SA Firefighter
General Discussion => Country Fire Service => Topic started by: Camo on March 02, 2007, 05:02:04 PM
-
Gday,
At what stage do you think a GO or DGO should attend an incident?
Every call? Any multiple brigade response? 2nd Alarm +?
There is a certain group (and probaly not the only one) where it seems a GO OR DGO attends every single incident from a fixed alarm to a minor grass fire or minor vehicle accident.
Personally i believe they arent needed until the incident is at a stage where a single captain can no longer manage e.g. mulitple brigades at more then just a small grass fire. If a GO OR DGO attends every incident then the Brigade officers become no more then a babysitter.
What are peoples thoughts?
-
In my brigade one of our previous captains and a current member is a DGO in my group, and he regularly responds with us. However, he does not assume a command role unless requested to do so, he is happy to ride on the back of the appliance and work with us FF.
I do not see a problem with this as it gives those of us less experienced a chance to work with some one who has been around for sometime, and he is willing to mentor our SFF and LT in there roles as leaders, without actually doing the job himself.
I have found his knowledge, both at jobs and debriefs, to be quite beneficial.
-
Seems to be an issue that pops up all too often..
Here's a more simple question.. With a yes or no answer.. Who thinks their GO / DGO attends incidents they aren't required for?
I can't personally say i've ran into such a problem .. But im sure there are brigades that have... - Is it a glory hunting issue? Trust issue in regards to the GO / DGO trusting brigade officers? Do they believe it is their duty to attend such incidents?
I think those that have the issue with GO's / DGO's need to address why they are attending so many low " key " incidents.. Then work out a system as to when they will attend..
:-)
-
Bingo!
The 'attending every incident' could be tolerated, or even helpful, if it were in alphaone's context, but the fact that they assume command every time means that no brigade officers get experience in running an incident.
At the recent captain's seminar run by the region (where this topic seemed to be fairly common across a number of groups), it was suggested that small proceedural adherences could affect this - first arriving officer refer to themself as 'incident controller' on the grn. That assumes that comms calls the 'incident controller', not the most senior person on the scene (as seems to be default), and therefore requires a degree of formality in changing the incident controller. However it is largely irrelevant as the GO or DGOs are usually first on scene anyway.
It will come to a head shortly when someone retires and the complaint pops up 'but there's no one experienced enough to replace them'.
RescueHazmat makes a good point; why do they attend so many incidents?
Do they have no faith in the brigade officers? Do they like the excitement of lights and sirens?
In anwer to your simple question; yes. Why would two DGOs respond to an incident to which they only page one truck, and is suspected to be a false alarm?
I suspect the question has never been posed; 'why do you attend all incidents' and worked through, rather I can imagine the approach would (if at all) have been a little more direct.
-
siren jockeys
most of them dont even know there own SOPs
-
Well they are'nt allowed to go Priority One unless the incident conmtroller authorises it or its 2nd alarm as per COSO 8!!!!!
So responding to a Fixed Alarm or similar is out :evil:
-
Now that is a hard one as some G/O and DGO will not allow brigade's to run their own jobs But I dont think there is any need for them to rock up to a job if its only a one appliances job or its a small job. they other issue you have is that when they do(not all) show up they take over and that is not their job their job is to support the brigade whos area it is and help out not run the show. If the OIC of the home brigade can't or does not want to run the job then he can pass the buck.
-
It is interesting to see around the state, how things differ,..
Unfortunately, there seems to be an increase in DGO's / GO's attending jobs (and not just the big ones) , taking command...and then when it all gets boring, they leave, and dump it back to the brigade...
And, sometimes, these people are the same ones who then complain about how much work is involved in being GO / DGO !! :|
I have said it before, and will say it again....Captains & Lts need to be allowed to take control of an incident, with some ASSISTANCE from GO /DGO, if appropriate....DGO's / GO's do NOT need to attend every call their brigades go to! :-D
Pip
-
It's nice if GO's rock up and bring Maccas in the middle of the night!
Pity if your in the brigade that has just rocked up on site and then has to look at the wrappers for the next 8 hours, with the prospects of more coming nil...
hehe
-
or pizza, hold the anchovies :lol:
-
when this happens... u suddenly hold a higher respect 4 u'r GO (the power of food!!!) :-P
-
when this happens... u suddenly hold a higher respect 4 u'r GO (the power of food!!!) :-P
Except when its a hot pack of chips and gravy at 04.00 and its STONE COLD :evil: