SA Firefighter

but i keep comming back to hte same thought: how do you get experience if your not allowed to go and do it. vicious circle really.....

And how do you keep them interested, motivated and keeping coming back?

Noone in our Brigade has the unread message tone activated because it chews through batteries so much. That wasn't the problem - we actually had about 100 separate pages come through!

As for setting to silent - same diff - just easier to take out battery when you in bed and it's 3am

Region Three used to have a spare, housed at Jervois where they used it as a second appliance.

It was barely roadworthy and an operational nightmare. It was scrapped.

The old Bunbury unit went to Tintinara when they closed down. I think it may be a "spare" - we did borrow it when we had an appliance down for a week but that's a fair while ago now. Nothing was offered to us when we were down an appliance for nearly a week recently.

How about some not so amusing pager messages - the other night just before 3am we got the More Crew message come out from our alpha unit at station over and over again about 15 seconds apart for about 35 minutes. No explanations - just SOC advised we had to ride it out!
Apparently it's happened before. Now, I work nightshift and so does the Captain but everyone else took their battery out to get some sleep - glad we didn't have a job that night

Yes, I've been a CFS appliance driver for some time.

You're safe with me 

Point taken but when the doors go up I guess it means they'd have to be pretty quick with crews rocking up within minutes.

They'd have just as much opportunity to take off in the appliances (of so possessed) when we got back and they're on the apron unattended. Or at a static incident where they're unattended.

welcoming, volunteer friendly, theres probally coffee on tap, some nice biscuits to eat, friendly staff to chat too, who being volunteer focused would happily sit down for a discussion and to assist you, the brigade, the group resolve issues!

Ahh, those were the days. Brings a tear of nostalgia to the eye. 

The official CFS star appears in a schedule to the CFS Regs and I believe, legally, requires CFS "Board" permission for use.

Even if this is true it's a bit hard to enforce I'd think.

When I've chatted to the Salvos for preplanning purposes they've told me that they will not and cannot accept payment for their services.

I've always thought that CFS must pay them something?

Does anyone know for sure?

No argument about using it when it's there but I've always been taught and it makes perfect sense to me that when fighting a running grass fire or anytime with crews working from the back that the windows should be down so inside crew are aware of the kinds of conditions those on the back are experiencing.

No problems with us - the only vehicle with air con is a dual cab so we all travel together in the cool .

Thank you, Andrew, for not thinking the worst of teenagers!

We often have that age group hanging around interested in the lights and siren thing

sent crews to Coomandook.... with no aircon, whould have been a killer for them! Hanging out for the new 34 to get here!

Don't you have the policy of not using the air conditioning if there are crews on the back?

Particularly on the fireground where it's critical to know what the conditions are for the outside crew.

Also have a sneaking suspicion that having the airconditioning on contributed to the overheating of an appliance at Ngarkat Sunday.

quote: since fire never roll without rescue im not sure what your on about here kat end quote
Yeah, right  - tongue in cheek, huh?
As per discussion on htis forum that shows we're no orphans - as a rescue brigade we get called haphazardly to MVA's, sometimes not at all, sometimes aaaages later.

quote: 7 minutes is quite a differance kat if rescue/sapol/saas (in particualar saas) are not notified within that time.. which im presuming is what happened..end quote
In 16 years with a Brigade whose lion share of calls is MVA's I've never once been to an MVA where SAAS were not already advised. First on sceners tend not to call CFS for an accident, prefering SAPOL or SAAS,

I just think it's a bit harsh to discuss a Brigades perceived operational shortcomings on an open forum with limited information (although no doubt entertaining  )

Times are a bit relative the further you get from the metro area - seven minutes is lightning speed not too far past here - be lucky to have anyone within fifteen minutes of many stations.