DESPITE holding ill-feelings about the current industrial dispute, CFA volunteers and brigades will remain focused on their local communities.
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More than 150 firefighters marched in Castlemaine, with a number of volunteers saying they will still protect their communities.
Maryanne Murdoch volunteers for the Campbells Creek CFA where her husband is captain.
“They went and sacked board and put in a new one who agreed to EBA, which I don't think is fair,” she said.
“But we're still out there volunteering and protecting the community and will continue to do so.”
Fellow Campbell’s Creek volunteer Deb Hocking said he whole family was with her at the rally.
“That's what the CFA is about the local community,” she said.
Former CFA captain Bill Maltby joined the CFA 40 years ago.
“Community people in the small towns see it as very important to be part of the fire brigade. In some communities the fire brigade is the life blood,” he said.
Mount Alexander brigades rally in Castlemaine
More than 150 volunteer firefighters from the Mount Alexander Shire marched down the main street of Castlemaine on Saturday to protest the proposed EBA.
Former Castlemaine CFA captain Bill Maltby spoke at the rally which was attended by 14 different brigades.
“What we're saying is we don’t want the union to interfere with how the CFA is run,” he said.
“The EBA currently, if it's signed off, will give a veto over the chief officer. And that's not workable.”
“This has been going on for three or four years but what's happened now is that people are realising how it will affect the volunteers.
“We don't have an argument with the career firefighters. We work together fine and we don't want to be involved in their wages or conditions but we also don't want the union telling the CFA how we can run our business.”
Mr Maltby said he was concerned that if the EBA was signed off, it would have adverse affects on other volunteer-run organisations.
“I think there will be some people who will resign,” he said.
“The danger of the EBA going that way is that the next one could see the SES or the coast guard threatened, which is all volunteers as well.”
CFA rallies were also held in Maryborough, Wangaratta, Benalla and Mansfield at the weekend despite a plea from Victorian premier Daniel Andrews.
"There is no disputing the fact that this industrial dispute, which has gone on for nearly 1200 days, is far too long," he told The Border Mail.
"What happened at Fiskville and the mess down at Hazelwood tells us there is big change that needs to be brought about culturally and at an operational sense at the CFA.
"I wasn't going to have another fire season where significant elements of CFA management are locked in with lawyers down at Fair Work Australia fighting their own staff while volunteers and career staff are out on the fire ground keeping communities safe.
"It should have ended a long time ago, but didn't."
Mr Andrews stressed the respect his government had for volunteers.
"I acknowledge there are legitimate concerns out there among volunteer firefighters and communities, but what is equally true is the many completely false claims being made.
"It is a political game using the very best of our Victorian community. The facts are very different to things they've been told."