SAMFS News

[SA Firey]

Check out this on the UFU website a good shocking read

http://www.ufusa.asn.au/49.html

[bajdas]

Thanks for the info...will take this to a meeting on Friday where some of the volunteer views will be tabled.

[gasman]

Well that just about sums it up for us cab ranked guys and girls waiting to get the call up. Thanks for trying, come again next year, we might look at you again....

[chook]

Not sure why you would table it Andrew - won't matter anyway. The minister is getting fed the info she needs to make decisions by. And remember the UFU has one role to look after its members, same as our associations.

[topjake]

Gasman

I feel your pain. Looks like another process of wait and see. It hurts passing the tests and not getting selected for a drill squad.   :-(

[SA Firey]

The latest news boys http://www.ufusa.asn.au/wordback_8_1.pdf

A good read

[wicky]

looks like i will be reapplying  :-(

[Zippy]

That report shows that the government have a hidden (increasing becoming visible) agenda with "SAFECOM".

[SA Firey]

http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,22975093-5006301,00.html

FIREFIGHTERS are accusing their chief officer of backpedalling in a resources and staffing dispute because of public scrutiny.

The United Firefighters Union fears fire response coverage to the city and inner metropolitan Adelaide will be reduced through a lack of funding for a new Beulah Park station.
The Metropolitan Fire Service plans to open stations at Beulah Park in February and Paradise in February, 2009, and close Glynde.

The union claims the fire service has "no budget available for the staffing of Beulah Park". It is determined to prevent the service relocating appliances there.

Secretary Greg Northcott said members would "fight to have this new station operational with a new appliance and additional staff". He said firefighters became concerned when fire service chief Grant Lupton addressed a service medal presentation on October 17. Union vice president Michael Vanderjeugd said Mr Lupton told the gathering it was "more than likely" an appliance from Adelaide station would go to Beulah Park.

Mr Lupton told The Advertiser "moving an appliance and crew from Adelaide station on Wakefield St in the city to the new Beulah Park station is not a preferred option".

That sparked accusations from Mr Northcott that Mr Lupton was changing his stance. "Taking that appliance out of the city, which the chief officer has now denied he's ever considered, leaves the city square with no fire pump that can respond once just one fire alarm goes off," he said.

He said the fire service should buy another appliance to be staffed by a new crew for Beulah Park. Mr Lupton, however, said fire service resources were "strategically located" to provide an emergency response within the shortest possible timeframe.

"The MFS intends to move the existing crew and appliance from Glynde station when it closes and reallocate a crew and appliance from an existing two appliance stations to staff the new Beulah Park and Paradise stations," he said. "As this matter is still subject to further discussions with the union, a final determination is yet to be made."

[safireservice]

 :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

[6739264]

Time to hit the streets boys!

[safireservice]

I reckon they'd want to sort something out soon or all the public will see is a multi-million dollar fire station with nothing in it. And we all know they like to see their money wasted!  :wink:

[SA Firey]

Our budgets blown after KI anyway :roll:

[tft]

Put a white truck in the station  :wink:

[SA Firey]

Put a white truck in the station  :wink:

We have got plenty of new ones laying around doing nothing :lol:

[rescue5271]

I wounder what the state would do if the MFS walked of the job??? so as to get their case about manning looked at,with these so called new stations going to open and with no new F/F looks like some new CFS stations in those areas

[chook]

Ah but would they walk?
And would CFS fill the breech?
SAMFS & CFS needs to really stop and look at the service they provide to the state - the whole state!
There are under utilised SAMFS resources around the state.
These resources could be redeployed to the new stations in Adelaide & the wages saved used to recruit new fire fighters.
Or resources that are in the city during the day, could be moved during to the outer stations at night.
People need to understand that its not a bottomless pit of dollars, ESL only pays for around 50% of the cost of the emergency services.
We collectively have some of the best equipment in the country, we expect it!
We have GRN, some other states have too, others are just now looking at it.
We have PPE that the eastern states only dream of, vehicles too. Remember that in most states both fire & SES vollies services still rely on hand outs.
In reality we are a lower to middle class state, yet want everthing the rich folks have!
The sad reality is the general population don't give a toss, as long as someone turns up!
So what argument could the UFU use to justify their position?
I haven't seen any support from the public so far.
And if CFS steps in to fill the gap they will be strike breakers - goodbye building bridges.
Seems like a good way to break both fire services to me :-(
As I said before both services need to take a long hard dispassionate look at their service delivery and find ways to a)deliver better services & b) save the government money or at least be cost neutral.
It is really unfortunate that we have to think in those terms, personally I believe the emergency services should be above all of that but thats not what Joe public wants - it sucks.
Finally remember where the SAFECOM CEO came from prior to SES & what one of his major achievements were.
With that thought cheers

[rescue5271]

The public are unaware of what is going on in all emergency services and its time that they where informed,its also time the MFS showed its respose times to jobs,its time we all worked as a team and supported each other(my god did I just say that) I must be getting old.

[SA Firey]

Thats because the public have blinkers on :-P

[safireservice]

The public are unaware of what is going on in all emergency services and its time that they where informed,its also time the MFS showed its respose times to jobs,its time we all worked as a team and supported each other(my god did I just say that) I must be getting old.

I read somewhere that MFS claim to have a 30 second response time. I think that that would be a bit un-achiveable in most cases. They would have to be sitting in the truck ready to go to achive that every time.
Was up in the comms centre a while back and a call came through and it took the 1st truck someting like 2 mins before it left.

[SA Firey]

Adelaide will never have a Flyer :lol:

[chook]

But how, you guys are always in the media doesn't seem to make a difference.
And the departments are getting heavy on adverse public comment.
And if you put a case directly to the minister & the local member, they have all of the answers or at least enough ammunition to make you look foolish(trust me I have had first hand experience :wink:).
So whats next? & what do response times got to do with it?
There is no way that a vollie service could expect to cover the whole of the metro Adelaide,so if possible we should support our MFS colleagues. Remember it is after all their livelyhood.
cheers

[tft]

SAMFS have had many strikes over the years, but the firefighters STILL go to work. Just the tasks like paperwork, training etc will not be done. The SAMFS might strike  but will always attended calls.
In England about 30 years age the fire service went on strike and did not attended 
fires and a woman died in a house fire, this was bad press and a sad day for the service.

[6739264]

I read somewhere that MFS claim to have a 30 second response time. I think that that would be a bit un-achiveable in most cases. They would have to be sitting in the truck ready to go to achive that every time.
Was up in the comms centre a while back and a call came through and it took the 1st truck someting like 2 mins before it left.

If you've got the crew of the truck sitting on the engine bay floor, next to the truck its achievable...

And that happens how often SAMFS?

[Zippy]

just have a strike that involves less available pumpers to be dispatched..show the potentional future.