SA Firefighter
General Discussion => Country Fire Service => Topic started by: CyberCitizen on January 04, 2006, 02:10:17 PM
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Wanted Urgently: More Bush Fire Fighters
By LAURA ANDERSON - 03 Jan 06
THE Country Fire Service is facing a shortage of volunteers, just as the state moves into what firefighters fear could be a horror bushfire season.
As firefighting helicopters worth $3.5 million came into operation and Premier Mike Rann announced that $2 million was being spent on new protective gear yesterday, CFS chief officer Euan Ferguson said firefighter numbers were worryingly low as about 200 fires were reported in the past 10 days, the busiest firefighting period in a decade.
"We are very concerned that we are seeing a slow decline in volunteer numbers," he said.
"The last 10 days, we have seen a lot of our volunteers work really long hours. They have done a terrific job but . . . we do need more volunteers in the daytime."
Mr Rann yesterday announced that all volunteers would be issued with the latest personal equipment after a CFS audit estimated 1500 volunteers were using outdated clothing.
The new uniforms have higher collars, longer arm and leg lengths and are made of a protective material.
Mr Rann said that while firefighters prepared to battle fires, the community carried the responsibility for fire prevention.
"We cannot afford to be complacent," he said. "There is an absolute responsibility on home owners in high-risk areas to make sure that they are bushfire prepared," he said.
Mr Ferguson stressed South Australia had been "pretty lucky" so far to avoid a major bushfire.
He warned that the state could soon face a bushfire similar to this week's blazes in NSW and Victoria if home owners did not take precautions.
"These are not hollow warnings," he said. "It happened on the West Coast last year.
"The reality is one day it will happen. There has been a lot of fuel. We have been pretty lucky this fire season.
"We need to note well the disasters which are occurring in the eastern states."
Home owners in fire-risk areas have been urged to clean their gutters, clear their yards of debris and prepare a bushfire plan.
Source: The Advertiser - Wanted Urgently: More Bush Fire Fighters (http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,17716845%255E2682,00.html)
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And this today.................
CFS chief despairs over the attitude of young
By CRAIG BILDSTIEN
04jan06
THE attitude of young people was partly to blame for the CFS losing members and not being able to sign volunteers, Country Fire Services chief Euan Ferguson said.
Mr Ferguson said yesterday the CFS had lost 1000 volunteers over the past three years. "I am not having a go at them . . . but they do have different attitudes and values to the baby boomers," he said.
"The younger generation has got this 'what's in it for me' type attitude. They will only volunteer if they can see that they're going to get some direct benefit."
Mr Ferguson said the CFS had struggled to muster volunteers for fires over the past fortnight.
Mr Ferguson said that like other volunteer organisations, the CFS had been forced to take notice of what young people were saying in order to entice them to join.
"We've actually listened, and that's one of the reasons our training courses are now nationally accredited," he said.
"A lot of our younger people are quite comfortable with more and more training and being assessed for it. Many have not been brought up on the farm by dad and taught how to burn off, and so they do need basic skills training.
"But it's a double-edged sword . . . many of our older volunteers are farmers with practical skills, and don't have the time for three days' training, and this is something we are grappling with at the moment."
Meanwhile, Adelaide Hills Council staff yesterday visited 33 properties previously issued with notices to clear fire hazards and found that 11 owners had not complied.
Each owner will be fined $160 and they will receive clean-up bills from the council.
And in Victoria, firefighters have threatened to walk off the job during busy summer months and the Commonwealth Games in a dispute over safety.
United Firefighters Union state secretary Peter Marshall said the current uniform used in fighting structural fires failed to meet national and international standards.
The state's workplace safety authority, WorkSafe Victoria, had found the uniform did not meet Australian standards and directed it be used during training exercises only if extra supervision, safety precautions and lower fuel loads were used, Mr Marshall said.
He said the Victorian Government had known about the problem for at least four years.
"Our patience is worn out. Fix the uniform or otherwise . . . we'll be saying to the Government: 'You wear our uniform and do the fire and see how you like it'."
The uniform is used by metropolitan firefighters and Country Fire Authority workers who are called to fight house fires, including buildings set ablaze by bushfires such as the one that destroyed seven homes near Stawell at the weekend.
Acting Premier John Thwaites said the uniform dispute had arisen during the course of enterprise bargaining negotiations.
"There are often a lot of claims made . . .," he said. "I am confident that firefighters in this state are very safe."
Opposition emergency services spokesman Kim Wells accused the Government of dragging its feet.
Adam.
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hmm now lets see the two main reason i can see for young people not wanting to vollunteer are firstly; that they dont give a crap... which is fine (dont give a crap or dont think its your thing then dont join)
and secondly, they are interested and do start going to trainings.. but they leave because they are young they get shafted/treated like crap and ignored by the older members they should be looking to for support.
meanwhile.... did anyone read the bit about the 17y.o. leutenient from kimba??? whats with that, i know for a fact that i wouldnt follow him, and thats not just becasue he's younger than me... i know its a differant cfs over there than it is here in my area... but how can you possibly be old enough/suited to be a leutenient when your not old enough to get your truck liscence and not old enough to do BA training... which in a BA brigade (which kimba is) surely it would be in your SFECs to have BA in order to be an officer....
hes not old enough to posess his full car liscence, not old enough to drink or smoke, not even old enough to vote... but hes old enough to put peoples life in risk with his own decisions....?
dont take this the wrong way, im not personally attackign the guy, just thinking out loud what a load of c**p it is... im sure he must be doign something right for the brigade to vote him in, but it just seems so wrong...
so... who here would honestly follow a 17y.o. leutenient???
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I can see where your comming from Medevac..... But Im going to decline to answer.
I cant make that decision based on everyone elses opinion.
I know when I was a cadet I made sure I could do what everyone else was, and know everything I could about it. Regardless of being trained in it or not, so it doesnt mean they wouldnt know what they were doing!
Would want to meet them first.
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just ranting...
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In relation to young people not giving a crap, I think that may only apply to some areas.
Looking broadly at the urban interface (and greater Adelaide area - Hills etc) the issue seams to be retention - young people join, get trained and put in allot of service for a few years then reality hits - they can't afford to live in the area where there parents live or they have to move on to follow work, now that they have completed studies or got a qualification.
Todays reality is that our population is more transient, follows work, money and pleasure and at the end of the day as volunteers their needs to live take a higher priority than those of volunteersing - sad fact but basic needs as identified by Maslow in his hierarchy of needs - self preservation first, then enjoyment and then the other functions that make up people - i.e. volunteering.
Maybe as a service we need to look at how we can maximise the input (and outputs) of the younger people while we have them in our brigade - if they enjoy it while they are young, there is a chance when their circumstances change that they may be back in a CFS area and again join to serve their community.
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I think the "Attitude" article from the Chief is a little disapointing...Way to make those younger members that actually do give a toss feel like cr@p.
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I Actually Agree With Him, Not I'm Not That Old, However I Think Todays Youth, Are To Wrapped Up In Other Things To Even Think About Vol To The CFS. My Parents (Not Members) Pushed Me Towards It, And I Am Glad They Did, I Love It, However Had Never Given It A Thought Prior To That.
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Take it from me, younger people dont want to be labeled volunteers. its not appealing. When the term is Firefighter its more appealing. i personally hate being labelled a volunteer,it makes me feel second best. and if people take the attitude that it is volunteering they dont feel compelled to do the job in a professional manner. which brings up a whole new issue the proffesional look of the service. in dingo woop woop who cares but in the urban fringes when we are always being compared to samfs you need to do ur best to look the part and act it, responding to the call(the way the driver drives, arms not hanging out windows etc.) at the call (everyone looks the same ppewise) or even at the servo/shop after a call or training (either wear the full turnout gear or wear a duty shirt/brigade shirt and turnout pants) I do and im sure many others care about the appearance of your brigades rural or urban but in the urban areas you are 50 times more visible to the public and the more which is said about the proffesionalism and effiency of our service should encourage more probationary firees and hopefully a sense of proffesionan pride in our brigades.
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The chief should also realise that if a brigade is given piece of crap trucks and equipment that no-one will want to join and the people who are already in the brigade won't care anymore. It all starts with having pride in your brigade. Most brigades used to have at least one truck that was the pride of the brigade and now they are getting heaps of crap which need to be sent back to the manufacturer every week. I know it's not the complete answer but it would be a good start.
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In regards to people moving to follow work or for other reasons..
Does the CFS have a paper system where the Brigade closest to where the ex-member is moving to is notified ? The notice could include a training record, length of membership, significant incidents attended, etc, etc.
Then perhaps they could be approached into joining the nearest CFS Brigade to their new home. At least they would feel welcome into the new area by being approached. So instead of a resignation it turns into a possible transfer.
The same with resignations. Could a paper system work that approaches ex members in six months time to offer a position in Operations, QuarterMaster, Communications, etc. Or maybe the reason for resignation has passed and they might re-join if pushed slightly.
From personal experience I know SES do not do this well, so would it work in CFS ?
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If a young person was to read that story why would they want to join.... as for a 17 yo lt,well if he has come up throu cadets he will be fine give him a go and if he does not fit the boots you can always vote him out... But come on young people are the future and they are what the services needs. It also needs a mix of young and old members for a number of reasons,they need to learn from us old farts and the old farts need to learn from the young one's.. We have a LT who is 20 he is doing a great job and he will ask us old farts for advice or help when needed.....
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If a young person was to read that story why would they want to join.... as for a 17 yo lt,well if he has come up throu cadets he will be fine give him a go and if he does not fit the boots you can always vote him out... But come on young people are the future and they are what the services needs. It also needs a mix of young and old members for a number of reasons,they need to learn from us old farts and the old farts need to learn from the young one's.. We have a LT who is 20 he is doing a great job and he will ask us old farts for advice or help when needed.....
Well said....
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We put out fires,volunteering is just a piece of it. :?
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I Wish that most people would stop thinking that all young people are the SAME!!!!!!! Not all of us take drugs, or drive their cars like maniaks.... I could start saying that all old people are grumps and hate every young person, but i wont because i know that they ARE NOT! We have to stop saying they all dont give a crap and open your eyes further than that. We have multiple young guys and girls in our brigade, just as dedicated and willing to "GIVE" as you "OLD" people. I certainly wonder after reading your some of the comments on here why i would want to volly at the age of 18. I put in just as much effort as everyone else and i am not allone.
We have to start encouraging people in anyway because that is the life of CFS! It will dissapear and loose all its skills if we do not train the younger people and hand down the skills that you have learnt.
:cry:
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I agree with you Sam but in most South Australian towns such as mine the Country Fire Service isnt supported by the community for some reason quite possibly because the farmers and other tradesmen would rather sit in the pub drinking beer instead of protecting their community for nothing
I can tell you this it would be good to see the government introduce compulsory volunteer service for year 12 students so they have extra things on their portfolio.... Take me for example i was getting good grades in Community Studies & English because of my volunteering with the Country Fire Service
My volunteering with the CFS also secured me 6 months work with Green Corps because its community umpaid work
What i am getting at is we need to change the attitude of those communities who don't support their CFS brigade by showing them there is more to being a volunteer fire fighter than meets the eye
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I agree with you Sam but in most South Australian towns such as mine the Country Fire Service isn't supported by the community for some reason quite possibly because the farmers and other tradesmen would rather sit in the pub drinking beer instead of protecting their community for nothing
I think history also has a lot to do with it. From my experience where some communities don't fully back their CFS, it has a lot to do with previous occurrences in the community, previous perceptions of the CFS, personalities within the CFS and the requirements to be in CFS.
For many years CFS carried people on their books "just in case there was a fire" in others when the mandatory training came in people exited - assuming that because they had lived on the land, they knew all about fire fighting.
Interestingly when small communities are confronted by large fires, that people come out of the wood work, they rally behind and support THEIR CFS and it's members ..... maybe we just need to find that little area that will get those same people more involved regularly.
Posts in other areas in this forum quote excellent numbers joining, training and becoming aware of the CFS on the Eyre Penn. - it's just a pity that a devastating fire had to occur for this to happen and as history shows (follwing Ash Wed in SA and the 94 fires in NSW) numbers and interest do increase following large events, just time then opens the gap again and number dwindle.
At the end of the day - We are, today a Professional Service with an excellent reputation, many new things and many exciting prospects - we just need to get people through the door to see them - thats the challenge and I for one don't see compulsory volunteering as the solution :|
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The chances of a younger person getting burned are higher than of someone who has years of experience.We got to blend them slowly into the system.But of course humans all make mistakes.
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Pete - how do you blend them in your brigade??
I agree the problem we often have though is crewing - one or two senior members with the rest new mebers - they are very keen
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Slowly gaining experience and confidence is the way to go if you want dot your i,s and cross your t,s in this constantly watched service.Some people i agree have natural talent...
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re he chances of a younger person getting burned are higher than of someone who has years of experience.
sorry wrong, most of the firefighters that get burnt or hurt are in the 30's 40's age group and been in the service for a while. Why I am not sure may be complacent
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I agree with the notion that young people do join so they will get something for themselves. But as a young person I also agree with Sam.
The reason I agree with the first point is because people always want something in it for themselves, be it pride, experience or knowing they are doing something. (I am also aware hat hat is probably not what is meant by the article, bu oh well.) I joined the CFS for myself, as it is my goal to eventually join the SAMFS, and CFS is a place to gain expereince and get a sense of what fireifghting is all about. But I also joined to help people and do something rather than sitting on my donkey for my own purpose. Which is where I agree with Sam. Some young people do care and do want to help.
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at the end of the day we all look after no 1 first
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at the end of the day we all look after no 1 first
I dunno, I personally wouldn't come out if I didn't have my BA partner with me. Won't leave any one behind.
Call me traditional, call me stupid, call me what ever you want, but I aint gonna live with the fact I left a fellow "brother" / member, inside a job.
Guess not all of us just look after Number 1 !...
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at the end of the day we all look after no 1 first
I dunno, I personally wouldn't come out if I didn't have my BA partner with me. Won't leave any one behind.
Call me traditional, call me stupid, call me what ever you want, but I aint gonna live with the fact I left a fellow "brother" / member, inside a job.
Guess not all of us just look after Number 1 !...
Call you someone wih morals who knows about the brotherhood and the camraderie and team work. I wouldnt leave my partner in a burning building, you go in together you come out together.
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The chances of a younger person getting burned are higher than of someone who has years of experience.We got to blend them slowly into the system.But of course humans all make mistakes.
I Was Advised By A Firey That He Was Supprised To See So Many Young Members On A Task Force To KI, Eg Members In The Service For Like 2 Months.
Shouldn't There Be A Time Limit With The Service Before You Can Attend Such Iccidents?
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The chances of a younger person getting burned are higher than of someone who has years of experience.We got to blend them slowly into the system.But of course humans all make mistakes.
I Was Advised By A Firey That He Was Supprised To See So Many Young Members On A Task Force To KI, Eg Members In The Service For Like 2 Months.
Shouldn't There Be A Time Limit With The Service Before You Can Attend Such Iccidents?
Sure is, minimum 12 months and level 2.
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I agree Cyber Citizen there should be a certain time limit for new members to wait before they are allowed to go on a interstate strike or task force team deployment
In my 6 1/2 years as Senior Fire Fighter i have not once been allowed to go on a Interstate deployment due to either the brigade captain thinking I'm not ready for a big responsiblity... or the region taking the same people who have been before
Then again when you look at our Interstate brothers such as New South Wales RFS and ACT RFS most of their young members are 16 or 17 and still they're allowed to go on deployments
Me thinks that the CFS should set a time limit for newly joined volunteers before they can go on interstate deployments and besides new volunteers who have had little experience are only a risk on deployments due to their lack or training and experience :-)
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There needs to be a minimum experience level set for Strike teams...they are no place for newbies (no matter how old they are!) to get experience..
You are more often than not teamed with people you don't know and hope you can trust in their abilities..I wouldn't be happy to see someone who only had a few months experience on my team...they would be an added factor to consider..
You are nearly always in unfamiliar terrain, weather and sometimes, fire behaviour..not a place for the inexperienced!
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now this is an interesting point. only experienced members getting to go to calls....
I guess the first comment is how do you get experience if your not allowed to goto a call to get it.... Now, there are to destinct areas.
local calls: people have told me that new crew members should only goto "mopping up" jobs first up. all well and good, but how many fores do you attend where a second truck is sent specifically for mopping up! and even if you were to do that there is no fire (effectively) for them to get experience with. Now, as long as they were with a relatively experienced crew, Id have no problems taking a "green" crew member out with me. Id 'assign' them to a 'more experienced' member, and make sure they got their hand dirty under supervision.
strike teams/task force: now this takes a little more thought.....
If we're talking about a 12Hr deployment and working conditions are known (wouldnt send them in blind), with a relatively experienced crew (full crew, not 1 of 4 people) again i wouldnt be hugely worried.
KI night shift, high humidity, cold nights again i wouldnt be hugely worried. Day shift for a known running fire or interstate then NO.
Last I spoke to RHQ, they recommended BFF1 and burnover training for the KI deployment.
Had the opertunity to work with a 'green' crew member (night shift) on KI and have have to say they held their own quite well. They told the crew of their experience before we started, and stuck nearby to someone at all times..... keen to get in and get hands dirty to :). In all honesty, it would have been some of the best training they'll ever get.
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.....
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I agree with you mike, about the fact that a newbie won't gain the exp. without going to the jobs. All comes down to knowing their abilities, trusting their abilities, and chosing the right jobs.. Often the best experience comes when the pager drops, they are one of the four to arrive, and end up at a going job.. !
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We have 2 or 3 members in that situation at the moment..... its an ongoing discussion between the the other 'powers that be' and myself.....
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From What I Have Heard The Members Were New Members & Couldn't Really Handle Themselfs Very Well, I Am Trying To Be Generic As Not To Mention Names Or Brigades.
I Am Referring To A 12hr KI Deployment & From What I Heard Most Of The Crew Were Not That Well Experienced. Both Day & Night Crew.
But I Guess As Long As They Have Met The Required BFF1, I Just Think There Should Be A Lenght In The Service.
No Issues With Them Going To Jobs, I Was Refering To Strike Teams/Task Force.
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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?
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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?
exactly!!!
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How do you keep them coming back = pay them. :-D :-D :-D
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This situation Mike is to be judged just as you said...depends on the conditions..eg are they known or is it completely unknown...but depends more on the rest of the crew..if they are very experienced, not such an issue..
We take newbies on controlled burns firstly but never stop them from a real incident, provided I have experienced crew as well...I'm lucky my crew are very accommodating and are very happy to show and teach on the job...you will also find that most newbies on a real job will try to help without getting in the way..we all learnt on the job..
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:-D at least a few people agree with me..... :-D
now just have to work on the people that count!
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I totally agree with you Mike. I've been in for a year and a bit now and I went down to the fires down on Kangaroo Island. I learnt SO much on that one weekend and it was a great learning experience for me. I'm really glad I went because of how much I learned.
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In regards to retaining young members. i am 19 and have been in cfs since i was 12 as a cadet and now have 3 years fire ground experience. in my position the hardest thing about being a member is keeping jobs! i have lost 2 jobs in two years for responding to calls both being strike teams to major fires. last year on black tuesday and then this year for KI it is extremely difficult to find supportive employers in the local community! :-(
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It generally pays to ask your boss before you go..... they dont enjoy getting a call saying "i wont be in for XX days, out fighting a fire..."
it can often leave them in a spot of bother. Get a mobile number, as curtosy never goes astray....
Just remember, whilst its good to be keen, its shouldnt be at the expense of your livelyhood.
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Yea I think loosing your job for the service is beyond the call of duty...
However, understand why you went.
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I totally agree with you Mike. I've been in for a year and a bit now and I went down to the fires down on Kangaroo Island. I learnt SO much on that one weekend and it was a great learning experience for me. I'm really glad I went because of how much I learned.
But Like You Said You Have Been In The Service For Over A Year, So I Am Sure You Would Have Had Previous Experience, What I Was Referring To Was New Members Eg 2 Months That Were Going To KI On A Strike Team / Task Force.
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It is extremely difficult to find supportive employers in the local community! :-(
Everyone Pays The Emergency Services Levy And Expects Coverage, However What Alot Of Employers Don't Realise That With Out Us There Would Be Minimal Coverage Or They Would Be Paying Alot More Of Their Emergency Services Levy To Cover The Cost Of Paid Fire Fighters Over The State. Most Are Fine With The Job That We Do Until It Starts To Cost Them Money.
One Of The First Things I Do Is Grab A Contact Number & Ask The Boss How They Would Feel In The Event That I Was Asked To Go Away & Could Be Away For Days. Most Are Normally Ok With It. Its A Judgement Call You Need To Make With Your Employer.
Sternzee Was Approval Obtained From Your Boss Prior To Going Or Did You Just Say I Wont Be In For The Next 3-4 Days Because I Am Fighting Fires?
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The hardest thing to remember or try to get a perspective on is that the employer is still paying for you to be out fighting fires and you aren't generating any income for his business.
I've found that most are supportive of you volunteering..as long as it doesn't take TOO much time away from work...which is fair..some employers are better than others but you have to respect that it's their business that is losing...
Try to see it from their side..definitely ring and contact them but be mindful of the impact of you not being at work too..or coming to work stuffed after a call out..
I'm not an employer but I always ask during the interview if they have a supportive view of volunteering...volunteering doesn't pay if you don't have a job to go to..
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In regards to retaining young members. i am 19 and have been in cfs since i was 12 as a cadet and now have 3 years fire ground experience. in my position the hardest thing about being a member is keeping jobs! i have lost 2 jobs in two years for responding to calls both being strike teams to major fires. last year on black tuesday and then this year for KI it is extremely difficult to find supportive employers in the local community! :-(
personally i think it is more important to keep your boss happy than respond miles away to fight fires... (as important as that is too.)if it was my own backyard i might think differantly.
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Yep - Work First and volunteering second
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I Am Happy To Take A Day Off Non Paid To Help Out, I Don't Think It's Fair That Work Have To Continue To Pay You While Your Not There, However Not All Work Places Do This Either.
At This Stage Of My Life I Couldn't Afford To Take 3 Days Off, As The Morgage Doesn't Pay Itself.
Doesn't The Work Place Get Some Type Of Government Funding If Its Paying To Vols To Attend Major Iccidents?
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I was under the impression there was legislation passed that prohibited Employers sacking someone on the sole basis they were acting as a volunteer at the time for emergency services ??
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^^wouldnt have thought so...
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I think that you will find that the legislation actually is in relation to an employee responding to an emergency situation..it could read either way...but going on a strike team, may not be deemed as an emergency compared to defending your property or home town..
If the communication between boss and volunteer is open and honest, this shouldn't arise...but the vollie needs to remember their priorities and which activity pays his wage...
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Stuart Ellis (former CEO) used to say family first, job second, CFS third.
I hope you find a job, Sternzee, that suits your CFS commitments. You don't really want to be in a position of applying for jobs and being asked why you left your last three or four employers if the answer is, CFS!
Many employers are simply in a position where they cannot allow employees to attend. For example I worked in a kindy where the student/staff ratio simply didn't allow me to leave even though I was entitled to emergency services leave (it just required notice).
Small businesses can struggle here too. Even if they don't pay you for your time off, they have to pay someone else to do your job or suffer the productivity (ie money) loss.
Although I think it's good to raise the issue of CFS commitments in an interview and see where your prospective employer stands, I think it's best to go gentle to begin with. Get the job, be invaluable, and then do the CFS thing :-) Also if you show a willingness to make up time, do not go to every job going that others can handle, communicate your absences and provide written evidence of attendance from your Brigade it can help.
The EBA my workplace just negotiated has, for the first time, formalised their policy of supporting volunteer emergency service attendance by employees. They have always paid us for such time off but now it's in black and white!
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We have a policy that supports Emergency Services members attending incidents as well..and as I get to review them, made it read so that we can be away for 5 days at a time without penalty eg having to use own leave BUT this doesn't mean that we abuse the privelege...luckily many incidents occur out of work hours!
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Sad to say this but some people do abuse the system and i know of a company that is no longer willing to let its members go to call outs because one member wanted to go to ever call during work hours.. Mind you he had to pass 4 stations to get to his own brigade....
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Yeah you all raise extremely good points i would certainly have understood had i been leaving for every cat up tree, however we get approx. 30 calls a year and i would average maybe 1/2 of them most of which are car accidents at silly hours of the night/morn. but my position was at fairly large establishment and i did not get paid for any of incidents i attended during work hours. this plus i odnt know how well off you guys are for volunteers but we respond too many incidents with 3 crew members i dont think i've ever seen a group repsonse where we have had enuff crew for all the trucks. so its difficult but its probably inevitable that i'll have to cut down further on cfs calls in order to make aliving. thank you all for your very valid points. :-)
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family and work come first then cfs.....
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Sternzee, it's not easy having to restrict an activity that you are passionate about but it becomes a balance and it will depend entirely on your employer and their views on CFS and volunteering...along with your respect of his views...
There are plenty of employers that are supportive..but your brigade and group have to also appreciate that not everyone can get away during work hours...we are VOLUNTEERS..
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So from what i am reading it is safe to say that if every employer allowed cfs members to leave work to attend fire service calls then the community would have better standards of fire cover.
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You're right Pete but remember to respect that it's their business and their money they are paying out...on top of their emergency services levy...imagine how much it costs self employed volunteers each year...if you find a supportive employer..don't take it for granted.
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As I have said before time that cfs,no state/FED goverment looked at giving tax cuts to employers that allowed there staff to attend call outs. Does anyone know how the volunteers in the SAAS get a payment that covers there time away from work???
I am just reading the "THE FIREMAN " newspaper and there is a thank you to employers that allowed staff to leave during the past month or so to help with the fire's in Victoria...
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I seem to see a little more where sternzee is coming from.. He is in a brigade that struggles to get day time crew (or crew in general) - by the sounds of it, a more remote brigade ? Or township brigade...
He is NOT getting paid by the employer while away.. and is basically the only reason the truck got on the road during the times he responded..
What if it was one of the forum family members in an MVA, and his truck couldnt roll cause he thought twice? I know we can make hypotheticals about anything, and everything.. But when (by the sounds of it) the response of emergency services relies so heavily on members, sometimes its not so easy to say, work anf famliy first...
I think the best way sternzee is to be upfront with your boss, and see what he says.. At the end of the day, sure, u need food on the table, and money to pay the bills.. But I see where you are coming from mate !
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Our brigade has a limit of 30 pagers and some weekdays we are lucky to even respond.If say we could take more people on then maybe things could get better
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Who said you can only have 30 pagers??? Time we all wnet back to setting the siren off since pagers came out we have all forgotten what that siren up the tower or on the roof does......