With the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission beginning formal hearings, Victoria's professional firefighters and their Union, the UFU, are looking forward to an in-depth and productive investigation into the disaster. "We know the Royal Commission will be thorough and we can only hope the state's politicians will act on findings that will help Victoria be better prepared for future bushfire events," says UFU Victorian Secretary, Peter Marshall.

The debate
The Union has lead the way in the bushfire debate by focusing public discussion on the management of Victoria's fire services. The State Government needs to act urgently to avoid a repeat of the events of Saturday February 7, 2009.

Sincere thanks
"Victorians have been so generous in supporting not only the victims of the tragic events of Black Saturday, but also the firefighters who worked tirelessly to defend lives, homes and other property across those traumatic days," says Peter Marshall.

In preparing for the Royal Commission, the UFU is compiling a submission that includes Members views on:
- how well Victoria's fire and emergency services authorities responded to February's bushfire emergency,
- how effectively the firefighting effort was coordinated and managed,
- resource allocation and staffing, and
- how we can ensure that such tragic developments won't happen again.

Never again
"Firefighters and the UFU appreciate the widespread support we have received from the public," says Peter Marshall. "However, we now know major bushfire emergencies in Victoria will become more frequent and more severe because of climate change."

The UFU will work - and campaign - tirelessly to ensure that a disaster on the scale of Black Saturday never occurs again.

"To adequately protect the public, we need to fix the problems in Victoria's fire services right now," says Peter Marshall.