The Victorian Government has ruled out merging the boards of the state's fire services, despite a review exposing a culture of dysfunction and extremely low morale at the Country Fire Authority (CFA) and Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB).

Key points: Minister rejects idea of a board merger as MFB and CFA "too different"

Minister rejects idea of a board merger as MFB and CFA "too different" Union urges Government to reconsider

Union urges Government to reconsider Firefighters reported culture of bullying, harassment

The government-commissioned review found morale was at its lowest ebb in decades with an enormous divide between senior management and firefighters whose relationship had fundamentally collapsed.

"At times, the relationship between the leadership and firefighters seems like trench warfare," the report said.

"It is evident to the review that there is a serious and fundamental disconnect between the senior management and operational firefighters.

"In the case of the MFB, this has become an almost uncrossable chasm."

The report by former Tasmanian emergency services minister David O'Byrne made 20 recommendations to improve the culture of the organisations, including establishing a single board to govern the CFA and MFB.

The Government promised to implement 18 of the recommendations, however, Emergency Services Minister Jane Garrett rejected the idea of a board merger.

Ms Garrett said the agencies were too different to come under one board.

"We want to stamp out what has become a dysfunctional culture," she said.

"Smashing together both boards without that work having being done is not something that I am willing to countenance."

Firefighters union favours merger

United Firefighters Union (UFU) spokesman Mick Tisbury said its members were in favour of a merger.

"The public don't care what badge we've got or what's on the side of the truck. All they care about is when they call triple-0 they get a big red truck with firefighters as soon as possible," he said.

The union is in favour of a CFA-MFB merger. ( Supplied: CFA )

The report's release came amid a long-running industrial brawl over firefighters' pay and conditions that has soured the union's relationship with the Labor Government.

The review found industrial disputes during the term of the former Napthine coalition government had a "profoundly damaging effect on morale", with many firefighters viewing the litigation as a personal attack.

"Many firefighters were further offended by what they viewed as a management-prompted negative media campaign against them, portraying them as greedy or lazy," the report said.

"It is clear that the previous government deployed a deliberately ideological attack against the UFU and effectively encouraged CFA and MFB to go to industrial war with their respective workforces."

Mr O'Byrne said there was blame on all sides, but the industrial sparring had resulted in a "fundamental collapse in trust and goodwill", particularly for the MFB.

"The fire services seem stuck in a destructive and debilitating mindset of 'us' and 'them'. Almost all language reflects a 'win or lose' mentality or a deeply felt animosity," he said.

'Bullying' culture at CFA, MFB: report

Mr O'Byrne also heard tales of a bullying culture in both the CFA and MFB, with many people preferring to suffer in silence than make a claim, and instances of sexual harassment and threatening behaviour.

In December, the Government asked the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commissioner Kate Jenkins to examine a culture of bullying and a lack of gender diversity in the CFA and MFB.

CFA chief executive Lucinda Nolan said the agencies would set up an external 24-hour hotline offering support and advice to people with grievances.

"I'm very concerned about the lack of formal reporting from our membership about issues of bullying, harassment and intimidation," she said.

The report said women made up only 3 per cent of paid firefighters and 15 per cent of volunteer firefighters in the CFA, and only 4 per cent of firefighters in the MFB.

Firefighters reported that women must work twice as hard to achieve the same level of acceptance as men.

The firefighters' union is taking legal action to try to block the MFB's bid to boost the number of female firefighters to 5 per cent, claiming it would lower standards and put the community's safety at risk.