-Don't just use resources from your own group, think outside the square and i hope CAD fixes this and almost abolishes group boundaries leaving it as a purely admin thing.
Don't get caught up thinking about turning out specific Brigades. Upgrade the job with the appropriate alarm level, or if you can't remember then just turnout "n Brigades". Unless you want a resource special called (eg: Belair Tanker, but not Belair Brigade). Don't worry about doing the math on who is closer, let the overpaid cranky slackers in comms do some real work.
-I think Lofty group if anyone have the right idea knowing they are short crew during the day respond more to hopefully get a good response and when you do turn a few trucks back if they are not required.
Yep, as long as people follow that all important last line. On big, bad, nasty looking days, it is more important than ever to have trucks in their areas available to respond, rather than at the local truck traffic jam.
How about some not Crew OIC/IC basics?
- Check your PPE. Not next training, not next week. But now. Go and check it. Make sure its in good condition. If it isn't, good luck getting new gear before the FDS.
- Make sure you've got all of the items of your PPE. If you don't, then order them ASAP. Still haven't got them after your purchase order? Go and buy them yourself and work out the details with CFS later. You need your PPE and you need it NOW.
- Looks like a bad day? Start drinking water. Prehydration is everything. Yeah knock off a bottle on the way to a job, but it had better not be the only fluids you've had all day.
- Get that pump started! Fire it up on the way to the job (Only if your appliance is capable of it. Goodluck with that PTO Pumper...) so that you don't waste time filtered arse ing at the job trying to get it started.
- Make sure all your trucks are ready to go. Sounds stupid I know, but if it looks like a bad day, go into the station early, check everything, check it twice. Fuel/Oil/Water/Equipment/Drinking Water/Jerry Cans/Chainsaws/Portable Pumps/Generators.
- Its no use hauling hose up hill and down dale without a hose strangler/clamp.
- Throw a couple of bottles of water into your tunic pocket.
- Keep painting a picture for your OIC. Let them know whats happening, they need to know.
- Let your pump operator know whats going on. Head. Its either fantastic or the worst thing ever. (
Sickos) Remember hydraulics? 10kpa +/- per 1m up/down. You need decent pressure at the branch and you've already got a shitfight on your hands with the 250kpa friction loss in a 25mm hose length.
- Go in hard and knock the fire out. As we saw on Ozfire, a certain truck on a certain left flank of a certain fire on the 18th (That I believe may have also started this thread) was more than content to sit and take pictures of the left flank rather than get in a knock it out.
- The faster you get in and get the fire knocked down the sooner you go home. Oh and also the smaller the damage and impact the fire has.
- Need to make up in scrub? Use your two arms as pegs and make windmill motions to pick up hose in a figure of 8 fashion. It is stunning to see how few people know how to do this.
- Read your goddamned Field Manual.
- Don't forget: IM SAFE, LACES, 10 Standard Fire Orders, WATCHOUTS and the trumpet happy Deadman Zone.
