Barker boys do very well.
Jason/Darren - What are you alluding to with 'CFS need to look at something… take some pressure of the Brigade…' and 'all you seem to do is give them a hard time'.
What is happening? What is the solution?
From what I know and from the time I spent there, there is little support from the staff, in regards to appropriate resources, help to recruit, help with specialist equipment, training, risk planning etc.
I know we keep singling Mt Barker out as a case, but they are the most prominent.
I know that they don't have the crew levels of the past, and they lost a large number of appliances over the years to their present 3 trucks.
But it seems that CFS seem more interested in picking up on the faults, than helping fix the glaring issues that affect the town.
For starters the appliance make up isn't right.
1 pumper that also doubles as the Rescue appliance. Doesn't have enough equipment to do anything properly.
They are the busiest RCR brigade by a long way, the stats don't lie. They are on a major highway and had their air bags taken off them, I was there when it happened, complete insanity!! Couldn't fit the stokes litter on, were told just bring it on another truck, and besides "you only want that so you can carry your gear" I mean really!!
That town is clearly a 2 pumper town, no ifs or butts, the amount of boosting, multiple calls occasions, the support requirements for out of town etc etc Yet there is a truck at Hahndorf that doesn't do anything, in fact I was there when we borrowed it whilst the infamous Dennis was offline, and the water was jet black !
You would think having the region in the town would help, it almost seems they try their hardest to not help Mt Barker.
The gas leak job, instead of helping, they undermine the brigade and go down after with monitoring gear which the brigade should have anyway. Not to mention having the specialist skills and training would help identify problems like that!
Just constant crap like that, a brigade like that in a high profile town should have anything and everything.
Like was proven the backup isn't there.
All brigades have issues of recruiting etc, but on the coal face there appears to be little if any help, or you have to almost abuse someone or bypass the chain of command to get anything done!
If I was a ratepayer and levy payer I would be scared, I know we are only volunteers, but that doesn't mean you can smile and give us a medal and hope we go away we also have business's and homes in these towns! We want the best for the people we protect.
I know a fulltime crew wouldn't help, but they would almost be better off handing it over to the MFS and tell them to staff it. Then the CFS wouldn't have the liability and the poor beaten officers at Mt Barker can take it easy.
I know the ministers office and CFS monitor this site.
How about some help, if I cop it from you for saying what I think, then so be it, you will just lose another volunteer, why do we keep putting ourselves through this crap, because we care, and keep putting up with a sub standard fire service because no one else will do it. We get told we have no money, well that only works for so long, how about standing up for your service, tell them the real state of our once proud organisation. We don't have the resources on the ground we used to, helicopters don't put out house fires, or cut people from cars, or check the quality alarm systems! It makes me sick when I think what we could purchase for the contract cost of the Erickson Aircrane!
THERE IS MORE TO LIFE THAN BUSHFIRES !!!!!!!!
