VIC Bushfires

[CFS_Firey]

embeded in CFS (similar to the current Oscar whatever'S)

You mean SOT?

[bajdas]

For my personal interest I went back to the beginning of this thread & reread some of the postings.

If CFS had deployed everything possible in strike teams to Victoria, could the current rotation of volunteers be kept up ?

It really reinforced within me a comment made by a person made a few years ago. Never throw everything at the problem at the beginning, you will have nothing left in reserve.

I am not sure how many rotations of volunteers have been sent & if anyone has gone twice. But I would be interested if someone has access to the figures.

Also, is this the first time that paid staff from MFS have been deployed with CFS volunteers and been on the same rural truck ? If so, why the change ? (my conspiracy nerve is twitching).

[Pipster]

The Vics expect that the fires will continue until Easter, when, normally, they get rain....

If CFS had sent far more people on deployments, could we sustain the numbers...?  maybe.

I suspect that as time goes on, it is actually easier to get people, rather than harder, as more people have time to arrange leave / time off etc

As for MFS crews, we had mets crews with us on deployment to Sydney in 1994, so that is nothing new. 

Pip

[Alan J]

Also, is this the first time that paid staff from MFS have been deployed with CFS volunteers and been on the same rural truck ? If so, why the change ? (my conspiracy nerve is twitching).

No. Been happening since Bala Ranges in 2001(?)
Certainly had a permo on our crew at Arcadia a few months later.

Can we maintain the current deployment rate long term?  Probably.
My brigade has still 4 hands up who haven't been.
Others would be the same.
2 strike teams isn't a lot, but it is useful.

cheers

[Bagyassfirey]

people who have been over once will be first asked to go again. due tot he extreme danger of the fire grounds. deployment that got home today changed the thinkin of deploying crews interstate...  :wink:

[Bagyassfirey]

QDWeather for Tuesday - A very aggressive cold front moving through the State similar to the gale event of 2 April 2008. Warm north winds will strengthen to gale force, in alpine areas pre dawn then more generally ahead of the change. This is shaping up to be a critical extreme fire weather day similar to the 7th February - Brigades & Groups are asked to start planning over the weekend for crewing of Strike Teams from Monday night.Requests for crew names will be made Monday regrards


:-o

[Zippy]

mmm...another scheiße day.

Any lightining...if so, a VERY scheiße day.

[Bagyassfirey]

any day is filtered in VIC at moment

[Zippy]

any day is filtered in VIC at moment

yeah true,

no good having strong winds with pre-existing fires. hopefully theres at least 3 layers of control lines...Q&A?

[Zippy]

Kinglake CFA Captains Story....It somewhat links up with the blogs posted eariler with the appliance crash.

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=B11D9FE1986E82D1

[Baxter]

people who have been over once will be first asked to go again. due tot he extreme danger of the fire grounds. deployment that got home today changed the thinkin of deploying crews interstate...  :wink:

I hope that this is not the case and yes I do now this sound so much like an other thread but it needs to said. If you are going to recycle the members (sorry I am not trying to be derogatory) that have already been their employers may say sorry no more time off or for other it may mean that bill don't get paid. By involving as many people as possible you are improving the entire service not just a few learning opportunities should be grasped with both hands not protected by a few individuals.

[rescue5271]

Having just got back from the Victorian fire's i wont be putting my hand up to go back... just one thing i will say that the MFS guys all worked well with the CFS teams and it was great concept and one that should always be used if it can we all worked well and at night had our meals and drinks as ONE FIRE SERVICE and not two...I am happy to work with MFS at any time and te crews that we went with also said the same of CFS....Some very good friendships have been made out of these fires,well done to CFS for putting in the SPAM team guys on this rotation...

[Zippy]

Forecast for Tuesday

Northerly to northwest winds averaging up to 65 to 75 km/h, shifting west to southwest of similar strength during the afternoon. Scattered showers and the chance of a thunderstorm developing with the change.

City
Windy. A few showers developing.
Min  21
Max  35

[Bagyassfirey]

Im going back cant let what we saw put ya off  ;) those filtered neeed help 4 sure..

[Bagyassfirey]

QDGOOD MORNING, AS DISCUSSED DURING OUR TELECONFERENCE ON WED AFTERNOON (OO'S/GO'S), CAN YOU PLEASE ENSURE THAT BY 8AM MONDAY MORNING THAT YOU HAVE FROM EACH OF YOUR BRIGADES BETWEEN 3 - 5 MEMBERS MOBILE NUMBERS SO THAT JEANETTE CAN ENTER INTO SMSER BY MONDAY AFTERNOON. I'M NOT CONFIDENT THAT THE PAGING SYSTEM WILL COPE WITH THE INFLUX OF CALLS EXPECTED ON TUES AS A RESULT OF THE EXTREME WEATHER. SES & CFA ARE EXPECTED TO BE VERY BUSY WITH FIRE & STORM DAMAGE. PLS EMAIL jeanette.craig@cfa.vic.gov.au OM T.OWEN

[rescue5271]

comms is a big problem over there at the moment......

[Zippy]

are you meaning comm's technology or comm's protocol?

Considering they use Repeated VHF, i dont mind there setup, but its yeah things can go wrong with it.

Compared to our SAGRN System,  our system lets us loose too much, particularly our protocol.

Offtopic Idea. Scrap group talkgroups, bring-in Adelaide Fire assigned Go-To talkgroups, release the talkgroup at the end of the job etc, so there is only 1 defined talkgroup for an incident number, (unless an escalated incident).

[Bagyassfirey]

QDAll members. FYI Weather Estimates for Tuesday are currently Temp: 35, RH: 11 Wind: N 70 gusting to 110 kph. Wind change W 50 kph 1500-1900Hrs. Forest FDI: 138 Grass FDI: 272 [NARR]\

:-o

[Zippy]

not good.

[Bagyassfirey]

they should be telling people to just get the hell out n go to melbourne on tuesday this has potential to be very very nasty

[jaff]

Will the Erikson head over tommorow, SA's weather conditions are forecast neutral for the fore-seeable future?
Should SA send over 3-4 strike teams with appliances for Tuesdays predicted weather event?

[Bagyassfirey]

Victoria declined the offer of strike teams of appliances...but absolutely love the strike team of QRV's they think there the best thing since sliced bread.

[rescue5271]

CFA COMMS did not work good up in the rubicon sector nor did the appliances have handheld radios which was a big problem when your half way down the side of the hill away from your tanker...

[Bagyassfirey]

yea was fair poxy wasn it

[misterteddy]

have to say I wasnt overly enthralled by the Vics Comms system. Didnt function overly well for us in many instances however I didnt have to use it so therefore that might be a jaundiced view.

Two things I did like;

Numbered Strike teams and shortened callsigns. The predetermined Strike team concept is a good one I reckon and is something we could easily incorporate here and just have a standing deployment document. So u know who is going to be heading ur way, when u up the alarm, staging can be predetermined (mostly) so its a whole bunch of "organising and thinking" that doesnt have to be done when you're trying to keep the brown stuff out of the ceiling fan.

Likewise I reckon we spend an inordinate amount of time on the radio telling everyone who we are and who we want to speak to. When its bad, you dont have the airtime amongst everyone else calling for help.....go listen to some of the Vic fires Youtube stuff to confirm this for yourself. With the numbered strike team concept....our Strike team was 1006, our Strike Team Leader became 1006 Strike Team Leader (funnily enough), but with us talking to him....it reverted to 1006 (ten zero six) de XXX Tanker, quick simple and concise. Most times the word tanker was not used either.

On a slightly different topic.....anyone hear of the firie injured in Vic last week with burns to his lower leg? Didnt see that one make the news