previously run by the CFA include now known as “FRV Division B”:
There is also future planning for fire stations at Woodstock of Donnybrook, Armstrong Creek, and Clyde North so more opportunity coming for frv firefighters
At this stage, these stations will only have 2wd vehicles as there have been no 4wd tankers allocated. The CFA will continue to help out with 4wd tankers when required.
How Much Do Firefighters Get Paid In Victoria?
To become a fully qualified firefighter for FRV takes 3 years (36 months) of on the job training at one of the above stations. Once qualified, you’ll receive a certificate of proficiency and can expect to earn $1,738.86 per week. [3], for FRV and the other services you can get our updates at firefighter salary Australia.
To successfully reach this position, you will transition through the following ranks:
Recruit Firefighter – This involves a 20-week training course during which you’ll be required to undertake intensive theoretical and practical training. This will include tests, homework, and written assignments. To graduate from this level, you’ll need to successfully complete certain benchmarks for all assessments. During this time, you can expect to earn $1,113.60 per week as a probationary firefighter
Firefighter Level 1 – You’ll achieve this rank after you’ve completed the 20-week training course successfully and can expect to earn $1,552.81 per week.
Firefighter Level 2 – This rank can be achieved after 12 months of service. You will need to complete all the required modules and can expect to earn $1,581.16 per week.
Firefighter Level 3 – You can achieve this rank once you complete 2 years (24 months) of service and have successfully completed all the required modules. At this level, you can expect to earn $1,613.86 per week.
Once you become a fully qualified firefighter, you can expect to take on more responsibilities and explore a range of career progression opportunities.
How to Become a firefighter in Victoria
Here’s the complete rank structure for career firefighters:
Image Courtesy of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Country_Fire_Authority</a>
Other Opportunities Within FRV
Apart from the general range of emergency situations that firefighters respond to such as fires, medical calls, hazardous chemical spills, and complex rescues, there are a number of specialised fields within FVR.
Emergency Medical Response
As a firefighter, you will be trained in CPR as well as other life-saving emergency care. This means that if there is a Triple Zero call, your team may be required to attend the scene along with the ambulance.
Road Rescue
No doubt, you’ve heard about the ‘jaws of life’ which at times needs to be used at serious road accident incidents. Members of road rescue teams are trained to use specialised equipment to conduct life-saving rescues at accident scenes. In some instances, firefighters are even called in to help surgeons in the operating theatre.
Fire Investigation Team
When you become a firefighter with Fire Rescue Victoria, you can be trained as a fire investigator. This means you can work on determining the cause of fires. This will allow you to collect and analyse data that can help to prevent future fires from occurring.
The analysis can also help to improve building standards and regulation, determine necessary product recalls, and implement community education programs. As a trained fire investigator you will be part of FRV’s Fire Investigation and Analysis Unit.
High Angle Rescue Techniques Team
As a member of the HART team, you will be responsible for rescuing people who are trapped high up or below the ground. This involves using ropes and hauling equipment to conduct rescues for people who are trapped in tight spaces either below the ground or at height.
Remote Piloted Aircraft Systems
If you love technology, you might want to be trained as an RPAS pilot. Drone pilots have access to equipment that can conduct thermal imaging and live streaming to gather important rescue data.
These drones are an important piece of equipment during large-scale bushfires and rescues.
Waterway Emergency Responders
As a marine firefighter, you will be responsible for the safety of Victoria’s waterways. You could expect to respond to water rescues, marine chemical spills, fires, and swift water rescues.
Urban Search And Rescue Team
As a member of the USAR team, you could be called to respond to natural disasters and major structural collapses. You might even be called to rescue trapped animals.
Hazmat Team
If you decide to join the Hazmat team you will be required to respond to incidents that involve hazardous materials. These could include chemical spills, fires at premises that store hazardous chemicals or other types of medical emergencies involving hazardous materials.
Fire Safety Advocacy Unit
As a member of FRV’s Advocacy unit, you would provide valuable advice to other organisations who are responsible for building legislation and environmental matters.
You could also be called to represent Fire Rescue Victoria on committees and during formal enquiries. Plus, you would be involved in conducting internal training.[4]
Final Thoughts
As you can see there are many career opportunities available when you become a qualified firefighter with Fire Rescue Victoria. And, the best part is you’ll be trained on the job and will earn as you learn.
Sources:
[1] https://www.vic.gov.au/fire-services-reform</u>
[2] https://www.frv.vic.gov.au/fire-rescue-commissioner-gavin-freeman</u>
[3] https://firefighter.vic.gov.au/about-career-firefighters/</a>
[4] https://www.frv.vic.gov.au/frv-advocacy</a>
[5] FRV and the victorian government work to foster relationships with the traditional custodians of the land & Torres strait islander people. This is definitely worth having an understanding of.
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