GO/DGO/Duty Officer Responding to Incidents

[COBB]

Is there a standard procedure for GO's/DGO's/DO's responding to incidents?
Is one of them required to respond to each incident that a brigade is responded to in their group? Or do they choose whether they respond or not?

Some incidents I attend one will respond other times none. Its not unusual to see a Group car respond P1 past the station and be the first arrival. (tree down, RCR etc) Who then is the IC? First responder or first appliance responder?

What is the expectation or procedure?

[Darren]

Officially its all second alarm and above or at the request of the IC, but in reality a large proportion respond to anything and everything.....and its freaking annoying. Some GO's/DGO's don't limit it to their own group either !!

[vsteve01]

I don't know what the official procedure is, but our GO's don't generally respond to everything, but they do listen in. So they may not be on scene, but they are aware of what is happening.  I would say that if they make it there first, they would assume IC, but I would if they don't expect to stay they pass it onto someone else.

[Sarge]

Officially its all second alarm and above or at the request of the IC, but in reality a large proportion respond to anything and everything.....and its freaking annoying. Some GO's/DGO's don't limit it to their own group either !!

Bingo Couldn't have said it better myself

[bert]

Just had a look through the chief officer's standing orders & standard operating procedures - Picked out a few key points re DGO/GO responses and notifications... looks like some GO's/DGO's can’t read.....

Initial Resource Response Schedule SOP 2.1

GO's/DGO's to attend;
2nd alarm Rural incidents        
2nd alarm RCR
1st alarm HAZMAT
3rd alarm Vehicle Fires
3rd alarm Structure Fires or as requested
Special Service incident's as required


Emergency Response Driving COSO 8

Command Vehicles and Staff Vehicles shall not respond priority one to incidents below 2nd Alarm unless requested by the Incident Controller.


Officer Notification -COSO 15
(The GO/DGO do not have to attend the incident to do this)

Group Duty Officers shall ensure the Regional Coordinator (RCord) is advised as soon as practical for:
•   All second alarm calls or greater
•   Where a Groups resources, equivalent to second alarm are committed to an incident(s)
•   All CBR / Hazardous Materials incidents
•   All rural incidents/responses on fire ban days of predicted FDI 50 and above
•   All air support response requests
•   Regional communications and logistics support requests
•   An aircraft alert or crash
•   Any incident or emergency incident which is believed to have destroyed assets greater than $25,000 in value
•   Any fire which has burnt more than 30 hectares in area
•   Any injuries or death of firefighters in accordance with Occupational, Health and Safety Manual, Accident reporting
•   Incidents involving multiple injuries/persons trapped eg bus, train, multiple vehicle incidents
•   Any fire which has resulted in a fatality
•   Any incident where SA Police conducts fire cause investigation
•   Any structure fire incident where the Brigade or Group require fire cause investigation to be undertaken
•   Any incident which requires Stress Prevention and Management debriefing
•   Any other incident of an unusual nature (eg flooding, entrapment, search, assistance to other agencies, building collapse, bomb threat)
•   Where CFS is assisting MFS outside of the normal dual response areas (as defined by the Mutual Aid Plan)
•   Resources being deployed to another Region/State
•   Where change of quarters to MFS stations has been requested

[Alan (Big Al)]

passed our Car 1 going the other way P1 at 1am this morning going from our gas leak to a shed fire 

[Alex]

And thats why noone ever gets any incident control experience. Rife in a lot of groups. Some people just cant let go of certain things when they step up the ranks.

[jaff]

And thats why noone ever gets any incident control experience. Rife in a lot of groups. Some people just cant let go of certain things when they step up the ranks.

Perhaps the duty officer can go forward, to "support" and not take over, thereby delivering the incident controller an appropriate vehicle and comms setup, but can "stepup" if needed..... succession planning, who woulda thunk it!

[Alex]

Mmm not a bad solution JAFF, but for most incidents; ie minor VA, alarm calls, small fire incidents, neither a group officer nor a command car should be necessary. Can be run from an appliance and by the brigade easily.

[jaff]

Mmm not a bad solution JAFF, but for most incidents; ie minor VA, alarm calls, small fire incidents, neither a group officer nor a command car should be necessary. Can be run from an appliance and by the brigade easily.

Agreed, my suggestion wasn't for any of the situations you described, 2nd alarm and or special circumstances would be my suggestion!

[Alex]

Mmm not a bad solution JAFF, but for most incidents; ie minor VA, alarm calls, small fire incidents, neither a group officer nor a command car should be necessary. Can be run from an appliance and by the brigade easily.

Agreed, my suggestion wasn't for any of the situations you described, 2nd alarm and or special circumstances would be my suggestion!

Aaah no problems, i missinterpreted that in relation to my first comment. I was meaning more for the little jobs. In my old group every job no matter how minor brought a group car.

[RescueHazmat]

Indeed Alex, it always amused to hear the DGO's / DO's going to Alarms and such and arriving before the appliance..

Guess some just 'live and breathe' it all a little too much..?

[COBB]

Appears that its not just isolated to my group or area....

Some GO's/DGO's seem to have a case of 'red & blue light fever'. Must attend everything. I would have thought there was enough to do in a Group role without feeling that they must attend every incident.


Jaff -'succession planning'(or lack of), probably one of the single biggest failings in the CFS currently.

[jaff]

Jaff -'succession planning'(or lack of), probably one of the single biggest failings in the CFS currently.

Agreed COBB, its my pet hobby horse at the moment, but its suprising the amount of apathy towards it from the punters that need to be trained, to future proof our service! 

[SA Firey]

Very interesting job the other day Kingscote were responded to a tree fire and surprise,surprise no brigade appliance responded, but a command car with lights and sirens blazing around the street blocks trying to find it. A single person in CFS turnout gear, lucky it was nothing else.

It wasn't a tree fire actually but the local Origin gas outlet flaring off cylinders at the rear of the Caltex S/Stn, only been doing it for an hour before the call!!

P1....why

[Zippy]

Very interesting job the other day Kingscote were responded to a tree fire and surprise,surprise no brigade appliance responded, but a command car with lights and sirens blazing around the street blocks trying to find it. A single person in CFS turnout gear, lucky it was nothing else.

It wasn't a tree fire actually but the local Origin gas outlet flaring off cylinders at the rear of the Caltex S/Stn, only been doing it for an hour before the call!!

P1....why

A Groupie wearing CFS Turnout gear!!!!!!! thats premium service.

About time that we have just a turnout system at the station saying what we are going to, and pagers that beeped.

[Darren]

I have no issue telling a GO/DGO the question why, "why are you coming to a job that doesn't require your attendance" But they tend not to come to our jobs which is good, they will just listen in on the radio.

A lot of groups though its rare for an appliance to be in charge of a job, which isn't good for those crews as they get used to having their hands held and then when they don't come they have no idea what to do.....bad habit by the GO's and DGO's.