FUNDS CUT

[TillerMan]

I have heard 2 rumours in the last few days in regards to cutting  the c.f.s funding......

1 is that the budget will be cut by $3 million and the other is that the budget will be cut by $11 million and $3 million will be from the training budget alone.  :?

Has anyone heard anything similar?

If this is the case i hope that all volunteers don't put up with this and tell the government to get stuffed.

[pumprescue]

I have heard similar things, all brigades need to blow all their budgets so the government and CFS management wake up to the fact you cannot run a fire service on well wishes and plastic trucks.....

[probie_boy]

I have heard 2 rumours in the last few days in regards to cutting  the c.f.s funding......

1 is that the budget will be cut by $3 million and the other is that the budget will be cut by $11 million and $3 million will be from the training budget alone.  :?

Has anyone heard anything similar?

If this is the case i hope that all volunteers don't put up with this and tell the government to get stuffed.

who did we just vote in for another term?? :?

hopefully this ain't true, It'll suck donkey otherwise

[PF_]

Now we know why the government was being nice and gave us all PBI

[Del]

I know most groups will be taking a budget cut this year. Rumour has it that region 1 is taking the biggest cut.

Spend spend spend....

[probie_boy]

wow, this financial years gonna be fun :roll:

[CyberCitizen]

I Heard That Alot Of CFB Courses Were Canned Because Of The Cost. Rumor Not Sure But It Would Make Sence As Thats An Expensive Course.

I'm In Region One Will Have To Start Spending.

[rescue5271]

YES I heard this afew weeks ago all I can say is wait till the budget comes out and wait till the court case is over..

[strikeathird]

Thats filtered !

[pete]

Blow the budget and they will still pay,the MFS do.

[rescue5271]

Due to cuts in our budget all Volunteers will get a 50% drop in there CFS pay... :-o :lol: Mind you the MFS retain guys are still waiting on there pay rise and back pay from last year..........

[pumprescue]

Spend up big a just show your region, HQ and the government you cannot run a station with 3 trucks on $20,000........................

[rescue5271]

Yes you can,I can run 50 Tonka trucks on $20,000 :lol:

[Darius]

Blow the budget and they will still pay,the MFS do.

exactly, you spend what you have to.  My group will be over budget come the end of June (if it's not already) but tough.

[Camo]

I guess they cant take our toys away if we dont play by the rules so spend spend spend.

[Robert-Robert34]

Will this CFS fund cut result in small brigades going into recession  :?

[CFS_Firey]

The CFB courses were cancelled because of lack of numbers, not funding.

Unfortunately, over spending will just hurt CFS corporate, not the government. The CFS has been asking for more money for years, and is being ignored.  Its been presented to the government that the CFS needs more money, they've seen the figures, and know we are under funded but for some reason, they can't find any more money for us...
...What happened to the government that supports volunteers?

[rescue5271]

May be SAFECOM have a solution to this problem and I at a guess would say that there will be some form of one service in small towns rather than two or three as is the case.Time will tell and I am sure that we as Volunteers will just get on with the job and leave the CFS staff and the VFBA to get stuck into the government about the so called cuts...

[probie_boy]

Due to cuts in our budget all Volunteers will get a 50% drop in there CFS pay... :-o :lol:

yeah, we will actually have to start paying the CFS for each call we attend. On a serious side note, maybe newer members will have to pay a percentage of the cost for gear or training or something. It would be stupid, but it might have to be done if things get bad.

[Mike]

May be SAFECOM have a solution to this problem and I at a guess would say that there will be some form of one service in small towns rather than two or three as is the case.Time will tell and I am sure that we as Volunteers will just get on with the job and leave the CFS staff and the VFBA to get stuck into the government about the so called cuts...

Amalgamation!!!  :-D :-D :-D The 'Naracoorte Emergency Service' :-D :-D :-D
I reckon it could take off Bill  :-D

[Firey9119]

, maybe newer members will have to pay a percentage of the cost for gear or training or something. It would be stupid, but it might have to be done if things get bad.

if this happens it will be even harder to get new members cos no one is going to pay to be a volly and to the stuff we do

[probie_boy]

yeah blinky i know, but its a problem

[Stefan KIRKMOE]

Due to cuts in our budget all Volunteers will get a 50% drop in there CFS pay... :-o :lol:

yeah, we will actually have to start paying the CFS for each call we attend. On a serious side note, maybe newer members will have to pay a percentage of the cost for gear or training or something. It would be stupid, but it might have to be done if things get bad.

And how is that different to the way currently work???
I'm sure members across the state are carrying some of the finacial cost of running the CFS. Fuel costs for driving to station, meetings, training, calls, etc., parts of PPE such as t-shirts, phone bills for making calls (and internet usage) from private phone's, minor stationary items and a range of other things.
I once had a brigade member ask if he should pay for the hire of a car trailer to be used to move wrecks around for RCR training (he was quiet happy to pat for it). I think most people are quiet happy to put in not only the time to support the CFS, but also money to ensure their local brigade still works effectivly and community has an adequate fire service. Call it part of the volunteer ethos perhaps. I have done this on a number of occasions.
However this willingness by volunteers to financially support their brigade is having the negative effect of hiding the actual cost to run the CFS. I'm not sure if anyone actually does know how much money goes into the CFS state wide from a variety of sources (Govt, fundraising, memebrs pockets, etc) to run the CFS. So when a Govt goes to cut the budget by X million dollars, as is rumoured, they are in the belief that the service is currently working fine on the current budget allocated to them and a small (to them) cut in funding will have minor effects. When in fact the CFS is not running financially on the current budget!!!
SK

[CFS_Firey]

Well said mate...
Has anyone heard anything other than rumours about this funding cut?  Has there been any mention of it in the paper / in parliament?

[Firefrog]

The CFB courses were cancelled because of lack of numbers, not funding.

Unfortunately, over spending will just hurt CFS corporate, not the government. The CFS has been asking for more money for years, and is being ignored.  Its been presented to the government that the CFS needs more money, they've seen the figures, and know we are under funded but for some reason, they can't find any more money for us...
...What happened to the government that supports volunteers?

A labour Govt is philosophically opposed to volunteerism......How can SAMFS expand when vollies are doing the job as good as SAMFS. I doubt a Labour govt is too keen on extending funding above what is politically popular...

Reserve the right to be proved wrong though!!!!! :-D