Mount Barker MFS

[pete]

Heard this may happen,does anyone know any different?

[probie_boy]

it should happen logically.

shouldn't this be in the mfs thread?????

[Toast]

Logically? What are you basing that on? Call stats? Type of calls?

[probie_boy]

just the fact that mt barker is now practically an independent city. The amount of houses/factories/shopping malls constitute having an MFS station IMO. Hell, if Loxton and other riverland towns have one, you think mt barker would.

hasn't this topic been discussed elsewhere? its part of another thread

[fire03rescue]

Look at the calls that the some CFA volunteer brigades do, they have no problems.

[Toast]

Barker still have little trouble crewing it would appear. They can roll both pumpers (or to be pedantic, their pumper and their rescue)without much trouble. They just need to work on getting the next pumping resource responded a bit faster to jobs theyve flashed over :P

You cant really base it on which other towns have a MFS presence, as a lot of the retained mets in the country do less than 100 calls a year, yet you have numerous CFS brigades coping easily with 300+ calls a year.

[probie_boy]

thats not my beef though toast. i don't understand why there should even be an MFS brigade there if there only doing 100 calls a year. like you said, some CFS brigades do up to 300 a year. so essentially the government are apying people that do less work than some volunteers. :?
I don't see the logic

[Scania_1]

The powers that be may wait 18 months or so and see how Mt Gambier goes with day staffing?? Before making any changes to the current arrangements in Mt Barker. You think Mt Barker would need CFS to look after Wistow and the Freeway etc anyway.

[PF_]

If they make one it means there is better chance of getting into the MFS and cause there is an extra station to staff. :-P

[Toast]

Dont forget about the insane cost of setting up a new MFS Station. Youve got A)the Building B) The appliance/stowage and then finally C) Wages for a new full time crew. Its not really something that youd think safecom will jump at. Considering I believe that there are more plans for other stations around the seaford area? As well as rebuilding the Glen Osmond station among others.

Probie, I was being kind when I said 100 calls, the average would be around half that if not less.

[CFS_Firey]

IMO, placing an MFS station near Anembo park (L/H side of freeway) is a smart move. They can cover Mount Barker, Littlehampton and Hahndorf, while Mount Barker CFS can be downgraded to simply a rural station to cover Wistow, Mt barker Springs and any other open paddocks that happen to be in the area... Naturally, the government won't do this for a good while, and they have no reason to while Mount Barker CFS are doing their job well. But it does make a lot of sense public safety wise...

[pumprescue]

Just a query to Toast, how many CFS brigades can get two trucks out the door 95% of the time like Barker seem to do. I believe they have gone 3 weeks with one call, so why would MFS want to go there right now.

[CFS_Firey]

I believe they have gone 3 weeks with one call, so why would MFS want to go there right now.

Getting to slack off for that long, why wouldn't MFS want to be there? :P ;)

[Toast]

Just a query to Toast, how many CFS brigades can get two trucks out the door 95% of the time like Barker seem to do. I believe they have gone 3 weeks with one call, so why would MFS want to go there right now.

If you read my posts, I'm not suggesting that MFS would want to move to Barker in fact quite the opposite. In terms of Mt. Barkers response, I've certainly got no issues. We would be a better service on the whole if we could consistantly crew multiple truckss, even in the middle of the day.

[CFS_Firey]

I think that comes at a cost too though Toast.  They use a rostering system which can be interpreted as quite a bit more restrictive than the usual volunteer systems...
While they can always get a truck (or 2) out the door, it means the volunteers have to commit to staying in the area. 
I know this works well for them, and they obviously don't have a problem with it, but I wouldn't want to have that in my brigade. I think one of the things I appreciate most about the CFS is that you don't have to go to a call out, if you're in the middle of something important, its your decision if you go, not someone else's, so its all that more satisfying...

[PF_]

At least 2 trucks have to roll to each fire.

[strikeathird]

Whats the average crew for each truck ? (With the rostering system)

Does the rostering system work ?  (For any Barker Members that may want to answer..)

In my opinion, CFS are fine up there...

[fire03rescue]

Ahhh, why is are people picking on Mt Barker with all the questions.
Take a look in your own backyard

[CFS_Firey]

I don't think anyone's picking on Mt Barker, if anything they are praising them, and wanting to learn from how they do it...

[PF_]

We only pick on Mt Gambier. :-P

(joke)

[Toast]

Learn about their rostering system *before* commenting CFS_firey

[Mike]

I think that comes at a cost too though Toast.  They use a rostering system which can be interpreted as quite a bit more restrictive than the usual volunteer systems...
While they can always get (or 2) out the door, it means the volunteers have to commit to staying in the area. 
I know this works well for them, and they obviously don't have a problem with it, but I wouldn't want to have that in my brigade. I think one of the things I appreciate most about the CFS is that you don't have to go to a call out, if you're in the middle of something important, its your decision if you go, not someone else's, so its all that more satisfying...

When I hink of a rostering system the same thoughts as CFS_Firey come to mind, however should these ideas be somewhat skewed.... please feel free to enlighten us.....

[CFS_Firey]

Learn about their rostering system *before* commenting CFS_firey

How does their system work?

[probie_boy]

yeah, toast, you must be able to shed some light???????

[scotty]

With Barkers roster system, firstly no one is forced to be on there night time roster. Each night they have only 9 crew rostered between 8.00pm and 6.00am that respond to any calls (2 appliances),if more crew or appliances are req they a paged. I think you will find it very rare that they don't have 9 people wanting to be on the roster for any given night.