Back to Volunteer Code of Conduct (7/06/01) Draft

What is the Volunteer Code of Conduct?

A Code of Conduct is a document that identifies the characteristics, spirit or attitudes of a community, people or system. The VCOC is:

• a collection of behavioural principles and standards or expectations that will unify all volunteers. 
• It provides accepted standards of behaviour so that everyone will know what is expected.
• It sets out the desired corporate morality of an organisation.
• It reflects how we will respect and treat each other as members of CFA.
• It provides an ethos that will guide our decision making.
• It incorporates principles of natural justice and a fair go all round. 
• It supports the Volunteer Charter and the draft Volunteer Discipline Policy and Procedures.
• It consists of a set of principles (for general promotion) which are supported by more descriptive standards or expectations that will guide conduct.

Behaviour is defined as: The way persons conduct themselves in the workplace and specifically the manners and treatment of others.

Why is it needed?

It helps members understand what is expected. 

In any organisation it reasonable to be given an understanding of what the organisation stands for: what its values are. It gives us a vision that we can strive towards. It is not a set of rules to be inflicted upon volunteers.

This VCOC makes expectations clear, objectifies our values, guides our conduct, helps us manage ourselves and helps us make decisions.

CFA already has a draft Volunteer Discipline Policy that will help and guide brigade managers to deal with inappropriate behaviour. It is a more enlightened approach to discipline. The VCOC lays an important foundation by expressing the positive principles and values of the organisation. The VCOC supports the draft Volunteer Discipline Policy which is an important part of a disciplined and efficient organisation. A code of conduct can help alleviate previous concerns where some individuals have faced disciplinary matters without the benefits of a VCOC that outlines shared values, behaviours and expectations. In one sense, it is better for individuals to self manage, rather than have discipline imposed upon them. When you need to resolve an issue within a brigade, the VCOC provides guidance and the draft Volunteer Discipline Policy provides a clear process.

We’re looking to develop something that will help brigades manage themselves. It can also help to unify all brigades across CFA. 

If other parts of the organisation are going to have a code of conduct, it is appropriate for volunteers to have one as well.

Members of the steering committee.

The VCOC steering committee is appropriately composed of personnel with a mix of practical knowledge of volunteer matters (Association and grass roots volunteers) plus expertise in drafting codes and policy development. 
More than half of the members of the steering committee represent volunteers. The members are:
Bob Horner (Sassafras) VRFBA 
John McLeod (Boronia) VUFBA 
Kay Hawkins (Christmas Hills) Women Volunteers
Geoff Baxter (Freshwater Creek) VRFBA 
Quentin Turner(Creswick) VUFBA 
Sally Willox (CFA)  Director HR
Scott Hamilton (Lang Lang) Rural Brigade 
John Rayson (Leongatha) Urban Brigade 
Greg Flynn (CFA) Ops Mgr
Lex Deman (CFA) Area Manager 
Russell Rees (CFA) Mgr Ops Policy & Stds 
Sapphire Christofilos (CFA) Policy Res. Analyst
 Allan Woodward (CFA) MVP&D 
Gary Baldwin (Consultant) 
John Batros (Consultant)

Roy Arnott (CFA) Corporate Governance and Compliance Officer is an advisor to the steering committee.

What has happened so far?

Input by 177 volunteers in eight meetings

A cross section of experienced and newer volunteers, men and women, older and younger volunteers from both urban and rural brigades were invited to meetings to give preliminary views.

Consultants Gary Baldwin and John Batros facilitated meetings at Korrumburra, Moorooduc, Huntly, Penshurst, Echuca, Digger’s Rest, Daylesford and Mt Evelyn.

Large and small group processes were used to gather Volunteer input into the key factors that must be included in a VCOC along with typical expected behaviours to support those key factors.

The reaction to the VCOC concept varied from extreme scepticism at one end of the scale to absolute commitment at the other. The positive feedback far outweighed any criticism. Some doubts and genuine concerns were expressed. These will not be ignored. Some concerns have already been responded to directly.

Those involved want to be kept informed. All volunteers who requested feedback will be sent a copy of their meeting’s proceedings. They will also be sent a copy of the VCOC when it is drafted so that they have the opportunity for further input.
Volunteers were passionate. The passion and pride of the Volunteers was powerfully evident during the information gathering meetings.

What will happen next?

Produce a draft – done 

A final draft VCOC has now been produced. The steering committee met on 26 April and 3 May to produce this draft. The draft was finalised by the consultants before sign-off by the committee on 17 May.

The draft will be first sent to the volunteer participants who were originally involved in the consultation to seek their feedback. This has now been done. Their feedback was incorporated by the Steering Committee. It will then be distributed  (subject to CFA support) to the wider CFA community for feedback. The wider CFA community will include brigade secretaries, group secretaries, Area Management Teams, Regional Planning Committees (via Area Managers), Association Secretaries, Association Executive Members, and the CFA Executive Management Team.

Following CFA approval to proceed, feedback over a 10 week period (1 July to 14 September) will be facilitated by a prepared response form which will be sent out with the draft VCOC. All feedback will be acknowledged and logged. A final feedback report will be generated.

The feedback report will be published on the Association webpages so that volunteers can receive feedback on the decision making process.

Stories will be prepared for Brigade News and Fireman on the process, indicating the window of opportunity for general input. A story about the outcome of the committee’s decision will be prepared.

The steering committee will meet after the closure of the feedback period to finalise the VCOC and recommend its adoption by the Authority.

Endorsement by Associations

The VUFBA at its Executive Council meeting on 2 April endorsed the concept of a Volunteer Code of Conduct and the above outlined process. The VUFBA Executive at its meeting of 11 May gave similar endorsement to the concept of a Volunteer Code of Conduct and the above process on the understanding that it is not a prescriptive code.