The reputation of the ACT Rural Fire Service chief officer has been wrongly damaged by a damning but "broad brush" management review of the Emergency Services Agency, the association representing volunteer firefighters has said.
The ACT Volunteer Brigades Association said it had written to Chief Minister Andrew Barr to highlight its support for the Rural Fire Service chief officer, Rohan Scott, and call for the report to be rewritten.
The association said it was only belatedly offered a chance to participate in the review, and the review's report does not reflect its position.
"The VBA considers that the Walker report failed to understand the complexity of ESA's volunteer workforce when planning the review, and more weight was given to union views than volunteer views," the association said in a statement on Monday.
The association also revealed the headquarters staff of the ACT Rural Fire Service had written to the head of the ACT public service, Kathy Leigh, to express support for Mr Scott.
The staff wrote that they "strongly disagree with any implication that chief officer Rohan Scott is involved in the behaviours described in the report" and the ''report does not adequately reflect the input provided by our staff and members during the review process", the association said.
Allison Ballard, the association's president and a volunteer at the Molonglo brigade, said the association agreed with the headquarters' staff letter and that Mr Scott's commitment to his volunteers was consistently impressive after the 2019-20 bushfire season and the COVID pandemic.
The review findings were inconsistent with the experience of Canberra's volunteer firefighters, she said.
"Rohan and his team are regular visitors to our brigade and to our meetings, as they are to other brigades. They are always accessible, and open to feedback, ideas, and criticism," Dr Ballard said.
Molonglo ACT Rural Fire Service brigade captain Lyall Marshall said: "We support and have full confidence in our RFS Chief Officer Rohan Scott. He has never displayed any of the reported behaviours when dealing with volunteers or staff."
The association noted there were 1615 volunteers working for the Emergency Services Agency, nearly double the agency's paid workforce in 2021-22.
The association said it represented most of the 510 volunteers working for the ACT Rural Fire Service.
The external management review of the Emergency Services Agency was commissioned by the Justice and Community Safety Directorate in March.
The review found the agency had a culture of blame and fear, mistrust between executives and was told of instances of bullying and undermining decisions.
"The executive group are not seen by the workforce, or themselves, as a unified team. Trust between executives has been seriously eroded," the review said.
The review also found confusion about the responsibilities of roles from the commissioner down is found across the agency.
The Volunteer Brigades Association said it did not condone workplace violence in any form but said the alleged blame and fear culture was not what volunteer firefighters experienced within the ACT Rural Fire Service.
The Transport Workers' Union, which represents paramedics, on Friday expressed support for chief officers within the Emergency Services Agency.
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