MFS Comm Cen

[Tone7]

As you are aware MFS handle all MFS Dispatch and now all SES dispatch and already some CFS.  Soon all of CFS will be handed over to MFS dispatch.

Do you think MFS should be running the show or neutral party

[medevac]

the sbsoloute best scenario would be for a centre manned bymembers of the public, who have a set series of SOPs by which they respond incidents, and dont step outside of these....

on top of this there would have to be a shift supervisor of some kind from each of the fire services.

none of this crap whereby commcen operators with a little bit of knowledge like to play silly buggers and fuddle with responses...

[CFS_Firey]

I have to stand up for MFS CRD and say out of the many hundreds of incidents I've been responded to by MFS, only a couple have been questionable...  I have enormous respect for what they do - sure someone makes a stupid mistake now and again, but that's only human.

We screw up at our incidents more than they screw up dispatching us to them.
:)

[2090]

I hope you mean the SAFECOM comcen...

[5271rescue]

Would like to see all call taking and dispatch done by SAFECOM like the CFA have with VICFIRE,that way with a set of good SOPS and service guidelines things will run alot more smoothly. There would be no them and us but rather a group of dedicated call takers who are independent to the service but are still working for the government...Hope this happens would not mind a job in COMMS....

[SA Firey]

the sbsoloute best scenario would be for a centre manned bymembers of the public, who have a set series of SOPs by which they respond incidents, and dont step outside of these....

on top of this there would have to be a shift supervisor of some kind from each of the fire services.

none of this crap whereby commcen operators with a little bit of knowledge like to play silly buggers and fuddle with responses...

Yeah right and have a call centre like SAPOL who only give you half of the real picture :evil:

There is already a shift supervisor at MFS and the last two ocassions we questioned their stuffups,"a trainee did that" was the response

Not to mention turning us out five minutes AFTER they already were dispatched and arrived before we even left the station :?

Where would we be if we didnt have scanners....IN THE DARK :-D   

[medevac]

There is already a shift supervisor at MFS and the last two ocassions we questioned their stuffups,"a trainee did that" was the response

A trainee? you mean a firefighter having a break from the trucks...


the problem with MFS comms i that very few of the guys are actually full time comms operators and so the level of training isnt there...

[SA Firey]

There is already a shift supervisor at MFS and the last two ocassions we questioned their stuffups,"a trainee did that" was the response

A trainee? you mean a firefighter having a break from the trucks...


the problem with MFS comms i that very few of the guys are actually full time comms operators and so the level of training isnt there...

That probably explains it but the supervisors are sitting alongside them from what a S/O has told me,and he's peaved about not being responded to a house fire a while ago back in June when they were only 7 minutes away

It is still hitting the fan over that one he tells me :wink:   

[Darius]

I don't mind MFS Comcen doing the dispatching (this is under SACAD you're talking about I presume), but would like SOCC to also have the ability to do it.  Would be a good backup mechanism and also for occasions like where the IC/base calls SHQ on the radio and says "respond the group tanker" (for example).  SOCC would have to call MFS to do it, which is silly (and wastes time - both in response and the operator's time), SOCC should be able to do it themselves.

[bittenyakka]

I think the MFS have done quite a good job untill their normal brigades are out of action. And then CFS groups and politics comes into play. it will be good when the new computer based system come into action and then most of the human side is taken out of the equation.

[Camo]

How about we get rid of Central Call & Despatch and go back to a Comm Centre in each Region.

Never had any troubles when this was the way.

[fire03rescue]

That would be a waste of time and money

[Robert-Robert34]

How about we get rid of Central Call & Despatch and go back to a Comm Centre in each Region.

Never had any troubles when this was the way.

I agree Camo as we never had any problems with being dispatched to incidents when South East Comms was doing paging for the Lower South East area as the operators there knew the local area

Although we might wanna keep SOC as communications so SE Comms can relay info to them in the event of strike teams being needed for a fire

:wink: 

[5271rescue]

It would be a step backwards into the dark age,once we go to a fully SAFECOM cad system you will see better information flow as all call takers will have to follow a set of guildlines/sops as is the case in other state CAD centres.....Don't knock it till its given a go sure there will be a few teathing problems and these will be ironed out.remember the CAD system is only as good as the information that brigade's and groups supply when they attend information nights and fill in the paperwork.....

[Camo]

That would be a waste of time and money

Closing them and moving to Adelaide in the first place was a waste of money

[medevac]

so.... how many jobs to you get in the SE daily there camo?


would the call ratio warrant having staff constantly on shift to take calls? on any normal day there might not even be a job in the SE... and on the odd occasion that is is busy, regions do open to offer operational support...


goign back to regional call taking would definitely be a waste of time, effort and money...


bring on SACAD

[Camo]

so.... how many jobs to you get in the SE daily there camo?


would the call ratio warrant having staff constantly on shift to take calls? on any normal day there might not even be a job in the SE... and on the odd occasion that is is busy, regions do open to offer operational support...


goign back to regional call taking would definitely be a waste of time, effort and money...


bring on SACAD

For you info SE Comms were the call and despatch for Ambos, CFS, MFS & SES.  On average they would despatch i reckon about 50 jobs a day?

Dont worry about me im just remembering the good times.  Bring on SACAD

[5271rescue]

I can tell you that when the CFA went from local brigades/groups and staff stations taking calls that there was and in some areas still are people who dislike the CAD system.But all in all it works well,paid staff now don't have to sit at the station and wait for the phone call instead they are out doing what firefighters do best and that is community education and inspections as well as on station drills. The volunteers no longer have to make sure that someone will answer the phone or that the radio base is manned,but above all it makes life easy once things are are done correctly.

I am not saying MFS or CFS do a bad job but to have one call and dispatch center will be great to the comunity that we serve....

[Robert-Robert34]

Heres some ideas of where to put South East Dispatch center if its ever re-established

1.Mount Gambier Police Station
2.Region 5 Headquarters
3.Mount Gambier Forestry HQ   

[5271rescue]

Robert lets not go there..come on SAFECAD

[SA Firey]

Its all about no duplication of services, and to reestablish those centres would not be cost effective and as we know with all government departments its all about saving dollars.

I would rather see the money saved from having one call centre go towards the many subjects on here we all talk about...

Training,Appliances,PPE,Volunteer Recruitment,Promotional Material, CABA for brigades who dont have it, and upgrading stations(ones with heaters and toilets in them :lol:

[Camo]

I would like to see it run idependently from any service, in other words a SAFECOM centre.  This way it can be run properly with trained people just like a real call centre.  You must admit some of those telemarkters are good at what they do. scheiße they could get all the info about the fire and sell you some insurance while your on the phone in less then a minute.

MFS do the best they can but it seems their resources are limited.  So best to go independent.

[Pipster]

Telemarketers, and call centres that take your calls are two different things...the telemarketers who ring you up & try to sell a service or a product are often good at what they do - because often how much of the service / goods they sell, determines how much pay they get!!

If you have ever tried to ring a Government department, or a Bank, Insurnace Company, or some emergency services and tried to sort something out with them....sometimes the person you speak to knows exactly what you are talking about, and is able to sort out your issue / query, while others have no idea....

My experiences with another emergency service call centre is terrible... I have had great difficulty in getting my message across, and other times, been on the receiving end of the call centre info, and it has been appalling.

So to have independent answerers in a call centre for emergency services is OK...BUT the training has to be top notch, so the services get exactly the information they need (which of course varies from service to service....!! )

Pip

[Camo]

Telemarketers, and call centres that take your calls are two different things...the telemarketers who ring you up & try to sell a service or a product are often good at what they do - because often how much of the service / goods they sell, determines how much pay they get!!

If you have ever tried to ring a Government department, or a Bank, Insurnace Company, or some emergency services and tried to sort something out with them....sometimes the person you speak to knows exactly what you are talking about, and is able to sort out your issue / query, while others have no idea....

My experiences with another emergency service call centre is terrible... I have had great difficulty in getting my message across, and other times, been on the receiving end of the call centre info, and it has been appalling.

So to have independent answerers in a call centre for emergency services is OK...BUT the training has to be top notch, so the services get exactly the information they need (which of course varies from service to service....!! )

Pip

Dont stress Pip it was just a generalisation.  Although now i think about it telemarketers arent great listeners...They dont seem to have the word "NO" in their dictionary.

[Sam]

SACAD will have three dispatch centres, one for SAPOL, SAAS and CFS/MFS/SES. All the centres will be staffed by people that are not binded to a SPECIFIC agency for the CFS/MFS/SES dispatch centre. They will be employed purely as SACAD employess and this will keep it on neutral ground to achieve the fastest needed resources. I am pretty sure that each agency will have an advisor to act on certain disptach types.