CFA's new Chief officer Jason Heffernan last week spent three days on the road visiting volunteer members and staff across its South West Region.
During the South West tour, Chief officer Jason Heffernan inspected a roadside burn at Hamilton North and visited Wannon Falls to inspect mechanical treatment of fuel loads.
The South West visit was the third leg of a regional tour that took CO Heffernan to the North West Region in December and the West Region earlier in January.
"Meeting CFA volunteers has been a top priority of mine since starting in my role on 30 November," CO Heffernan said.
This week, CO Heffernan visited brigades and district headquarters across the region to speak with volunteer members and staff.
Kicking off the tour with a morning tea with staff at District 7 Headquarters in Geelong on Wednesday, he then met with volunteers and staff and at Portarlington, Winchelsea, Lismore and Koroit.
He also had the opportunity to present letters of congratulations to retired CFA Captain Ken McAllister OAM for receiving the Order of Australia in 2020 - a belated celebration due to COVID.
On Thursday, he met with volunteers and staff at Heywood and Casterton before inspecting a roadside burn at Hamilton North and visiting Wannon Falls to inspect mechanical treatment of fuel loads.
On Friday, he visited Hamilton Airbase, which is manned entirely by CFA volunteers in support of firefighting aircraft, before having lunch with staff and volunteers at Cobden.
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.jpg "CO Jason Heffernan (front left) with Ken McAllister AM (front middle), staff and volunteers at CFA D7 headquarters.")
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"A highlight was to personally meet and congratulate two of CFA's Australian Fire Service Medal recipients Leighton Wraith AFSM and Mark Roberts AFSM," CO Heffernan said of the tour.
"It is grounding for a Chief Officer to be among our members to listen to what matters most, and share in their experiences. Topics discussed included the importance of roadside vegetation management, safety, and the role of private farm fire units in rural areas."
CO Heffernan will also tour CFA's North East and South East regions in coming weeks.
"I look forward to meeting with more of our members over the next few weeks, and hearing how we can make our CFA strong for the future."
