Message from CFA Chief Officer Russell Rees

CFA Chief Officer Russell Rees has recorded the following message to volunteers and staff involved in ongoing operations across the state.



Transcript:

There is no doubt that CFA has been, along with all the other emergency services, through a most difficult period. And I'd like to give a message to everybody who's put in such an enormous effort, and its a pretty simple message; it says "well done, you have been absolutely fantastic".

You know, we have prepared for these events hoping that they will never happen, and probably you could argue that you couldn't prepare for what happened last Saturday.

But we held together as an organisation, as a team, with our partners, with our families, and we did our very best. There are those within our organisation that will be grieving today, they have lost loved ones and friends, and we grieve with them.

A great tribute however to our organisation is that every emergency services worker that went off to the fire ground, has come home safely. And for that I congratulate you and I say ''well done''. Our training and our effort and our system has come to the fore. But the job is not over. Whether you're in a headquarters, whether you're on a firetruck, whether you're in a strike team, or a catering unit, or a staging area, we need to keep going.

Summer is not over. Our team, you and I - CFA - has to stick together. And I implore you not to give up, hold together, be proud, and keep your head up. Because we are a great organisation, but we are only great if we do it together."