Fire alarms

[medevac]

i dunno...

im pretty sure though, that the CFS actually provides the service (alarm monitoring) to fixed alarms, per a written agreement  that would stipulate something like payment for false alarms...

however with a private alarm; they are monitored by a security company that would have that agreement between the resident and themselves... possibly cutting us out of any payment, so in reality, the resident wouldnt have to pay as they hadnt 'requested' the fire service as such... the security company had...?

[rescue5271]

At the moment CFS brigades monitor fire alarms at their station,from end of July 2006 you will see a cut over from the station to the SOCC.staff at SOCC will monitor all fixed alarms and will turn out brigade's as per brigade/group plan. Once the alarms are cut over at a cost of $2500:00 per alarm,then the client will be invoiced for a monitoring fee per year as well as call outs that are false alarms. A client can have 3 false alarms in 60 days before they get a account from safecom for $150:00 per call,at the present CFS does not have the power to invoice anyone for calls outs till it goes throu the house...

MFS have the power to charge for call outs at the moment,so the new cut over will be a good thing but for some brigades it will be the end of income as such...All in all the new system has been doing well and there have been a few little hicups but these have been fixed...

as for private fire alarms that a security company looks after well I have not seen any paperwork on these yet but I would say that safecom will keep a good eye on it and send out accounts....

[Alan (Big Al)]

It's a pity that SAFECOM will do the billing as the Brigade/Group may attend a large number of falsies to a certain place yet may never see any extra funding forwarded to them????
Personally i wouldn't like to see more money go to groups that don't need it... oooh i've stirred one up now :evil:

[CFS_Firey]

Are you saying Mt Barker should get all the money from their many fixed alarms? :P

[Mike]

I believe the are a few interesting points when activity based funding is up and running properly.....

[mengcfs]

I thought because it was our core "business" groups could charge for fixed/false alarms.  At least that is what our Region was told by our BSO.

[Alan (Big Al)]

It's our group that actually charges but because our brigade does the high majority of alarms in our group we do see the benefits of the money....

Considering in the last 2 months we've got an extra couple of thousand dollars it really helps a lot because our group is pretty badly under funded. :|

[mengcfs]

It is only Group that can charge anyway, not Brigades. The Group holds the ABN, Brigades do not have one.  Good to see the Group is looking after you financially!!

[rescue5271]

Guys I would check first before you do that,so contact the region and get the word from them....

[rescue5271]

I am well aware of two groups/brigades who are very upset about the new system as they will be lost with out the extra income....

[medevac]

aaaaaaaaah well... IMO its the service that should get the money, not the particular brigades that attend... HOWEVER - the money should be used to benefit the vollunteers (statewide)...

[24P]

Wont matter to my brigade as MFS monitor the fixed alarms so i suppose they miss out then which isnt such a bad thing.  :-D

[pumprescue]

The brigade that attend should get the money. Why should they give all the brigades around them a cut when they don't get out of bed at 3am to go the alarm. Mt Barker i believe charge $150.00 a truck not call like SAFECOM. That is cheap compared to being in MFS area.

[rescue5271]

Yes MFS sure know how much to charge.....

[Toast]

After a quick test of a smoke machine inside the station, where one of our members.. (NOT CFS_Firey, not at all, no way never) had assured the rest of us that "The detecor is a thermal one", our security company rang and told us it would be a fee of $1300 to turn out the fire service. You have to wonder where all that money goes...

[CFS_Firey]

If someone saying "I think the detectors in here are thermal aren't they?" Classifies as being assured, then you might have a few problems in life Toast ;)
But then again, you could always bolt through the back door when the alarm goes off.... (Would you do that? never, of course not, I don't think so ):P

[PF_]

our security company rang and told us it would be a fee of $1300 to turn out the fire service. You have to wonder where all that money goes...

"But we are the blooody fire service!"

[rescue5271]

LOL,LOL,LOL

[strikeathird]

Jeez.. Community is in safe hands I see....    :-P

[CFS_Firey]

That's right strikeathird "Don't worry Sir, we are experienced with private alarms... we can even set them off!"
;)

[pumprescue]

we are the fire service?

that's not what cfs management think, we are the bush fire brigade, in times of bushfire we form....urban responsibilities yeah right.