A senior firefighter has been stood aside after an unauthorised camera filmed women getting changed at a rural Victorian fire station.

The camera was inside an equipment shed at the Bendigo CFA brigade which was being used as an “unofficial change room”.

“We have today stood aside a senior member pending a full investigation into the unauthorised use of a security camera in one of our stations,” a CFA statement said on Thursday.

A spokeswoman could not say how long the camera had been there, but in a statement the authority said the incident could have affected “a number of volunteers” who used the shed as a change room.

“We understand this incident may have affected a number of volunteers who used this facility as an unofficial change room,” the CFA said in a statement.

“CFA is constantly reviewing our workplaces to ensure they provide a safe environment for women at all times, where we need to make improvements we will take action immediately,” the CFA said.

The footage from the camera is now secure and the matter has been referred to police for investigation.

The CFA says the incident may have affected a number of volunteers and it is in the process of contacting firefighters from the station and “will provide appropriate support”.

It’s not yet known if anyone at the station has viewed the footage.

Bendigo is an integrated station with both paid and volunteer staff.

The senior CFA member will not be allowed back to work until the investigation is complete, and the matter has also been referred to police. A spokeswoman would not say whether the person under investigation was employed by the fire authority, or was a volunteer.

Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria chief executive Andrew Ford said he wanted to see solutions to ensure it didn’t happen again.

“Whether this is an unintentional mistake or an intentional act, it’s a problem and it needs to be fixed,” Mr Ford told AAP.

“(I’m) very disappointed it has happened because it’s put people in a situation that they don’t deserve to be in.”

– AAP