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Messages - allan

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Country Fire Service / Re: Vic deployment Q&A
« on: February 26, 2009, 08:59:06 AM »
Re 25mm layflat hose. My CFA Region has equipped all of our brigades with 2 x 20 metre lengths, but it's not general across the CFA.

Also re live hose reels (or on older tankers a coiled length of 19mm heavy rubber hose draped over the back of the truck). We generally refer to it as the 'PR' hose - the hose you use to make it look to the public as though you're doing something, whilst the rest of the crew roll out some 'real' hose! Although it does have value when blacking out or for small jobs, however it's heavy and bulky on a reel.

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Country Fire Service / Re: Heat Wave
« on: January 29, 2009, 05:13:48 AM »
Minor correction to Bill - in CFA a Code Red day is not just a TFB day.

Code Red is really for internal use, as a means of advising levels of preparedness and response (there are also Codes Green, Yellow & Orange). The Code Red definition may vary slightly from region to region, but it is generally when the forecast FDI is greater than 35. For a predominately forested area they will work on the forest FDI (naturally), for a grassland area the grassland FDI. For a mixed area, an average of the forest and grassland FDIs is taken.

A TFB is usually called when the forecast FDI is likely to be 50 or above in three (sometimes two) selected (strategic) locations within the fire ban district. So our preparedness and response on a TFB day is the same as for a Code Red day, which it is anyway, being above FDI 35.

In terms of advising the public we still tend to use terms like Low, Medium, High, Very High & Extreme fire danger.

What is good, is that where the forecasts show a string of probable Code Red or potential TFB days coming up, then yes getting the media advice out there asap is very important.

3
Country Fire Service / Re: Future Focus
« on: October 25, 2008, 03:01:54 PM »
CFA Model? The CFA still have Groups! I'm part of one!

But in the CFA the role of Groups is to ensure that incidents are managed - not to take over the management themselves. Some members of Groups (OK, many members of Groups) have senior ICS role endorsements, and may form part of an IMT - but they do so because of their ICS endorsement, NOT because they're an officer of a Group!

CFA Groups have other roles as well, in coordination, training, representation to the Region, preplanned IMTs & field ops roles (sector commanders, strike team leaders and teams nominated)on bad days, etc.

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Country Fire Service / Re: Turnout Confirmation
« on: September 02, 2008, 08:25:55 PM »
Bill,

haven't heard of that system being used with pagers here in Vict.

Certainly a response sytem has been used by some brigades in that members use a phone to ring in to a dedicated number.

Much like (or the same as) the system described by Darren. Doesn't need anyone to answer. It just logs as an incoming unanswered call which is identified by line calling technology (NOTE: only ring in if you ARE attending!)

The pager idea would be great - but basically they're cheap(ish) radio receivers - not transmitters!

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Country Fire Service / Re: CFS appliances using ferries
« on: December 10, 2007, 07:25:56 AM »
In respect of truck licence categories, I speak from Vict. experience however generally speaking the standards are the same Aust. wide. (Although there a few exceptions! Just to confuse us!).

It is correct that a Medium Rigid truck licence will allow you to drive any vehicle of any weight - so long as it has only two axles!!!

BUT (and herein lies the 'practical' limit) - subject to the manufacturer's ratings not being exceeded, the weight limit for a steering axle fitted with two tyres is 6.0 tonnes (although if fitted with special equipment may be permitted to carry 6.5), and the weight limit for a single axle fitted with 4 tyres is 9.0 tonnes.

Hence the so-called 15 tonne limit (6 + 9) for a Medium Rigid licence.

Note also that '15 tonnes and over GVM' (ie. not the actual weight, but the registered GVM) also is the point at which BAC of 0.00 kicks in - not just when operating Code One (lights/ sirens) - but all the time!

There are a few vehicles (not many that also have only a single axle rear axle) that have the steering axle upgrade, hence the theoretical limit for a Medium Rigid licence is 15.5 tonnes. I'll also admit that there are some specialist mobile cranes that have 4 tyres on both axles - whilst I have no experience with them, I'd presume that their maximum is 18 tonnes GVM (subject to manufacturer's specifications)?

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Country Fire Service / Re: White CFS Trucks
« on: October 22, 2007, 09:30:13 AM »
CFA did have a handful which were a garish colour! I think they were a limited run of medium pumpers? And that particular style was only allocated to the larger, very busy brigades - the so-called 'integrated' brigades which had both permanent fireys and volunteer fireys.

That colour scheme didn't last long! Back to good old RED. (IMO one of the worst colours for visibility, but if it's what the public associate with 'fire' then why change?)

Brigade-owned stuff until recently has allowed to be either red or white, but I seem to recollect that CFA have now instructed that all appliances with fixed fire-fighting bodies must be red. (That would exclude the small 4WD cab-traybacks with a slipon tank and pump, which may be white.)

PS. Whilst QF&RS have red trucks (with red & blue lights) in the urban stations, their rural counterparts (who are in fact a division of QF&RS) are limited to yellow trucks with 'red only' warning beacons. And doesn't that difference in standards pi$$ the rural members right off!

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SA Firefighter General / Re: Fire Danger
« on: May 12, 2007, 10:30:13 AM »
In respect of "is the scale 0 to 100, or does it go higher?" (see first post).

When McArthur developed the scale (back in the 1950s) he considered that 100 would be the worst case, however recent studies (and live burn tests) has shown that it can go well over 100, so the scale is now generally considered to be 'open ended". But remembering that anything over 50 is 'extreme', the difference between say 100, and 125 is getting to be academic. It's frightening!

Also recollect that McArthur's original ratings (ie. low, medium, high, extreme) are designed to describe to firefighters how difficult it will be to control a fire. It is more often used (in the public mind at least)to describe the risk of a fire starting and spreading, which is probably true enough.

However, as firefighters I believe we should always think back to the original concept - FDI above 50, rating extreme, it is going to be extremely difficult to control a fire under these conditions!

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Incident Operations / Re: Water Restrictions
« on: March 17, 2007, 08:47:24 AM »
Excuse a Victorian for speaking, and with my limited experience with haystack/shed fires (only three):
1. Are they not very difficult to extinguish (once they've got really going)? As they tend to smoulder within and reignite (spontaneous combustion - all that wet hay). Need to be pulled apart, bale by bale and separated, all with FS attendance for when it goes up again! 
2. I have been told at CFA training session that animals will not eat smoke-logged hay(can any farmers confirm this?). Hence hay is wasted anyway.
3. How does farmer now get rid of the stuffed hay? Burns it! So suggestion certainly to we CFA types was to let it burn to save the cleanup/ salvage time!

But I must admit multiple days (as in the above example) seems to be just as bad!

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SA Firefighter General / ACT fireys in turmoil!
« on: March 15, 2007, 06:33:08 PM »
"Dozens of volunteer fire officers and brigade captains resigned this morning, abandoning their tankers and trucks outside the Legislative Assembly in protest against the restructure of the Emergency Services Agency (ESA)."

http://abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200703/s1872832.htm

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