Introduction of aerial appliances to the CFS

[fireblade]

Nice Big Bronto!

You know whats it's like opinions are like a@$holes, everyboby's got one!

Even without using aerial appliances at jobs

[Evac]

It is good to look at these sorts of appliances but no offence to keep up the training and having competent operators of a skyjet would not work in the cfs, cfs do not do enough calls to maintain skills on operators and it would put more pressure on volunteers to regularly train and operate the appliance at jobs.

Mt Gambier have a skyjet to cover the southeast, barossa if anyone was to get a skyjet it would be the retained crew at tanunda, north there are many retained station that could station a skyjet, west coast could go to lincoln or whyalla and a skyjet to mt barker would not take long at all.

CFS need to invest in putting monitors on all their pumpers, the need for a skyjet needs to be looked at, do you want this appliance for rescue capabilities or just firefighting?? what i mean is are you using it for a block of flats or housing or just a few big factories/ shops you may have in your area.

You tool. So you are saying Tanunda retained firies would be more likely to get a skyjet because they would do more training and have more calls to maintain skills???

Tanunda MFS do less than 15 working jobs a year and struggle to get members. The only reason they would get one would be if the UFU / powers that be wanted to put one there for some political reason.

[chook]

Not take over an SES job? Shock horror
Why not? (joking of course!)
And what you say about CFS vs Retained MFS is quite correct - there is not much difference. And once you have the equipment then training and refresher training won't be an issue. As I said before if the risk is there then the equipment should be available. We have large wineries here with distilleries as well & large factories with sandwich panel inner walls (no sprinklers) so the ability to go up and over walls including large concrete tanks would be a bonus.
Good luck with your ideas on aerial appliances - I think you need them.
cheers

Yes it is strange that one of the Riverland MFS brigades don't have a skyjet.  A lot of large buildings in that area.  Same with Victor MFS & Maybe even Murray Bridge MFS.

Realistically i can only think of three areas that may require an aerial appliance within CFS areas.  That would be Mt Barker, Barossa somewhere (Nuri?) & Millicent.

When I have been to the Riverland I have not see any use for a skyjet.

Well Backburn here is a quote from a local SAMFS  retained person "if this place ever went up we would park on the road & pump heaps of water in, we wouldn't go in there"
Wouldn't something that provides water from height (be able to fire water over outer concrete walls) be an advantage?
Big Bronto you don't need to be a guru to work out what an aerial is and what they can do, to see them in operation gives some idea of its capabilities.
And your comments on SAMFS retained are wide of the mark, they suffer the same issues as CFS i.e. lack of numbers, training etc, so I don't know why they would be chosen over CFS.
As I said before I think its a great idea & he is some history for you:
When Berri Estates went up years ago, there wasn't enough resources here. In fact appliances were bought in from Adelaide. So there is definitely a risk.
Anyway I think thats all from a mere rescuer on a fire topic
cheers

[big bronto]

Evac most cfs brigade would be lucky to do 15 working jobs a year in their primary area.

What i am saying is MFS have the training and already have the resources to maintain aerials appliances. You can't just smack one in the cfs and say best of luck to you. If the government where serious about it they would stick an aerial appliance at all the MFS urban out stations and turn the skyjet out to any confirmed fire or 2nd alarm in the country areas.

[Pipster]

When you say "Country Areas" what do you mean?

In my area, these sorts of appliances are pretty much useless for two reasons :

Can't take them off the bitumen - so that rules out about half of my brigades area, and

Many (most?)of the driveways in the area are either too narrow, too over grown with trees, or have corners too tight to fit an aerial appliance (generally too tight for a 34, and a struggle with a 24)

Aerials may have their uses.....but certainly have major limitations in many (CFS) areas....

Pip

Pip

[RescueHazmat]

If you can get a 34 in there, you would have no problems with a Jet.. - With the exception of the 2WD limitations..

[SA Firey]

In my opinion Skyjets are lacking in the south coming from HQ,and north being Woodville,(or Oakden if they have it at the time)
There are big gaps, and also in response times should anyone need aerial assistance at a "going job". At least CFA and MFB have a decent compliment of telebooms and LP's.

Ideally Christie Downs or St Marys should have one, and also Elizabeth then you would have a good coverage, if an aerial appliance was needed urgently in CFS area as well. 

[Pipster]

If you can get a 34 in there, you would have no problems with a Jet.. - With the exception of the 2WD limitations..

As I said, the bulk of driveways are too narrow / overgrown / etc for 34's....and a squeeze with 24's (there are number of them in my area, that the 24's cannot travel down let alone a 34)

The other dilemma is the lack of water...the Aerial would need to travel with a tanker in order for water to be provided....and then there would be two appliances on a narrow dirt road, blocking access for everyone else, let alone get these vehicles down a driveway...

Aerials certainly have their uses, and in many CFS areas, they may be very useful.  In many other CFS areas, they are not, due to the limitations outlined above

Pip

[CFS_Firey]

The other dilemma is the lack of water...the Aerial would need to travel with a tanker in order for water to be provided....and then there would be two appliances on a narrow dirt road, blocking access for everyone else, let alone get these vehicles down a driveway...

Wouldn't that be a problem with any pumper though?

I agree with the access problems, but I would hope the CFS would be using aerials primarily in built up and industrial areas, rather than country domestic areas...

[6739264]

Pip, I would have thought that it would have been more than obvious that an area such as around your brigade is far from where you would expect a larger aerial appliance to operate.

As I said in my original post (and good god, I would hope people read it) There is only one town that I can readily think of, in CFS area, that could put forth a well supported argument for an aerial. That is Mt. Barker. Of course the area around Basket Range isn't suited to a larger appliance, and thats why it was never suggested that the area may require one.

[Pipster]

The post said "Country areas" not "Country towns"

Sorry if I am having some trouble reading between the lines

Pip

[Alan J]

Aerials certainly have their uses, and in many CFS areas, they may be very useful.  In many other CFS areas, they are not, due to the limitations outlined above

Pip

People, the solution is staring us in the face.
Get an Ericsson Aircrane !!

No probs with driveways, no probs with finding water.
No probs with traffic or response times.
No probs with us dumb CFS vollies getting confused
  about what exactly is an aerial appliance.

Strewth, CFS could even lend it to the Mets for their
factory fires.  Since everything at those ends up
lying on the ground anyway, 9 tonnes of water from
100M every few minutes would -have- to help with that.
A couple of decent fires would even solve the algae
problem in the Torrens Lake.

Best of all, it would also stop the flow of those
stupid, stupid letters to the editor each fire season.
(At least until the suckers find out how much it costs
per hour to run.)

 

AJ

[chook]

That is an excellent idea AJ 
Your a funny guy
cheer

[uniden]

nice

[Pipster]

Fantastic idea AJ... although in times of drought / low water levels, the Ericsson Aircrane has great difficulty in finding water deep enough to draught from...and hence goes straight to the ocean to draught (as it did on KI)..

I'm sure people won't mind 9000 litres of salt water direct on their gardens!!   

Pip

[chook]

Wouldn't matter up here Pip long way from the ocean but
& when its not fighting fires it could move pods around -  lot more specky than a truck!
And you guys could set it up for RCR as well, then it could do everything
And think it would be a great CFS self promotion tool too. Your would have to put red and yellow checkers band on it though & the logo of course.
Hopefully we would get one too
cheers

[SA Firey]

Here it is the Pod Chopper...haha
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTvu_y_up58

[chook]

Now wouldn't that look great on the evening news
You may need a couple of them - it would look better (think Apocolypse Now).
You could even lift appliances in (they used to air lift our Unimogs - bit rough on the suspension though).
As I said a fantastic idea, the public (media) would love it & who knows the other states might copy it! What a wonderful way to spend excess ESL funds
Beats an aerial appliance anytime.
cheers

[Alan J]

Now wouldn't that look great on the evening news
You may need a couple of them - it would look better (think Apocolypse Now).

Ahhh, but it IS an aerial appliance. That's the point.
If we got two, then we could do one in orange & white chequer,
set up an RCR pod & hand all non-metro RCR over to the SES.

On to the important details...
It would need a Really Loud PA for "Ride of the Valkyries" to be
heard over the incredible racket they make. Strathfield's ought
to have something suitable ... I wonder who does 32Vdc -> 12Vdc
converters ?

[fireblade]

Are you guy's already on the New Years Eve jungle juice a sky crane bombing a structural or industrial incident, It wolud cause my damage than good now I've heard it all.

[chook]

Well the short answer is - YES
After all it is the silly season
And I think we have talked this one to death
Me thinks you treat things to seriously
Have a good one - cheers

[Alan J]

Are you guy's already on the New Years Eve jungle juice
a sky crane bombing a structural or industrial incident,
It wolud cause my damage than good
now I've heard it all.

Oh no you haven't !!
Wanna hear our plan for combatting high-rise building fires ?

[fireblade]

You guys are crazy!!!!

[chook]

I do - does it involve abseiling?

[6739264]

Fireblade is the SAFF "Serious Business" Officer.