SA Firefighter

I reckon the KI Group has always been in Region 1...there were at least two Groups on KI previously, which eventually merged to form the current KI Group within the last 8 years or so....   

Got some idea that one may have been the Dudley Group...?

Pip

How many have handles on their branches?

We removed the handle off our large Akron branch, so it is better utilised for compartment fire fighting.....I can't remember the last time we had to use it for any fire.....!

Pip

What do people think about this checklist???






Am I fit to attend this incident?

The I’M SAFE
CHECKLIST



M – Medication – Am I under the effect of any medication?



If you’re NOT fit to go,
It’s OK to say “NO”!

I would hope that some of the people ARE under the effect of their medication...otherwise, for many, there is no point in taking their medication, if it doesn't control whatever it is they are taking their medication for.

And before anyone starts saying those people shouldn't be on the fireground, there are many people who take medication for a diagnosed condition, which is appropriately dealt with by medication, and as a result, are able to work safely on the fireground........

You don't necessarily know those people take medication, because it doesn't pose a problem for them, or others!!

Pip

The other major consideration we have here in SA is money......

Some recent figures being bandied around put the price of actually getting one of the aircranes based here (presumably for the fire season) is around $2.5 milllion.  Then you have to run the thing - at a cost of $11,000 per hour.

Bearing in mind, the whole Aerial fire fighting budget for the CFS, for the whole year is $2.5 million.... which option are you going to choose?

Both NSW & Victoria have much higher populations, and as a state, a much bigger budget to spend...

We may all ask "what price a life?' but the reality is the CFS (and the state) only have a certain amount of money to go round.....

Pip

We have an Akron for our 64 / 38 mm line.....

Pip

Don't know about crankster, but I have worked with them, in both real life scenarios, as well as training (I got to play both the victim, and the bad guy in various scenarios)....not good people to annoy.......!

Pip

HF aren't that great when trying to talk to someone close by.....

If we installed an HF set in each appliance (around 700, including command vehicles), each station (around 434) and in each Group base no attached to a station (around 10), and pay a licence fee of $100 per radio, we are looking at $114,500 per year.

Add on to that, the cost of purchasing each set (and they aren't cheap) PLUS training every member in the use of the set, it becomes a very expensive exercise.

And where on earth do we put ANOTHER radio in the command car!   

And we have installed at least 1 GRN radio into every appliance & station already... and I assume we pay a few for each one of those......

I don't think adding yet another radio system is the answer to our radio problems / perceived radio problems....perhaps upgrading the one we have might be good...but that is another story   

Pip

Remember each service will still have their own Comcen... they just won't have the initial call receipt & dispatch function.......

Pip

why not just stick them in the middle of winter, then cadets can train during the fire season when it is heaps harder to get out on trucks for training anyway??

If we hold the comps in a normal winter, then we get to cancel them because it is too wet!!!   

Pip

Last year, one of the members of my brigade had to undertake BA Reaccred...problem was he had an injury, and was cleared by his doctor around 6 weeks before his 5 years was up....BUT there were no BA reacred run during the subsequent 6 weeks.  The next one that was run was the day after his 5 years was up.

Initially he was told he could not go on the reaccred, and would have to do a full course

After much to-ing & fro-ing, he was allowed to go onto the course...only to find another participant who was several months past reaccred date, apparently rang up a few days before the course, and was told "no problems, just come along" and did.

If you are going to set a standard, then set one..if you are going to allow some exceptions (eg such as the one outlined) then state what those exceptions are going to be....and then stick to the standard!!!

Nothing worse than having the goal posts moved....   

Pip

Telemarketers, and call centres that take your calls are two different things...the telemarketers who ring you up & try to sell a service or a product are often good at what they do - because often how much of the service / goods they sell, determines how much pay they get!!

If you have ever tried to ring a Government department, or a Bank, Insurnace Company, or some emergency services and tried to sort something out with them....sometimes the person you speak to knows exactly what you are talking about, and is able to sort out your issue / query, while others have no idea....

My experiences with another emergency service call centre is terrible... I have had great difficulty in getting my message across, and other times, been on the receiving end of the call centre info, and it has been appalling.

So to have independent answerers in a call centre for emergency services is OK...BUT the training has to be top notch, so the services get exactly the information they need (which of course varies from service to service....!! )

Pip

If someone wants the battery changed in their smoke detector and cant do it themselves why not call an electrical contractor who is qualified in that sorta thing 

There are many people within our communities who are very isolated, and living on a very small income (often a pension / social security benefits.

I come across many of these people in my job - often they have no family (or at least no family that either a) care about what happens to them, or b) live interstate / overseas and can't just drop around for a few minutes )

Many people within our communities for a range of reasons, have little contact with their neighbours, have no friends (or no friends physically able to change the battery in a smoke detector)

So what do these people do?   As Bill suggests, it costs a lot of money, from the point of view of a person living solely on a pension, to pay...and have you tried to get a tradesman to come and do some work for you...they appear to be very busy people!!!  (And you may well ask, what price is a life, but when you have to choose between paying to get your smoke alarm battery replaced, or for the next two weeks, what are you going to do? )

I don't mind being contacted for a job like this (at a reasonable time of the day!) - but only for a person who really has no other option.   Getting called to something like this for a person who is simply too lazy to do it themselves, or who has plenty of ready cash, but decides they should get something back from the money they pay for the ESL... that's different....   

Pip