SA Firefighter

Obviously, it's more important to actually arrive in tact and alive ourselves rather than be concerned with being allowed to speed xkms over the speedlimit.

It only varies the arrival time by a few minutes in the long run...nothing would be worse than having or being involved in a MVA on the way to a job...

My appliance crashed on the way to a fire once, driver going too fast..thankfully, there were no crew on the back...we have now imposed an 80kph speedlimit on dirt roads as a result.

You could be right Calspec...don't be surprised if we see a directive or SOP in relation to the wearing of seatbelts...back and front!

It's something that I will address with my crew...unfortunately, made easy by this example...

we rarely leave the station with full crew...pick up crew on the way..as we are a Rural brigade and it saves time...and we only have a single cab, so crew have to ride on the back..

I am aware that there were two crew in the back, seated with belts on and they came out of it the best. All crew are home now.

what scares me more is that we can't get anymore GRN portables...period...don't make them, can't buy them etc...what happens if they start to fail..and we don't have enough NOW...

we didn't get our full roll out either...as we were the last ones...

Can't remember my first fire...have had some bigger ones though..Tulka, Black Tuesday...the ones in between seem to be insignificant...

thankfully, only 1 MVA fatality..unfortunately, it was someone all the services knew...that included the undertaker...and they were a very big person..needed 8 to get him out of car...

PF you will have many to remember...don't be too keen to get there..it could be a nasty experience first up!

the most important advice someone ever gave me (from Euan) was to take 5...it could save your life..

You're right Pete but remember to respect that it's their business and their money they are paying out...on top of their emergency services levy...imagine how much it costs self employed volunteers each year...if you find a supportive employer..don't take it for granted.

We have a policy that supports Emergency Services members attending incidents as well..and as I get to review them, made it read so that we can be away for 5 days at a time without penalty eg having to use own leave   BUT this doesn't mean that we abuse the privelege...luckily many incidents occur out of work hours!

I think that you will find that the legislation actually is in relation to an employee responding to an emergency situation..it could read either way...but going on a strike team, may not be deemed as an emergency compared to defending your property or home town..

If the communication between boss and volunteer is open and honest, this shouldn't arise...but the vollie needs to remember their priorities and which activity pays his wage...

The hardest thing to remember or try to get a perspective on is that the employer is still paying for you to be out fighting fires and you aren't generating any income for his business.

I've found that most are supportive of you volunteering..as long as it doesn't take TOO much time away from work...which is fair..some employers are better than others but you have to respect that it's their business that is losing...

Try to see it from their side..definitely ring and contact them but be mindful of the impact of you not being at work too..or coming to work stuffed after a call out..

I'm not an employer but I always ask during the interview if they have a supportive view of volunteering...volunteering doesn't pay if you don't have a job to go to..

This situation Mike is to be judged just as you said...depends on the conditions..eg are they known or is it completely unknown...but depends more on the rest of the crew..if they are very experienced, not such an issue..

We take newbies on controlled burns firstly but never stop them from a real incident, provided I have experienced crew as well...I'm lucky my crew are very accommodating and are very happy to show and teach on the job...you will also find that most newbies on a real job will try to help without getting in the way..we all learnt on the job..

If you attend training you are entitled to claim mileage..as a Capt I am allowed to claim phone calls but would be frightened to calculate how much I could claim for fuel, especially as I often respond in my own vehicle which then is used as a command vechicle...

But that is my contribution as a volunteer...if they start paying for everything it will be classified as an allowance and be taxable...

You're right and it all depends on your rank at times..eg I'm a Capt, so I have Brigade considerations as well as my own and the community that I live in...it's not always as easy as putting your hand up for a strike team...

As a firefighter that was right in the middle of Black Tuesday, I hope that it was our big one...for your sakes if not those of us who have been through it...BUT look at the change in the weather patterns...this is what dictates the bad ones..we have the high fuel loads etc but it's the wind and temp that makes it BAD..do the calcs...how windy, hot and low RH does it have to be to get the FDI to 365 (what they've calculated it to have been)...we have already had a couple of days of 45..the only difference..no fires..

We can wait but wait prepared, have a plan..as you said Robert, plan not to go on a strike team at the time your needed in your own area..

I unfortunately believe that it won't be the last bad fire I'm involved with as a firefighter...