Sassafras/Ferny Creek CFA member Sarah Krumins breaks down during a press conference. Credit:Chris Hopkins Mr Miller, who has 25 years of firefighting experience, said he would not resign because it would damage his community.



"I'm going to fight. I have fought fires and I have fought the CFA before. If I resign the union has won. If I stay I can help change things." But Sarah Krumins, a lieutenant at the Sassafras branch with almost a decade of firefighting experience, said she would resign if the EBA went ahead. "Mr Andrews doesn't want women in the CFA," she said. "I'll be forced out." She said she could perform all the duties of her male counterparts except for lifting heavy weights, and that a paid firefighter would not perform duties she does such as providing food to volunteers on the ground.

Jane Garrett leaves her property a day after resigning from cabinet. Credit:Chris Hopkins "We're a massive family", she said. However the CFA are disputing that any volunteers had officially resigned. Jane Garrett leaving her Carlton property on Saturday morning. Credit:Chris Hopkins "We've had no official reports at this stage. Community safety is our number one priority and we rely on volunteers to do that, so we'd certainly be encouraging volunteers not to resign, if possible," CFA spokesman Jonathan Granger said.

Reports of volunteer anger, and even resignations, began to flow in, as former Emergency Services Minister Jane Garrett surfaced for the first time since resigning. Ms Garrett was seen leaving her property in Melbourne's inner north on Saturday morning, a day after she went to ground on Friday following her resignation from the Cabinet on a day of political crisis for the government. Later on Saturday morning, Mr Merlino tried to play down the crisis, saying the government's sacking of the board had resolved the issue. The new Emergency Services Minister would not be drawn on whether he had confidence in the CFA chief executive Lucinda Nolan, saying the position of the chief executive was a matter for the board. He said a new board would soon be appointed.

"I understand there is a bit of healing to be done," Mr Merlino said. "Concern is being raised about this agreement. "Today it is about a fresh start …bringing everyone together." 16-year-old Harry English said he had been volunteering for the CFA for as long as he could remember. His parents were CFA volunteers, although his father was planning to resign, he said.

"My paperwork to become a senior volunteer is sitting on a table indoors inside," he said. "But if this agreement goes ahead then I'm not going through with it."



On Friday night, Shadow Police and Corrections Minister Edward O'Donohue tweeted he had been advised by a senior CFA volunteer that a Monbulk brigade had received 12 resignations that evening. Mr Granger said after speaking with a Monbulk brigade captain, he believed the tweet was false.



"At the moment I don't think what's been suggested on Twitter is correct; there is no evidence to say that is the case," Mr Granger said.

Mr Merlino said he would establish a CFA Authority Performance and Policy Consultative Committee "uniting career firefighters, volunteers and management". The committee will include Emergency Management Commissioner Craig Lapsley and will tackle issues such as increasing the recruitment and retention of women firefighters. The fallout continues to damage the Andrews government as anger grows among the state's 60,000 CFA volunteers. Alwyn Parker, a volunteer at Smythesdale fire brigade, 20 kilometre from Ballarat, said he knew of one veteran of 35 years who had resigned, and another who was considering it. Mr Parker, himself with the CFA for 48 years, said though he was concerned about the proposed changes he was not going to resign.

"I have been here 48 years ... I have worked terribly hard. We look after two other satellite stations - Scarsdale and Ross Creek – and those communities have ... probably raised in excess of over $300,000 in the last few years. "I am not going to step back, but if there is a fight on, I'll be prepared to fight." Broadford CFA volunteer Jay Martin, a member for 22 years, said he was disappointed about how politicised the issue had become. "I'm really saddened by what Labor, Daniel Andrews, and the union have done to relations between union members and volunteers - they've pitted us against each other," Mr Martin said. "This government doesn't stand with us volunteers; they assume because we're not unionised, we're country bumpkins.

"I can't say that I've ever seen this level of anger from members of my brigade, I've never been so angry with politicians than I have been in the past week." More to come