SA Firefighter

Have read and understood all the threads, comments etc and it's plainly clear this group does not want to have meaningful discussions on many subjects.

It would be good to lift the level of discussions and not attack everyone who has a different point of view and actually discuss the topic.

Thanks JB.

I'm sorry my positive comments offended the "regulars". I must learn that this site is not about "free speech" but agreeing with the 10 or so regular posters.

Look Mattb I must be wrong and a fool to disagree with you, as you are the font of all knowledge and information.

As a CFS member for 30 years and shock horror I enjoy the many vlounteers and staff I have met I must learn to become more like the "6 %ers" and only look at the negatives.

You are right with the pager acknowledgement and the 10 instances I used it on behalf of my brigade, the operator took 10 secs to answer me, understood me and spelt the names correct. Yes I think we should never use the service again!!!

There is no free speech on this forum....I'd better stop now or you will lock me out of these discussions too!!

JB

Help Me, your suggestion regarding closing the metro interface CFS brigades makes sound business sense, however you have been unfairly attacked because many volunteers only look at issues through "emotion".

In the last 20 years the city has encroached into the country and brigades like Salisbury, Dalkeith, Tea Tree Gully, Athelstone, Burnside, Happy Valley, Morphett Vale and Seaford are now located in "the city".

Their response areas have dramatically reduced and in most cases are surrounded by MFS fire stations. Then they complain when they respond with MFS only to arrive when the job is over...Hello....isn't this telling the CFS something, that paid fire fighters located at the fire station will always respond faster than volunteers who have to leave their jobs etc and drive to their fire station?

Then CFS members complain they are responded to "crap" jobs !!! In any fire service there are never any "crap" jobs because all jobs have the potential to be life threats..People who complain about "crap" jobs need to consider if they should belong in a fire service.

Finally these urban brigades were orginally left in place to protect the urban interface...conservation parks etc. However DENR and SA Water now have highly trained, more experienced, paid firefighters that perform this role today.

The fire fighting world has changed in South Australia yet no one is willing to "bite the bullet" and close these urban brigades.. in the meantime they take large amounts of the CFS budget away from the other 350 or so other "Country" Fire Service brigades.

Yes Help Me you are on the money with your view point.

Our brigade is still using the new pager acknowledgement system and we find it very good. The operators are polite and understanding as it takes me no longer than 20 secs to place the message.

But I guess with most new systems in CFS, some "Chardonnay" brigades continually want to be negative unless it's their idea.

Matt, "get with the times" be open to new systems of work, after all it was your Region that insisted they need a fourth option to acknowledge pager messages with Adelaide Fire!!! 

What's your next suggestion.....carrier pigeons???
JB

It appears FESA in WA is in turmoil especially reading the recent WA fire report by Mick Kelty.

Appointing a Police Officer in charge of the WA Fire Services is another mistake by the WA government.

Some perspective to the discussion from a senior volunteer out side of the "Adelaide Hills"

J Blunt


We have one of the best fleets of emergency vehicles in the country / world, they are well serviced and maintained. I don't see vehicles breaking down on the way to incidents (like in Ash Wednesday), and yes some will give trouble now and then - so does my own car - "risking lives" - I doubt that! The task of manageing the bigest vehicle fleet in the government is onerous for the resources allocated, lets not bag the people trying their hardest to give us the best in vehicles / equipment / training etc. Funding will always be a issue in any agency. We don't need the latest and greatest, we need what is practicable and reliable and within the corporate guidelines. There is more to SA than the Adelaide Hills and todays article would not supported by all brigades / groups.

Posted by: Mark Hewitson of Ceduna 1:08pm today