Technology are we really using it

[Baxter]

While I was work the other day after recovering from a previous night CFS meeting (thank goodness for chocolate and caffeine to ease the feeling of sleep deprivation)I noticed a small difference bentween the way that we do our meetings compared to the region / group that I am from.

At work we use an on-line meeting forum or teleconference and video link ups. At the CFS I have the pleasure of driving up to 4 hours to a meeting in the evening and then returning i.e. leave work at 14:30 for a 1830 meeting then meeting finished at 23:00 and after refueling and a couple of stops get to bed by 04:30 to got to work by 07:30. Before you say it I am not from private industry I am a public sector employee.

I would like to know why we can't do this in the CFS use technology that is for meetings. OK there are the reports that need to be handed out can't they just be simply emailed out before the meeting. I don't do my 5 minutes before the meeting.

At the Brigade level I tend to reply off technology to manage the Brigade affairs e.g. messaging programs, email, and other programs from the MS suite of things. I do finds that these programs which have a calender function or a project management function to be quite useful at ensuring that jobs / tasks are done. As an organisation are we growing in to a technology organisation or we still relying off the provan practices of the past - over to you people.

[Zippy]

havent seen it myself with Region 1's smaller and "tighter" groups.

But, a solution for cheap or free video conferencing would be very easy to set up.  How?   ask me when i have less chocolate in my system.  For now, use MSN or Skype.

I wouldnt be surprised, that we may get to one day use the GRN system for video conferencing...providing the government improves it....

Imagine one day, having the ability to speak to a Oncall officer from adelaide , at a Hazmat in Barmera using Webcams...

[OldOne]

Imagine one day, having the ability to speak to a Oncall officer from adelaide , at a Hazmat in Barmera using Webcams...

You could do it now as long as its outside of the government internet network as this network is currently locked down so tight that not even VOIP or Skype will access the outside world or get in.

 Currently the only way is external (to Gov) internet access points to link the users for teleconferences either from you home/office or stations to regions.  (Has been tested between SES units on slow ADSL lines with good results.)

Arno.

[Alex]

Why not just use self-hosted dial in teleconferences.

Already widely used in CFS.

[uniden]

Could even do something in conjunction with TAFE. They use it in the south east to link classes at different campuses studying the same subjects. Video and audio streaming that is.

[jaff]

LOL LOL....Heres the thing I love all the new technology, theres no doubt about it, we can be more efficient and better operators with it......BUT most of our current(hah) technology most people arent using it correctly, GPS,GRN and Foam just to name a few!.
Perhaps we need to get most people up to speed on current technology and reap the benefits of efficiency gained by that, in parrallel with exploring new technologies.
Oh yeh, lets make sure all of our new technologies are compatable with all the other emergency agencies, instead of everyone doing their own thing.
God forbid , maybe a new arm of SAFECOM "emergency agency technological developments" or some such tosser name, the main thing is that everyone is singing from the same sheet!

end of rant..........for now!

[OldOne]

BUT most of our current(hah) technology most people arent using it correctly, GPS,GRN and Foam just to name a few!.
Perhaps we need to get most people up to speed on current technology and reap the benefits of efficiency gained by that, in parrallel with exploring new technologies.

God forbid , maybe a new arm of SAFECOM "emergency agency technological developments" or some such tosser name, the main thing is that everyone is singing from the same sheet!

The problem with Technology is the training manuals and any courses are always years behind their introduction.   The people who use the equipment in their normal daily lives are mostly not qualified to instruct as there are only have manufacturer supplied information and are not approved (accredited) courses.  Why can not these "users" of the equipment run informal weekend workshops to at least bring others up to speed with technology changes so it can be used and understood more widely by all.

Arno.

[Baxter]

Why not just use self-hosted dial in teleconferences.

Already widely used in CFS.

Alex they are not used as widely as one thinks or maybe some places are a bit more reluctant to get a board 

It should not be a matter of going to the accredited course just for the ticket but should be made into an acceptable norm. Has our ability to communicate with each other become such an impossible task (I hope not).

I find it very frustrating when I have organised my personal time to be family and friend only to find out that a CFS this is on or an SES that is on and you need to be here at X. 

I like the idea of video conferencing as it can open up a lot of pathways while still maintaining the traditional face to face aspects. I have done a couple of teleconference where by I have placed the phone on speaker and done other work not related to the teleconference while wondering what the person at the other end looks like.

Lets be positive people about the problems that we come across not dewell on the problems offer a solution or offer some an idea to solve their problem 

[Alex]

Why not just use self-hosted dial in teleconferences.

Already widely used in CFS.

Alex they are not used as widely as one thinks or maybe some places are a bit more reluctant to get a board 

Maybe i'm more out of touch than i thought, but from my experience, all regions were using dial-in teleconferences regularly. This is surely the best way to have these meetings. Participants simply dial-in from home or go down to the firestation to avoid the phone bill.

[OldOne]

Why not just use self-hosted dial in teleconferences.

Already widely used in CFS.

Alex they are not used as widely as one thinks or maybe some places are a bit more reluctant to get a board 

Maybe i'm more out of touch than i thought, but from my experience, all regions were using dial-in teleconferences regularly. This is surely the best way to have these meetings. Participants simply dial-in from home or go down to the firestation to avoid the phone bill.

The main problem with dial-in Phone conferences is the cost,  you normally dial a 1800 Telstra number from anywhere and then the booking agency pays by the minute per user so a one hour teleconference will cost 100$'s per meeting while a internet VOIP teleconference call will have Zero cost every time for the meeting assuming the ADSL service is being paid for anyway for other data applications and the local VOIP software/hardware is in place.

Arno.

[rescue5271]

The downside of all of this is the poor Volunteer who has and does lose out on sleep,work and family life to attend these meetings. I am sure that some where along the line's CFS under OHSW will sooner or later have to look at the time it take's volunteers in remote or country area's who attend meetings at regional or at a state level.

I agree the system we have now is more in your face by being at these meetings but its time that we looked at other ways of having these meetings via teleconference or video link up its not that hard to look at using your local TAFE,police,court or local council who have this technology on hand. What will it take before we see a change in the way that meetings are held? I am and so are a few other aware of long distance driving from remote brigade area's to attend  a group meeting could be a trip of 300kms or more.

I am that out there we would find a group or region where members have been involved in a MVA while driving back from one of these late night meetings or there have been some near misses... Not picking on the staff but staff who attend group or regional meetings are not required to be at work at 0900hrs the next day as they are entitled to their 8 hour break.....

[Firey9119]

Not picking on the staff but staff who attend group or regional meetings are not required to be at work at 0900hrs the next day as they are entitled to their 8 hour break.....

dont they get put up for the night?

[Bagyassfirey]

Not picking on the staff but staff who attend group or regional meetings are not required to be at work at 0900hrs the next day as they are entitled to their 8 hour break.....

dont they get put up for the night?

HOORAY finally some common sense! 

[Darius]

as Alex says you should be using the dial in teleconference facility. 
(once you get Adelaide Fire off your Alerts config, and if it's not too many people involved you may be able to use Alerts for this purpose too.  Not to mention that the CFS supplied mobile phones can do video calls and call conferencing).

Of course internet/voip/video conferencing is the sort of facilities SAFECOM should be making available but come on, it's govt we're talking about.  You should know the process: volunteers rig up their own system (on their own time and often using their own gear too), prove it works, get the top brass onboard, they put pressure on SAFECOM (or simply bypass them) and eventually a largely broken version of the original system is implemented for select individuals just in time for it to be obsolete.

[Zippy]

that sums it up darius..

[Baxter]

Not to mention that the CFS supplied mobile phones can do video calls and call conferencing

Who get these phones in the CFS world, I do know that in SES (UM, DUM and UDO) have supplied phones and use teleconference quite readily. This would be a good move forward if it is consistently done across all services. I do know one brigade that has been forced into using a members private mobile phone to compliment the lack of pagers they have in order to get a responce. (this maybe an entire new thread)

Of course internet/voip/video conferencing is the sort of facilities SAFECOM should be making available but come on, it's govt we're talking about. 

I work in government and we use all these technologies with our volunteers. I have heard the saying grass is always greener in the paddock next door. I do know that these resources are not used 24 / 7 and in one instance we have managed duplicate the resources to such an extent that we have almost one every 500 metres apart at various sites. I ask myself what is the blocker stopping SAFECOM from working with other government agencies as they don't use these resources at night when the CFS / SES could use them.

[Alex]

MalleeFire - every appliance [or one per brigade??] is meant to have a CFS supplied mobile. Not personal issue like SES.

[Pipster]

Every appliance?

Who is meant to pay for these mobile phones....I'm guessing it is the Group rather than Region or State.....and not every Group has the funds to pay...

Pip

[Zippy]

From what i remember when the change over from CDMA to NextG occured, every appliance was meant to be allocated 1 mobile phone.....

[Darius]

From what i remember when the change over from CDMA to NextG occured, every appliance was meant to be allocated 1 mobile phone.....

no, every CDMA phone was swapped for a NextG Nokia 6120 (and carkit if there was already a carkit), there was no additional ones allocated unless the group asked for, and paid for, extras.

[Darius]

Every appliance?

Who is meant to pay for these mobile phones....I'm guessing it is the Group rather than Region or State.....and not every Group has the funds to pay...

Pip

yes mobiles (like internet access, computers and many other things) are paid for from the group budget (and groups receive no specific funding for any of these things but that's a different problem).

and yes every appliance should have one as phones (landline, NextG or satellite) are the contingency for total failure of the GRN (refer to state and regional comms plans).  However there has never been an official announcement (that I know of) spelling this out, as the obvious next question then is why are they not funded.

Historically it has been up to each group to buy and distribute mobiles as they see fit.  Some groups (like mine) have lots as we have long held the view that they are not 'luxury' items but are essential tools.  Some groups maybe have one for the entire group (held by the group officer).  Apart from phones in appliances my group holds the view that group office holders and brigade duty officers are expected to make and receive a significant number of phone calls and expecting people to use their own phones is putting an unreasonable cost burden on people who are already volunteering their time.

[bajdas]

I work in government and we use all these technologies with our volunteers. I have heard the saying grass is always greener in the paddock next door. I do know that these resources are not used 24 / 7 and in one instance we have managed duplicate the resources to such an extent that we have almost one every 500 metres apart at various sites. I ask myself what is the blocker stopping SAFECOM from working with other government agencies as they don't use these resources at night when the CFS / SES could use them.

One of the problems is that SAFECOM (& all sub-agencies) are part of the Justice network. Thus they abide by the network rules that protect Courts, etc.

Until they move off the Justice network (maybe Shared Services  ), then the network/computer lock down will continue.