Firefighters are protesting outside tonight’s awards night where failed FRV Commissioner Gavin Freeman is being “honoured” with a Fellowship by the IPAA — an award supposedly reserved for those who “embody excellence” and “represent the very best of ethical leadership and service.”
Let’s be clear: there is nothing excellent or ethical about failure.
Under Freeman’s leadership:
– 64% of Victoria’s fire trucks are out of date and dangerously unreliable.
– He’s spent nearly $10 million on lawyers attacking firefighters’ pay and conditions.
– The cyberattack that crippled FRV nearly three years ago is still unresolved.
– And a staggering 90.85% of FRV staff voted No Confidence in his leadership — with calls for his resignation still echoing 120+ days later.
The protest outside has become so embarrassing for event organisers that they have literally closed the curtains to try and hide firefighters demanding accountability.
If this is the benchmark for a “Fellowship”, it’s an insult to every past and future recipient who truly serves the public with integrity.
This is not leadership. This is failure.
