SA Firefighter

Yankaponga is the mid point between Myponga and Yankalilla - Property Name of a farm at that location

If you could PM me as well that would be great, been a bit bored without it!

I think the first picture is a Pacesetter appliance use in the 1970.  It was seen as a bit radical as it had a Front mounted Darley PTO pump (you can see it under the bumper) and rear mounted engine.  Apparently they went like the clappers!

Thanks guys,

New role with work been a bit hectic in the past few months.  Will hopefully be around a buit more!

That image is Rescue 52, BK117 Light Twin Helicopter, RS53 is a EC130 - noted as has a completely covered rear rotor. The 1000L bucket will mainly be used with RS51 the AB412 Medium Lift aircraft.

Sorry guys, heard all the arguments before...

As a SAAS Para and ICP for 8 years and a CFS firey for 12 years I seen it from both sides of the fence. Now I've got to say if you all thing that as a fire service that we should respond to all MVA's then good luck to all the fringe urban brigades and the MFS, cause you're workload would go through the roof, for no just cause. The large majority of SAAS responses to MVA accumulate to very little, and the above spoken incidences of timed responses is only a very small percentage.

In the initial call receipt from an accident scene, if there is even a sniff of something dangerous, any form of entrapment or encapsulation, or spillage then the fire service is automatically despatched. A large majority of MVA calls come from SAPOL comcen, and we receive these calls with very little information about scene safety, patient numbers, spillage etc. The other issue is the good samaritan who drives past an accident, who will call 000 on a mobile phone and only be able to give limited information, does this require a multi agency response??

As for the SAAS comcen centralisation, I believe the benefits of the ability to give far better clinical advice to Volunteer Ambulance Crews and Caller over the phone is more important.

I think we should take another step back and think before screaming that the system doesn't work. I think you'll find it works far better than a lot of other interstate and international services with our Call receipt and despatch.

Futhermore SAAS crews all receive training on Fire/Chemical Safety and how to approach a scene safety, and if they aren't doing so then please let me know. It's a good package, I should know cause I wrote it, and deviler it quite often.

MFS are phasing them out soon according to the current recruit course, so I envisage with the new CAD that K codes will be a thing of the past!

Maybe the Adelaide perception for RCR is because the Fire Services are the only providers in the Greater Adelaide area (which includes the surrounding suburban masses and most of SA's population) - I'm guessing Yankalilla or Murray Bridge would be the closest RCR teams to Adelaide with a primary RCR response?

CFS still is combatant for RCR in Yankalilla area. South Coast from Port Elliot has SES in the role.

Also SAPOL is the commanding authority for Vehicle related incidents (not vehicle fires though) but SES/MFS/CFS is the combatant authority.

Sorry on a roll whilst on a night shift:

I'm sure some of you've seen it but have a look at this link to NSW RFS CAFS truck at Heathcote:

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~g1412r/h1a.htm

Very nice cab/chassis, and I guess with 3800L tanks and a CAFS pump that the water from this truck would go a long way!

Found the following on a transcript of minutes from July sitting of Parliament, interesting:

WATER SUPPLY\TOC\2\WATER SUPPLY

 

 

\IND\Question:nn:The Hon. J. GAZZOLA    The Hon. J. GAZZOLA: I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Emergency Services a question regarding alternative technologies that minimise the use of water.

     Leave granted.

     The Hon. J. GAZZOLA: South Australia, as we know and as has been often said, is a very dry state in a very dry nation, with permanent water conservation measures. Therefore, my question of the minister is: what is the CFS doing to investigate alternative technologies that minimise the use of water?

 \IND\Answer:nn:The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO    The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO (Minister for Emergency Services): I thank the honourable member for his question. The CFS continues to look for ways to minimise the use of water whilst still maintaining fire-fighting effectiveness. Recently, a compressed airform system (CAFS) appliance was commissioned for the Blackwood brigade, using world-class technology. The use of this technology enables water resources to be used with far greater efficiency. Anecdotal evidence suggests that, when compared to conventional pumping systems, CAFS increases the fire-fighting capacity of water by a ratio of around 8:1. Therefore, an appliance carrying 1 000 litres of water with CAFS has similar fire-fighting capacity as a much larger conventional appliance with 8 000 litres of water. The Blackwood appliance takes advantage of this by carrying only 1 000 litres of water, whereby the CFS would normally carry 2 000 litres on a similar-sized vehicle. This provides the CFS with a highly efficient fire appliance in a relatively small package.

512     Other efficiencies gained with CAFS include: lower firefighter fatigue due to hoses being much easier to handle because of their reduced weight and the ability to extinguish fires quickly. Other advantages of the system include: rapid extinguishment of fire resulting in reduced damage and less time spent on the fire ground allowing volunteers to get back to work or their families sooner and reduced wear and tear on vehicles and equipment, again due to reduced working time. So, following on the success of this appliance, the CFS is considering the purchase of further CAFS pumps.

As stated above a lot of international and local research has been carried out into the visible presence of vehicles on the road and white is a highly visible colour, where red is a poorly visible colour. This related to spectrum light cancelling out opposite colours is defferent light (difficult physic in there somewhere!)

There's more chance of the MFS using White appliances than the CFS going to red! I love to see what the UFU says about that!

The MFS's Izusu Fleet which is out in the country had to be sprayed red as when they purchased those cab/chassis they where only available in white .

A number of county fire services in the UK are changing there appliance colour to a fluro yellow/green or white.

It's an easy one for me though, regardless of the colour of type of appliance, I'd still rock up!

I've a bit annoyed with the inconsistencies with the CFS about issues like this. Had a recent BA reaccred and was told that it was CFS POLICY that you can not carry out offensive structure firefighting without having the Structural Gloves on. I think that safety wise it important to make change, but when I've tried to follow up the only statement I've found is on a DRAFT document yet to be approved. I also feel that if this policy is to be the case then every BA operator in the State should have the gloves personally issued!

We;ve clocked up 30 or 31 so far. Been really quiet actually, but had 8 calls in the last week.