VICTORIA'S volunteer fire brigades have rejected calls to abandon the state's "stay or go" policy and create a new board to oversee all three fire services.
Lawyers assisting the Bushfire Royal Commission made the recommendations last week as the investigation into Black Saturday came to an end.
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The Commission's 155 days of hearings ended with scathing criticism from its lead lawyer, Jack Rush QC, of the state's most senior emergency services personnel.
Counsel assisting also told the Commission last week that Victoria's stay or go policy should be replaced by a "voluntary evacuation" system overseen by fire incident controllers.
However, in its submission, Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria said the idea was impractical and had the "potential to place additional lives at risk".
"(It) ... ignores (that) the road infrastructure itself would not only inhibit rapid evacuation but in all likelihood will add to the potential risk to evacuees by being overwhelmed by ... a fast-moving fire as they travel to what they have been led to believe is a safer place," the VFBV submission said.
It also warned that communities would become apathetic to recommendations to evacuate.
"Should fire not subsequently impact these communities, the affected community will not only criticise the decision but will become increasingly immune to any future advice of this nature and will choose to ignore the advice," it said.
Acting chief executive officer Allan Monti also said VFBV opposed calls for a new board to oversee the state's fire services.
Lawyers assisting the commission recommended that the CFA, MFB and Department of Sustainability and Environment remain "operationally intact" but answer to a Victorian fire services board.
It recommended the board include representatives from each of the fire services as well from VFBV, unions and local government.
But Mr Monti said such a board would be "full of competing interests".
"We support the three agencies maintaining their organisational integrity but don't agree with the concept of an overarching management board," Mr Monti said. "We don't need to have a body setting the scene for turf wars."
