The NSW Rural Fire Service Association (RFSA) is the official representative body for the volunteers and staff of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service, which is the Worlds largest firefighting organisation.
RFSA history and objectives
The Association was established from the Fire Control Officers Association (FCOA) that represented the views of the Fire Control Officers employed by Local Government Councils to the NSW Department of Bushfire Services. In 1996 a group of these Officers and a number of volunteers met to discuss the establishment of a state wide organisation which would represent all members of the Service, both salaried and volunteers. It was from these discussions that it was determined to disband the FCOA and to establish the RFSA as the peak representative body.
The objectives of the NSW Rural Fire Service Association Inc (RFSA) are to:
Provide a forum to consolidate and represent the views of all members of the RFS
Ensure the views of the members are taken into account in the decision making processes of the RFS Act as a focal point assisting in the development of the RFS Provide tangible benefits to all members of the Association
The RFSA is a bipartisan organisation and seeks consensus among all stakeholders of the RFS. It is not a union; the RFSA constitution prohibits involvement in activities that relate to industrial negotiations for RFS employees.
RFSA Board of Directors
The RFSA’s State Board oversees the day-to-day running of the Association. It reviews and approves strategies and action plans for the continuing development of the Association. The State Board comprises both volunteer and staff members of the Rural Fire Service in NSW, bringing together an appropriate mix of skills and experience to address the affairs of the RFSA.
Directors
Scott Campbell – President
Steve Robinson – Vice President
Vikki Bingley – Secretary
Brian Millar – Treasurer
Troy Dowley – Director
Jason Lewington – Director
Leah Ross – Director
Glenda Howell – Director
David Turner – Director
Glenn Wall – Director
RFSA Structure
The RFSA has 17 Divisions across New South Wales which each have a Chair and Delegate who collectively form the State Council. The divisions are made up of several Branches aligned to the Rural Fire Districts within them.
Branches
Delegates are appointed by each Rural Fire Brigade. The Branch executives include Chairperson, Secretary, Delegates to the Division and Alternate Delegates to the Division.
Divisions
The Division executives include Chairperson, Secretary, 1 x Delegate to the State Council and Alternate Delegates to the State Council.
State Council
The State Council is the RFSA’s governing body with a Chairperson and Delegate from each of 17 RFSA Divisions. Each Division correlates to NSW Rural Fire Service’s Districts/Teams/Zones, ensuring comprehensive state-wide representation. The State Council are responsible for electing the 10 person board of Directors every two years.
Representation and advocacy
The RFSA is formally recognised within the Rural Fires Act 1997 as the representative body for members of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service. In order to represent members, the RFSA has seats on all Statutory and Consultative Committees which relate to the Rural Fire Service.
As a non-partisan body the RFSA has a long history of building strong working relationships with all sides of Government and its strong position has led to various major changes in Legislation and Government funding.
One such outcome was the introduction of the presumptive legislation for firefighters, amending the Workers Compensation legislation to take the burden of proof off NSW firefighters who are diagnosed with one of 12 prescribed cancers and meet the applicable minimum employment periods. The legislation was passed by the NSW Parliament in 2018, with the support of RFSA alongside other stakeholders.
Another outcome was a new ‘slow down to 40km/h rule’, which was adopted by the NSW Government in September 2018 under a 12-month trial, and permanently implemented in September 2019, with some amendments stemming from input from RFSA and other stakeholders.
Support
Sponsorship
The RFSA provides opportunities for Members to gain skills and knowledge are supported by the RFSA by ongoing sponsorship of NSW RFS programs, including: State Championships Regional and District exercises Young Members Group The Australian Fire Cadet Championships.