"I was horrified and very disturbed. It was completely unacceptable behaviour and sickens everyone who sees that footage," Ms Diver told radio station 3AW broadcaster Neil Mitchell. "She's a young girl, she lives in a small town, it would be humiliating." The CFA referred the matter to police, however no charges will be laid. The teenager does not want to take the incident further and has requested that the footage not be published. Ms Diver said the incident had also been referred to WorkSafe and the CFA was doing its own investigation in which it would speak to all 50 members of the volunteer-only Eaglehawk brigade. "One of the most disturbing parts of the footage is that not only did one or two individuals engage in that behaviour, but a group of people stood by and watched," Ms Diver said.

The graphic footage, seen by The Age, shows the teenager being grabbed by the hair and thrown to the floor several times as other male firefighters stroll around her casually. The brigade captain took to social media to defend his actions. "As you are aware my name has been tarnished throughout the media," Mr Allen wrote in a public Facebook post on Wednesday that has since been deleted. "Please understand that I can not make comment on the allegations that have been accused. But like all things there is two sides to every story and unfortunately we just have to ride the wave." Eaglehawk CFA captain Hayden Allen. Source: Facebook. The footage shows Mr Allen casually walking past the girl while she is being attacked, but he does not stop to intervene.

Three days before the attack, Mr Allen posted a photo to his Facebook profile showing him in his CFA uniform, with the White Ribbon Day logo and the words, "I will stand up, speak out and act to prevent men's violence against women". . Credit:Facebook The attack The incident begins when the girl taps one of the men on the back. He then turns around and grabs her by the neck, immediately shoving her to the ground. He and another man kick her while she is on the ground. The girl manages to get to her feet, but she is set upon again and forced to the ground, before being dragged by her feet under a parked fire truck.

The men then turned the truck's sprinklers on her. After the assault, the teenager is seen doubled over, holding her arm. Inside the Eaglehawk station. Credit:Bendigo Advertiser 'This behaviour is appalling'

Emergency Services Minister James Merlino said he was disgusted by the incident. "This behaviour is appalling and is clearly not in line with community expectations," he said. "For years we have been saying that we have significant cultural and diversity issues across our fire services and we are genuinely trying to make change." Other individuals may be stood down as a result of the investigation, Mr Merlino said. He said the government was working to increase the number of women in CFA brigade leadership roles from about 265 to a target of more than 900.

Eaglehawk CFA station in Bendigo. Credit:Bendigo Advertiser Opposition Leader Matthew Guy repeated his call for a royal commission into the fire services, accusing the government of failing to take action against bullying and harassment. "The culture of our fire services needs to change," he said. The attack was an example of why the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission had started reviewing sexual harassment, discrimination and bullying in the fire services, Commissioner Kristen Hilton said after she was sent the footage. "No person should be subjected to this type of behaviour," Ms Hilton said. "Workplaces have clear legal and moral responsibilities to ensure their people are safe."

In October, The Age revealed an internal report that exposed bullying and sexual assault in the ranks of the CFA. Women reported they were sexually harassed and subsequently bullied and ignored if they complained. A spokesman for Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria said it was strongly opposed to "any form of hazing, harassment or other inappropriate behaviour". Loading The association called for the release of the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission's report into sexism and bullying in the fire services, which has been blocked by the United Firefighters Union in the Supreme Court.

with AAP, Liam Mannix, Bendigo Advertiser