Wanted Urgently: More Bush Fire Fighters

[CaptCom]

I think that you will find that the legislation actually is in relation to an employee responding to an emergency situation..it could read either way...but going on a strike team, may not be deemed as an emergency compared to defending your property or home town..

If the communication between boss and volunteer is open and honest, this shouldn't arise...but the vollie needs to remember their priorities and which activity pays his wage...

[kat]

Stuart Ellis (former CEO) used to say family first, job second, CFS third.

I hope you find a job, Sternzee, that suits your CFS commitments. You don't really want to be in a position of applying for jobs and being asked why you left your last three or four employers if the answer is, CFS!

Many employers are simply in a position where they cannot allow employees to attend. For example I worked in a kindy where the student/staff ratio simply didn't allow me to leave even though I was entitled to emergency services leave (it just required notice).

Small businesses can struggle here too. Even if they don't pay you for your time off, they have to pay someone else to do your job or suffer the productivity (ie money) loss.

Although I think it's good to raise the issue of CFS commitments in an interview and see where your prospective employer stands, I think it's best to go gentle to begin with. Get the job, be invaluable, and then do the CFS thing :-) Also if you show a willingness to make up time, do not go to every job going that others can handle, communicate your absences and provide written evidence of attendance from your Brigade it can help.

The EBA my workplace just negotiated has, for the first time, formalised their policy of supporting volunteer emergency service attendance by employees. They have always paid us for such time off but now it's in black and white!

[CaptCom]

We have a policy that supports Emergency Services members attending incidents as well..and as I get to review them, made it read so that we can be away for 5 days at a time without penalty eg having to use own leave   BUT this doesn't mean that we abuse the privelege...luckily many incidents occur out of work hours!

[rescue5271]

Sad to say this but some people do abuse the system and i know of a company that is no longer willing to let its members go to call outs because one member wanted to go to ever call during work hours.. Mind you he had to pass 4 stations to get to his own brigade....

[Sternzee]

Yeah you all raise extremely good points i would certainly have understood had i been leaving for every cat up tree, however we get approx. 30 calls a year and i would average maybe 1/2 of them most of which are car accidents at silly hours of the night/morn. but my position was at fairly large establishment and i did not get paid for any of incidents i attended during work hours. this plus i odnt know how well off you guys are for volunteers but we respond too many incidents with 3 crew members i dont think i've ever seen a group repsonse where we have had enuff crew for all the trucks. so its difficult but its probably inevitable that i'll have to cut down further on cfs calls in order to make aliving. thank you all for your very valid points. :-)

[rescue5271]

family and work come first then cfs.....

[CaptCom]

Sternzee, it's not easy having to restrict an activity that you are passionate about but it becomes a balance and it will depend entirely on your employer and their views on CFS and volunteering...along with your respect of his views...

There are plenty of employers that are supportive..but your brigade and group have to also appreciate that not everyone can get away during work hours...we are VOLUNTEERS..

[pete]

So from what i am reading it is safe to say that if every employer allowed cfs members to leave work to attend fire service calls then the community would have better standards of fire cover.

[CaptCom]

You're right Pete but remember to respect that it's their business and their money they are paying out...on top of their emergency services levy...imagine how much it costs self employed volunteers each year...if you find a supportive employer..don't take it for granted.

[rescue5271]

As I have said before time that cfs,no state/FED goverment looked at giving tax cuts to employers that allowed there staff to attend call outs. Does anyone know how the volunteers in the SAAS get a payment that covers there time away from work???
I am just reading the "THE FIREMAN " newspaper and there is a thank you to employers that allowed staff to leave during the past month or so to help with the fire's in Victoria...

[strikeathird]

I seem to see a little more where sternzee is coming from.. He is in a brigade that struggles to get day time crew (or crew in general)  -  by the sounds of it, a more remote brigade ?  Or township brigade...

He is NOT getting paid by the employer while away.. and is basically the only reason the truck got on the road during the times he responded..

What if it was one of the forum family members in an MVA, and his truck couldnt roll cause he thought twice?  I know we can make hypotheticals about anything, and everything.. But when (by the sounds of it)  the response of emergency services relies so heavily on members, sometimes its not so easy to say, work anf famliy first...

I think the best way sternzee is to be upfront with your boss, and see what he says..  At the end of the day, sure, u need food on the table, and money to pay the bills.. But I see where you are coming from mate !

[pete]

Our brigade has a limit of 30 pagers and some weekdays we are lucky to even respond.If say we could take more people on then maybe things could get better

[rescue5271]

Who said you can only have 30 pagers??? Time we all wnet back to setting the siren off since pagers came out we have all forgotten what that siren up the tower or on the roof does......