Paid Victorian firefighters will soon sign up to a new union-backed registration scheme, despite the state government working on an alternative model.

The United Firefighters Union (UFU) has pushed for years to create a registration board like those that exist for other trades and industries.

The UFU and Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) have set up an interim board called the Victorian Professional Career Firefighters Registration Board (VPCFRB), but the state government is currently developing a board outlined in legislation.

The split is seen as the latest issue in long-running tensions between the Victorian government and the UFU. 

The UFU says its model can be scaled up to become a national registration scheme, which would make it easier for firefighters to work in different states.

The UFU will charge $180 every year for each firefighter, and they will not be able to work without registration. The FRV has not announced any fees yet.

The state government said it was still working on establishing a permanent board.

The Andrews Labor government overhauled the state's fire services in 2020, merging the Metropolitan Fire Brigade with the paid firefighters in the Country Fire Authority (CFA) into the new FRV, leaving the CFA as a volunteer-only organisation.

The FRV's legislation requires the government to set up a firefighters' registration board, including a chair appointed by the minister, a representative of the union, a retired firefighter elected by firefighters and a training expert.

The UFU is now threatening to campaign against Labor at this year’s state election.