RFS Membership Form Update

The new RFS Membership Form has been updated with changes that include:

1. Section 5, Child Related Activities was updated because the agency responsible is now known as the Office of the Children’s Guardian (formerly known as the Commission for Children and Young People).
2. Section 8, Applicant Declaration was updated to address the changes in legislation concerning personal information, privacy, child related activites and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission’s (ACIC) National Police Checking Service requirements.
3. Section 9, Parental or Guardian’s Consent was updated with additional information and two check boxes for the parent or guardian to give their consent based on the applicant’s age at the time of joining.
4. Section 10, Brigade Validation was updated to include a Brigade checklist with three checkboxes to ensure the Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check/Application and Informed Consent Form has been reviewed and relevant documents have been sighted.
5. Section 11, Confirmation of Interview was updated with checkboxes for the Brigade to consider the applicant’s suitability for membership.
6. Section 6, RFSA Membership was updated to fix the tick or cross error (as reported in a recent VFFA web site post).

The VFFA is pleased to see that RFSA membership is clearly identified as an opt-in elective and that privacy issues (your name, address, telephone number and email will be disclosed to the RFSA”) appear to be in order.

It should be noted that these issues have NOT always been appropriately addressed in the past.

The VFFA would like to see VFFA membership added to this form as an additional or alternative opt-in elective because the VFFA (like the RFSA) has received formal government recognition as a member of the Council of Emergency Volunteers by the Ministry for Police and Emergency Services (2012).

When is an RFS Membership Form required?

The new membership form is required for:

• New memberships
• Joining an additional Brigade (dual membership)
• Transferring membership (changing the Brigade that you are attached to)
• Rejoining membership (starting again or perhaps you were never on the books but thought you were)
• Junior/Cadet member transitioning to probationary membership (16 years minimum)
• Junior/Cadet memberships (12 to up to 18 years), and
• Community Fire Unit (CFU) membership

The new membership form (version: VI – 0718) is supplied as part of the NSW RFS Volunteer Membership Application Pack (2018).

The pack includes:

	A NSW RFS Membership Application Pack Summary
	The NSW RFS Volunteer Membership Application Form V-0718 including the Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC)/Application and Informed Consent Form (for applicants 16 years and over)
	A guide to the National Police Checking Service, Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC)/Application and Informed Consent Form 2018
	A copy of the NSW RFS Code of Conduct and Ethics

The National Police Checking Service stopped accepting the superseded version of the NCCHC form on 30 June 2018.

The Membership Coordination Unit (MCU) was instructed that all completed 2012 versions of the Volunteer Membership Application form had to be submitted by Tuesday 26 June 2018.

Any superseded Volunteer Membership Application forms received after the 26 June 2018 will require the applicant to complete the July 2018 NCCHC form for their application to be processed.

The NSW RFS Volunteer Membership Application Pack 2018 is also available on MyRFS.

The RFS has instructed all Brigades to ensure all old versions of the Membership Application form are destroyed and copies removed from Brigade Computers.