SA Firefighter

We are trialling a magnet system which requires a registration of name and rego when the magnet is given out. The magnets are large white lettering on red to be displayed on the doors.

some other groups have successfully assigned a firey to go with the farm units (in a ute) and coordinate them...effectively giving them the focus on their activities and not the appliance.

We have not been able to get past the first step successfully ie getting them to use the magnets and then the rest eg call in and register and then be tasked...unfortunately, too often we see groups of farmer units sitting watching us do all the work.

It probably just needs a couple of farm units to lead the way...

Yep and that can happen too...when I am in IMT, I always try to make sure that the troops are busy and have food...the food can be difficult at times, we've had local food outlets tell us that it will be ready in 30 mins and send someone to collect and distribute....1.5hrs later it's ready...

The IMT system we use is an Australasian International Incident Management System...not one we have made up...no system would be perfect...especially when there is the human factor.. 

bittenyakka,

the role and decisions of IMT are the hardest...probably would be made a whole lot easier if they had funcitioning crystal balls...

An IMT is established at particular trigger points, eg level of alarm. Even a single appliance response has an IMT in that there is an Incident controller, it just expands as the number of resources do.

I have been part of an IMT where we had to make a call for strike teams in the middle of the night, working on possible outcomes...I hate bringing strike teams in and not have them do much...as nearly all the discussion has indicate.

I was surprised that a strike team from R6 was called, I didn't think that the situation was that bad...it is also a knee jerk reaction to Black Tuesday and having enough resources for the "what if"...

hope this helps..

We were fortunate enough to have 14mm of rain...it was great...settled the dust, watered the plants and greatly reduced the fire threat...for a day.. 

I reckon we should try using the army and their mobile kitchen...even if they were used in rotation with Salvos etc...have them located at staging...or nearby ..would make logistics much easier

no fair Pip...you and Ash shouldn't be allowed to enter...maybe you can be the judges.. 

I think that this season is extraordinary in that so many incidents have been so large that it has consumed so many resources, making it hard to manage.

Not that I'm excusing poor planning but maybe it's a reason that this has happened.

It's much harder to find experienced IMT personnel than firies...and the experienced ones get flogged early and it leaves the less experienced ones to manage when the strike teams come in..

As long as everyone takes it all into account...they might be on the causing end one day.. 

an unfortunate result of Black Tuesday....we were trying to black out 60m...and it wasn't enough...hence the overkill from here on...a bit of perspective required I think...

I'm surprised your crew didn't revolt Pip...I couldn't ask any crews to run out 28 lengths...I would have been laughed out of the IMT...

If you want to have 1500ltrs of water...you effectively have a 14....which we have a few of already...

Yes Ryan and also Prevent Injury or Suppress Wildfire...I am well aware of what is required....there is nothing worse than taking probies interstate...too keen..too green..

I couldn't agree more Medevac....I suppose it's sounds exciting and there's that aspect but vollies don't believe us when we say it's better fighting our own fires than being back up interstate...

I would like to think that sense would prevail and we don't seriously consider sending anyone interstate when we have so many active fires in our own patch!

The current pattern of lightening (which I heard on a long range forecast is going to continue until January) would see us having new fires every week...let alone the ones that are still burning from last week...