SA Firefighter

I'm also interested to know why they think standing dead trees are a fire hazard.  Surely the fuel on ground level, (due to the wet year we've had), is more of a concern?

Quote from: pumprescue on July 28, 2011, 08:35:13 PM
Sooooo, what does the media section actually do then ?

Volunteer Magazine maybe? (Another shining light of CFS quality)

Quote from: pumprescue on July 26, 2011, 09:36:48 AM
I did say where I had seen him?

That would be this:

Quote from: pumprescue on July 20, 2011, 10:09:30 AM
I know for a fact he has been to a Mawson Group Meeting and visited Salisbury CFS...any others ?

Were you at Salisbury when he went there?

I look forward to meeting him when he gets around to us!

Quote from: safireservice on June 29, 2011, 08:39:44 PM
So why do we have to be re-paged by AF if we already receive the page anyway?

I believe some systems page the brigade and some only page Adelaide fire.  Once (or maybe a couple of times) Adelaide fire didn't realise that the brigade hadn't been paged, and it resulted in a delayed response.  Because of that they decided that they'd re-page all alarms.  (and yes, it creates a DIN for the job).

Quote from: mattb on June 15, 2011, 09:55:11 PM

• Ability for responding members to dial a number and have their name displayed and the time since they called scroll across the bottom of the screen (basically a call-in log so you can see who is coming)

How is this functionality coming along?  It was a "coming soon" some years ago when we implemented TIM...

Quote from: bert on June 14, 2011, 07:14:48 PM
Sounds like it was for a patient lift...

I assumed it wasn't because of the SAAS AT LEAST 1HR thing...

Quote
but if CFS were sent to this job first up, you can help someone heaps by just doing your basic first aid...
Remember basic care DRABC and scene management
•   Make sure the patient is safe –eliminating dangers
•   Reassurance and basic psychological support
•   Posture the patient for comfort or splint
•   Temperature control - make sure the patient is kept warm
Ring SAAS/000 for further first aid support/advise/sitrep

Of course.  Thanks!

What would the fire service do in a case like this?  I can't think of anything we carry on the trucks in my brigade that would help (unless the pt needed to be carried to safety).
Moral support?

Quote from: flyonthewall on June 02, 2011, 06:35:32 PM

QuoteJust to clarify, the Centurions do allow for auxiliary masks to be run, it's just that the CFS does't stow the fittings required.  Likewise you can also attach an external air supply to the sets, but we don't stow the fittings/hoses for that either.

... That dosen't help if you need to supply someone with air then.

No, it doesn't :(  (but it's a failure of the system, not the sets)

Quote from: flyonthewall on June 02, 2011, 06:35:32 PM
I find it ironic that there is alot of complaining about lack of training and yet, I keep getting questioned about my personal risk management by people who supposedly don't have the training or the SOP's that,

Quotecover it...

Maybe because they see you as someone who has been trained, and want to learn from you, so they ask you questions?

Quote from: flyonthewall on June 01, 2011, 09:44:57 PM
All the info about RIT teams and Safety Officers is in SAMFS SOP 12 - Command and Control Procedure at Incidents.
More information is in SAMFS SOP 14 Breathing Apparatus and Respiratory Protection Procedures.

Is there some way us mere volunteers can get hold of these SOPs?  It might help us put systems in place at incidents given that our SOPs don't cover it...

Quote from: flyonthewall on June 01, 2011, 09:44:57 PM
An auxillary facemask can also be run off the MFS BA.

Just to clarify, the Centurions do allow for auxiliary masks to be run, it's just that the CFS does't stow the fittings required.  Likewise you can also attach an external air supply to the sets, but we don't stow the fittings/hoses for that either.

Quote from: flyonthewall on June 01, 2011, 09:44:57 PM
You can't save what is already burnt. I've never seen a ceiling come down without any prior compromise or unless I have pulled it down. All ceilings that I have seen come down in fires have had whatever has been above following close behind including roof trusses, beams, hotwater systems, A/C ducting, tiles and insulation. I have been entangled in electrical wires, although not during the fire. Has anyone tried using a small hand tool with structure gloves on? A leatherman would be useless.

You're right that you shouldn't risk your life for nothing, but remember in this hypothetical case the ceiling came down once crews were already inside, not before they went in. It's possibly for a small smouldering fire in the ceiling space to build up enough heat to melt aircon duct, but still not show up as a large fire from the outside.

Would you personally refuse to go in to a smoke logged room (with no persons reported) because the structure would be weakened?

Quote from: unfknblvable on June 01, 2011, 10:02:53 AM
Is it not the responsibility of the Incident Controller to decide upon incident strategy?
Is it not the role of Safety Officers to take corrective actions where "personnel are taking unacceptable risks"?
Oh but of course all you highly experienced and far more knowledgeable types on this forum are much wiser.
ROFL

Some members of this forum are trying to have a serious discussion about urban fire fighting because they know the CFS training provided is inadequate.
If you're an experienced urban fire fighter, how about you contribute to the discussion positively, so that members on here can learn from your experience?  How about explaining what you would do as an incident controller, or describing what actions you would take after being entangled rather than saying "it's not hard, follow SOP"?

Snide, passive-aggressive remarks are not helpful, and will be removed from now on.

If you have something helpful to say, please contribute.  If you don't, feel free to read but don't post.

QuotePETER CAVE: Japan is mourning hundreds of firefighters who died trying to save lives in the March earthquake and tsunami.

Many died trying to shut sea gates as the massive waves thundered towards the shore.

In the town of Rikuzentakata, 49 firefighters were swept to their deaths by waves over 13 metres in height.

http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2011/s3231332.htm

I wouldn't mind seeing that video...

Quote from: flyonthewall on May 31, 2011, 09:07:02 AM
I'm at a loss for words.

Obviously there is something missing from your Command and Control at incidents and who is enforcing it.

Que?

Quote from: flyonthewall on May 28, 2011, 04:30:37 PM

QuoteCould you enlighten us as to these "RIT Methods" you speak of?

As per a RIT team, a crew (of 4)is put aside and designated as a RIT team that is only used for an emergency rescue with a complete set of rescue resources eg. stretcher, tools, cutting gear and anything that may be needed to effect a rescue. This team is not used for any firefighting.

When is the RIT set up?  Is this only for commercial fires, or all fires where crews are inside a structure?  If you have a relatively small domestic fire where you only have 2 operators committed, would the standby crew outside have tools ready in case something goes wrong? (or would you have a 4 member RIT at the ready?)

Also, does anyone know where one can get a copy of the SAMFS SOPs?

Interesting tool. Do you know if it's used by any fire services?

It seems to be a good tool for what it's designed for, but I'm not sure how useful it would be in a fire service context (ie, would it get used enough to warrant stowing it on a truck?), so I'm not sure if fire and rescue suppliers would be interested in distributing it.  You might get more interest in industrial applications...

Quote from: TillerMan on April 22, 2011, 04:49:05 PM
Hmmmm there is a reason that it is version 5.0 so that changes can be made.

There is also a reason people proof read their documents before sending them out to 15,000 odd employees and asking them to implement it...  ;)

Quote from: bajdas on March 22, 2011, 12:59:50 PM
Fourth deployment of SA SES volunteers left yesterday for Far North Queensland.

Is that because of the fresh rains, or are they on clean up duty?

Quote from: Sarge on March 20, 2011, 07:23:30 PM
What exactly is AIRS IN & AIRS OUT?

The reports for attending a call IN your primary response area, or OUT of your primary response area.  What used to be called Primary and Support.

Quote from: 6739264 on March 20, 2011, 07:50:39 AM
Scrap the brumby, I think the Combi Tool will fit in the boot of a 2 seat Smart Car! Just gotta get the charging stations installed about the response area...

I think you'd find that in Australia those "charging stations" are called "petrol stations" and you'd need to find one every 600 Km.



The added advantage of using a Smart car is you can use the car itself as a stabilisation block for anything bigger than a sedan!

Quote from: pumprescue on March 14, 2011, 05:27:34 PMI would tell him I don't want to be in the CFS. But I am part of my local volunteer fire brigade to protect my loved ones. The CFS is so much of a joke that I don't associate with the name.

My crews are under trained, under resourced and pretty much fed up.

Well said.

It would be nice to have some resources put into the urban side of the CFS.  Having more training positions would be a good start, (so BA can be a standard qualification rather than a luxury), but ideally I'd like to see better equipment (especially) for busy urban brigades.

Quote from: pumprescue on March 04, 2011, 01:35:14 PM
I have heard some group officers are already cracking the sads, and writing nasty letters....mingers

What are they complaining about?  All I've heard are concerns about using CABA wear info as a basis for re-accreditation, and scorn over the change from Primary/Secondary to In/Out.

Quote from: pumprescue on March 04, 2011, 01:35:14 PM
Its already proven useful for some members as things like wearing BA are going towards the re-accred time.

I think this a bad move.  Starting up a CABA set at an incident in no way proves that an operator is still a competent BA operator.  The purpose of an annual, (or 5 yearly), re-accreditation is to ensure BA operators are still donning and starting up correctly and still know the correct procedures for safety and equipment maintenance.  Do they really think a tick in a box on a fire reports proves an operator is competent and removes a need for them to be assessed?

I'm also curious about the definition of RCR and HAZMAT operators...
"HAZMAT OPERATOR - Actually used hazmat equipment at a hazmat incident".  So if I turn on the PID at a house fire, does that make me a Haz Op?
"RCR OPERATOR - Actually used RCR equipment at the incident". If I use a haligan to pop a bonnet at a car fire am I an RCR Op?  All seems a bit vague...

Quote from: pumprescue on March 04, 2011, 01:35:14 PM
It will also be good to prove to some of our more useless members that they are tying up specialist spots when they continually shirk attending fire calls and training.

Can't you do that already from the fire reports you're already filling in?

Quote from: 6739264 on March 04, 2011, 10:18:15 PM
Hmm....

I'm not entirely convinced that those people above us are doing the right thing by us. Why do we still not have access to ALL the AIRS codes? Why do we only get a select few that someone determines 'will be enough'?

Agreed - we have to make whatever incident we attended fit into the select few options they give us, rather than reporting what we actually attended.  But you have to admit, it does make it a lot easier!

Quote from: 6739264 on March 04, 2011, 10:18:15 PM
For those complaining, stats are the best way to increase your funding... show the Govt. how much work we are actually doing. If we get stats to back us up we can actually achieve things! Get those false alarms reduced, have a solid argument as to why xyz Brigade needs xyz truck/specialisation/SFEC increase.

Again, haven't we been filling out fire reports for years?  Is the inclusion of some extra details about an alarm call really going to get us extra funding or cut down on false alarms?  You can already get the stats from the previous version of the forms - if it says we went to an alarm, it means it was an unwanted alarm, if it legit, we'd put it down as a fire...

As well as the mistakes Matt already pointed now, there seem to be quite a few other fields that are vague or confusing. 
For example,

Who is the "Officer in Charge"?

Does "Spare cylinders used" really mean spares used, or total used? 

"Charge code: Yes/No" How do we answer that? 

"Name of Brigade/Station/Unit who conducted Rescue".  What counts as the rescue?  If the RCR brigade cuts up the car, but then the local brigade carries the stretcher to the ambulance, is that a team effort? 

Or the fact you only get to choose one type of mobile property for an incident, but can enter details for 3 vehicles...

I'm also curios as to why lowercase and uppercase options are mixed.  Is there a difference between them?

Quote from: J Squared on March 01, 2011, 10:22:04 AM
thats a bit of hike for lobethal isnt it? i can think of at least 4 other brigades with chainsaws alot closer...

I think Lobethal would be the SES part of the response...

Quote from: Pipster on February 25, 2011, 08:15:08 PM
Nope, don't remember East Torrens having one....   :|

Tea Tree Gully have a BBQ trailer, with an ice box.....   I think East Torrens might have grabbed it many years ago for a fire.... ?

Pip

Sounds like the one I remember, so that would be right! :)

I recall East Torrens group having a pretty good trailer set up a few years ago too...

Quote from: 6739264 on January 06, 2011, 08:58:43 PM
Go read up. Missing more than 3 training sessions in a row, without written explaination is pretty much grounds to be turfed.

It's all there in the Regs, its nothing new.

Actually, I think you'll find the Regs talk about brigade meetings, not training nights...

Anyone heard anything from the new guy yet?