Author Topic: Volunteers doing paid staff's work  (Read 14033 times)

uniden

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Volunteers doing paid staff's work
« on: November 15, 2011, 02:23:20 PM »
Surely someone from the paid staff should be undertaking tasks like this.

15-11-11 FLEX-A  ALPHA  1600  MFS: *CFSRES INC051 15/11/11 11:56,RESPOND To,JERVOIS ,JERVOIS MAP 0 0 0 TG013,1 HOOK LIFT DRIVER REQUIRED TO GO FROM,STC TO WUDINNA. CONTACT REGION 3,,8531 1311. PER R/O PATTEN.,JRVS00
                                               - CFS Swanport Group Officers response -

pumprescue

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Volunteers doing paid staff's work
« Reply #1 on: November 15, 2011, 02:44:56 PM »
Most definitely, but I am sure someone will sacrifice 2 days of unpaid time to drive for 8 plus hours both ways.

Volunteers shouldn't be going to this fire at all, no property threat, it is in a national park, cancel the burnoffs and go and put YOUR fire out, isn't that why they got a huge chunk of change to do ?

misterteddy

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Volunteers doing paid staff's work
« Reply #2 on: November 15, 2011, 03:19:56 PM »
Most definitely, but I am sure someone will sacrifice 2 days of unpaid time to drive for 8 plus hours both ways.

Volunteers shouldn't be going to this fire at all, no property threat, it is in a national park, cancel the burnoffs and go and put YOUR fire out, isn't that why they got a huge chunk of change to do ?

Agree entirely. Of course the hookie driver will have had 12 hours rest before he gets in the truck won't ?

pumprescue

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Volunteers doing paid staff's work
« Reply #3 on: November 15, 2011, 03:32:34 PM »
Its about time some of the Group Officers and Captains refused these requests, its only Mid November and we are already using and abusing.

Offline Skippy

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Volunteers doing paid staff's work
« Reply #4 on: November 15, 2011, 03:47:31 PM »
can someone explain why strike teams are being brought in from Kyeema & Mawson group, when it's so much closer to deploy crews from the Western Eyre group like Streaky, Ceduna, Smoky, Wirrulla ect

Offline Pipster

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Volunteers doing paid staff's work
« Reply #5 on: November 15, 2011, 04:26:16 PM »
Perhaps some are already out there ?  (Not everything appears on pagers) - or the risk of something happening in those areas is high, and taking crews away from those areas, and sending to Paney would leave no crews in those high risk areas?

Or maybe they have all started harvest, and are not able to leave?

Who knows!!!

Pip
There are three types of people in the world.  Those that watch things happen, those who make things happen, and those who wonder what happened.

pumprescue

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Volunteers doing paid staff's work
« Reply #6 on: November 15, 2011, 05:14:55 PM »
Pip has the answer, Harvest, people aren't about to leave the harvest for a fire like that.

Offline Alan (Big Al)

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Volunteers doing paid staff's work
« Reply #7 on: November 15, 2011, 05:57:15 PM »
And another PB is going to be undetaken tomorrow in Mt Bold 2 days before a 37 degree day, great planning there.
Lt. Goolwa CFS

Offline Bagyassfirey

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Volunteers doing paid staff's work
« Reply #8 on: November 15, 2011, 09:35:12 PM »
Spot on everyone!

Harvest is in full swing across R6 and R4 and dragging crews from these areas will impact on being able to respond locally.

also R4 and R6 having been chasing fires up north since late september and its all starting to take toll on volunteers. Good to see them getting some extra crews from the more highly populated regions!


Offline Shiner

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Volunteers doing paid staff's work
« Reply #9 on: November 16, 2011, 05:47:54 AM »
...and the job for the hooker got canned 30 mins later before leaving the station.

Crews will be hard to find around here too (R3) as harvest is getting into gear.
Jason
Swanport Group DGO - Region 3
Jervois CFS Brigade - "Home of the Original Hooker!"

Offline FlameTrees

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Volunteers doing paid staff's work
« Reply #10 on: November 16, 2011, 07:04:04 AM »
...and the job for the hooker got canned 30 mins later before leaving the station.

Crews will be hard to find around here too (R3) as harvest is getting into gear.

Once again which is why R1 crews were requested. R2 crews have been busy over the last few days (as have some of the R1 crews), and have done the Moomba deployments, so makes sense that it's R1's turn to play.
"is that negative as in yes, or negative as in no" - actual radio transmission from the field.......

Offline bajdas

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Re: Volunteers doing paid staff's work
« Reply #11 on: November 16, 2011, 10:01:01 AM »
Lots of transport and other duties is done by volunteers. Personally, no issues from me to keep paid staff doing the job they are paid to do & giving the volunteer the experience or trip.
Andrew Macmichael
lives at Pt Noarlunga South.

My personal opinion only.

Offline FlameTrees

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Re: Volunteers doing paid staff's work
« Reply #12 on: November 16, 2011, 11:52:17 AM »
Did the page, or a subsequent one say what the hook truck was going for? Was it taking the R1 staging pod for example? If so, staging is also a volunteer role at an incident, so why wouldnt volunteers take it over? Or is it ok for the volunteers to do it when it involves lights and sirens, but a P2 for a long distance job should be done by paid staff?

Unless it was just a routine movement of equipment (which it appears it wasnt), this should be a volunteer role, I dont see how it would be a paid staff job.
"is that negative as in yes, or negative as in no" - actual radio transmission from the field.......

Offline Pipster

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Re: Volunteers doing paid staff's work
« Reply #13 on: November 16, 2011, 12:22:05 PM »
Believe it was movement of gel / foam for the use of the bombers at Paney

Pip
There are three types of people in the world.  Those that watch things happen, those who make things happen, and those who wonder what happened.

pumprescue

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Re: Volunteers doing paid staff's work
« Reply #14 on: November 16, 2011, 12:51:36 PM »
So you would gladly send a crew member to transport foam 8 hours...

misterteddy

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Re: Volunteers doing paid staff's work
« Reply #15 on: November 16, 2011, 12:59:48 PM »
Personally, no issues from me to keep paid staff doing the job they are paid to do & giving the volunteer the experience or trip.


All paid staff have, as part of the Job & Person Spec, a component of their role that supports Fire and Emergency efforts when required - so in effect dragging one of the paid support team from STC (for example), would be getting them to de EXACTLY what they are paid for.

Those in Region 1 are no different to others in other Regions. Its still harvest time in much of Region 1, we too are doing burnoffs, attending to the tidy-up our own properties and attending jobs - Region 1 isnt all asphalt and suburban blocks, some people forget this.

Transport (even of foam/gel) is a low level infrastructure/logistics function. It shouldnt be something someone gets to spend 2 or 3 days away from home for.
Put it on the daily freight trip to EP - it would be quicker.
« Last Edit: November 16, 2011, 01:03:27 PM by misterteddy »

Offline FlameTrees

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Re: Volunteers doing paid staff's work
« Reply #16 on: November 16, 2011, 01:22:28 PM »
If it was for foam/gel - then yeah...stick it on a freight truck or someone from STC could drive it over.

"is that negative as in yes, or negative as in no" - actual radio transmission from the field.......

Offline bajdas

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Re: Volunteers doing paid staff's work
« Reply #17 on: November 16, 2011, 02:36:22 PM »
Oh well, everyone is allowed own opinion.
More volunteers traveling from different organisations tomorrow for the weekend.
Andrew Macmichael
lives at Pt Noarlunga South.

My personal opinion only.

Offline bajdas

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Re: Volunteers doing paid staff's work
« Reply #18 on: November 16, 2011, 02:37:53 PM »
Then  you would love the way the CFS Command Pajero's were delivered in the last few weeks..... :-P
Andrew Macmichael
lives at Pt Noarlunga South.

My personal opinion only.

pumprescue

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Re: Volunteers doing paid staff's work
« Reply #19 on: November 16, 2011, 02:46:03 PM »
The reason they keep using vollys is the vollys keep doing it, they will always find some numpty to do it.

My station is more concerned about keeping people in area for our own jobs....and you might say thats selfish but thats just how it is these days, and when you get no back up, you have to think that way, FACTS ARE FACTS, and no one from HQ or region seem to care.

Offline bajdas

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Re: Volunteers doing paid staff's work
« Reply #20 on: November 16, 2011, 04:48:00 PM »
... and some volunteers in others areas feel differently and the coverage issue is different.... makes the world go round I suppose.
If you don't want to do it, don't...simple
Andrew Macmichael
lives at Pt Noarlunga South.

My personal opinion only.

Offline SA Firey

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Re: Volunteers doing paid staff's work
« Reply #21 on: November 16, 2011, 07:48:43 PM »
The latest on the DEH over achievement is 10,000 hectares as of this afternoon. :-o
Images are copyright

Offline Shiner

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Re: Volunteers doing paid staff's work
« Reply #22 on: November 16, 2011, 08:23:15 PM »
As said on many occasions - one size does not fit all!
Everyone here has their own opinion and is free to express it but please don't try to force yours on anyone else!

Couple of comments following reading some of the replies above - the 'we only want to stay in our area' mentality is fine - but if we were all like this, that would mean no-one would help their neighbours or even further afield yet some of those that will not go away are the first to cry for help and outside assistance at times.....

I for one, and many of my members joined to 'help' and get value and pride from doing so.  We don't mind what form helping takes, for example, we have quite a few retired/semi-retired members who were just about past their active fire-fighting duties but have been given a new lease of life with the hook truck and the duties required of it at times - many of them are quite happy to go on a trip like the one that was requested of us.

Point made?
Jason
Swanport Group DGO - Region 3
Jervois CFS Brigade - "Home of the Original Hooker!"

Offline riptide

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Re: Volunteers doing paid staff's work
« Reply #23 on: November 17, 2011, 12:12:21 AM »
i cant speak for everyone but i joined cfs for CFS, no matter what group or region or headquarters, ill put up my hand if im free, we are alll volleys and some of us will... some of us wont and the paid staff know that, so for the negative why worry? it doesnt concern you.   the people that say yes know what they are in for and are obviously happy to do the job...

Offline FlameTrees

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Re: Volunteers doing paid staff's work
« Reply #24 on: November 17, 2011, 05:05:51 AM »
So pump, did your whole brigade make this decision, or was it made for the brigade?

You may have a very different culture, but every other brigade that I know of, if the members were told that they would not be sent on strike teams / task forces / deployments, well, there wouldn't be a brigade left.

As for no back up, I am sure you must be talking more in a political/administration sense, rather than practical on the ground back up.

As Shiner said, one opinion does not fit all. But some of my best CFS experiences have been on deployments, so I am a bit sad for your brigade that you don't get to experience that.
"is that negative as in yes, or negative as in no" - actual radio transmission from the field.......