$1.2m boost for emergency services, announced in mid-year budget review

[Fire000]

From Adelaide Now 16/11/2011:

"THE state's fire and emergency services call centre will be boosted with extra phone operators after the State Government announced a $1.2 million annual funding increase in the mid-year budget review today.

The funds will increase MFS staff by 12 full-time employees working across 24-hours a day, seven days a week.

Treasurer Jack Snelling said the money would "increase the capacity" of the centre to respond to triple-0 emergency calls.

He said additional personnel would be on-call during emergencies.

Emergency Services Minister Jennifer Rankine said the centre received more than 43,000 calls in the 2010-11 financial year as the emergency call and dispatch centre for MFS, CFS and SES."


Does this mean Adelaide Fire will put on a compliment of dedicated Call Takers/CAD Operators, or will they stick to the seconded MFS firefighter model?

[misterteddy]

43000 calls......just over a months work for the SAAS call centre using full voice procedures (no MDT) and a team of 9 or 10. How many call takers, operators and supervisers on a AF shift? Add 3 more it seems with the new $$.

The MFS Comcen (Someone called it the Safecom comcen.....lol..who we kidding here?) has a bunch of outdated and poor work practices that waste operator time and could be done more efficiently.

[pumprescue]

I agree about some work practices that need to change...and pretty sure I have seen a hell of a lot more call takers in other services (remember SAPOL have 2 call centres). Also remember they are only talking about the emergency calls, that doesn't include all the other constant BS. SAAS and SAPOL actually record everything, and that includes "hi I need a bandaid can you help me" or "Hi police I can't work out how my DVD player works". Granted AF is nowhere near as busy, but the manning they had wasn't sustainable. Also who cares, they got more money and staff, isn't that a good thing ?

[bajdas]

Personally, nope...money could have been used for other things

[pumprescue]

Like????

[Alex]

Personally, nope...money could have been used for other things

As Pump said, like what?

Those who have any idea would realize Comcen desperately needs the extra staff. Those "43000" calls do not represent the entire workload. It would amaze some people to find out what other tasks Adelaide Fire conducts such as the CFS bushfire hotline, ALERT SA calls and the sheer volume of alarm maintenance and queries.

[misterteddy]

Personally, nope...money could have been used for other things

As Pump said, like what?

Those who have any idea would realize Comcen desperately needs the extra staff. Those "43000" calls do not represent the entire workload. It would amaze some people to find out what other tasks Adelaide Fire conducts such as the CFS bushfire hotline, ALERT SA calls and the sheer volume of alarm maintenance and queries.

as I said....historical, inefficient work practices.Not saying the staff dont work hard, because some do - but they do so because they have a cobbled together system full of anachronisms left over from the days of fire call boxes and a bunch shitty jobs no-one else wants to do.

As for $1.2mil....me personally, I'm sure training would be happy to see it, or heaven forbid we could look at 21st century equipment.

[Alex]

All the new training and equipment in the world still doesn't mean scheiße though without the capability to respond it... Unless the training/equip is for comms ;) ??

[FlameTrees]

Perhaps they might even *shock horror* partially civillianise AF, to get with the times, instead of ripping some poor unsuspecting firefighter off the road to go and do a job for 2 years that they have no interest in.

[pumprescue]

Yes that needs to change. But it probably won't.

[misterteddy]

All the new training and equipment in the world still doesn't mean scheiße though without the capability to respond it... Unless the training/equip is for comms ;) ??

it's ok....we have the Lofty Fire Tower with their Superman Laser designating binoculars  :-P

Perhaps they might even *shock horror* partially civillianise AF, to get with the times, instead of ripping some poor unsuspecting firefighter off the road to go and do a job for 2 years that they have no interest in.

or aptitude in...

[Pipster]

Just ask Police what they think of their partly civilianised call centre.....

A few years after it commenced, the on the ground troops still don't have a lot of good to say about them.....

Pip

[FlameTrees]

Just ask Police what they think of their partly civilianised call centre.....

A few years after it commenced, the on the ground troops still don't have a lot of good to say about them.....

Pip

But yet SAAS works quite well.

Perhaps it's the way they train their civillians?

[pumprescue]

Hmmm quite well, they churn through the staff, so can't be all beer and skittles.

[Monger]

Perhaps they might even *shock horror* partially civillianise AF, to get with the times, instead of ripping some poor unsuspecting firefighter off the road to go and do a job for 2 years that they have no interest in.

Plenty of FF are volunteering to go to comms these days so less are getting dragged there kicking and screaming