SA Firefighter

Quote from: mack on March 02, 2008, 06:07:42 AM

in sayingthat though the first instance at Wistow, originally went out as an animal resue, so of course it will call SES...

And ain't that a tragedy. No more manly firemen rescuing the poor little girls' cat from up the tree. I hope that those who made the change occur realise that they have destroyed the dreams of hundreds, if not thousands of children around the state...

The fireys can take any one of our animal rescue jobs... animals are the most ungrateful jerks... always scratching and biting and trying to attack you when all you are doing is trying to help them down so they can be hugged to death by some toddler or fed to death by some old lady...

except cows. rescuing cows from dams is fun 

squiddy - thank you for your comprehensive reply, which to most would be informative.

as for me - you may well have thrown an egg at me and told me how to suck it!  filtered

yes - the RN's on retrievals may be experienced and qualified, but can still not initiate immediate measures such as intubation or IVT (Infusions OR Drugs)for example -  of their own volition!

while I haven't read the paper- the anecdotal evidence is all around us - you only need to open your eyes and see it.

You only need to speak to Retrieval Docs from much larger companies such as Careflight - who will unanimously agree that PRIMARY TRAUMA retrievals (yes - as my previous post clearly stated) shouldn't be the domain of retrieval nurses!

Don't get snippy, Matrix... the answer was intended in part for you, and in part for those who had asked questions. After all, this is a forum where people ask questions. Just because you know the answers, doesn't mean you need to have a go.

And I suggest you find a copy of the paper and read it before you have a go next time... as it states that nurses are an integral part of retrieval, but the current situation of having three teams in three places is not working, so they need a smaller team based in one spot with a broader skill mix. It is the skill mix that is causing problems, because the paper is blurring the lines between emergency pre-hospital care and retrieval nursing.

Matrix: read the paper at work the other day... it has certainly caused a few waves. Basically it says that they want two retrieval teams working out of the airport with three permanent ambulances stationed with the choppers. A third retrival team would be hospital based. They are talking about having retrieval nurses undertake ambulance driving courses, and having nurses train ambos in aspects of retrival nursing. Apparently nurses are over-represented in retrievals.

As it currently stands, There is a team based in FMC and each shift there are three retrieval teams based in the RAH. If a retrieval is called, the chopped either flies to the RAH or FMC and picks up a crew, or an ambulance picks up a crew, depending on whether they want a road or air retrieval.

You ask why a nurse is present for retrievals. I think a lot of people underestimate just how much training a retrieval nurse goes through. After at least two full years experience as a registered nurse (three years at uni) in an ICU, they must do a post-grad diploma (another 2-3 years) in Critical Care, then they must pick up retrieval nursing (another couple of years at uni) or be doing the course before they can go out. They are trained in pre-hospital care and all facets of retrieval work. We no longer live in the dark ages where a nurse is subserviant to a doctor and only wipes bums and gives out pills. Nurses have protocols to follow and can make certain decisions, just like ICPs.

The reason a doctor is on a retrieval is because they are Intensive Care doctors. They are fully trained in keeping the sickest people alive. These people go to university for a great many years and then do time in hospitals looking at different facets of medicine and surgery, then they go and study to work in intensive care and have to work their way through the ranks there before they can work on retrievals.

As much as SOTs and ICPs have their place in a retrieval, they certainly wouldn't be jumping on an international flight to retrieve some poor filtered like the Bali Bombings or Jose Ramos Hortas when he got shot. Retrievals are also done through RFDS, and they happen every day for any number of reasons. Quite often all three retrieval teams are out at the RAH. I honestly don't think that the ambos could do it without the nurses, due to the fact that there are about 50 retrieval nurses in this state who work side-by-side with ambos. There is currently a shortage of ambos (and yes, there is a shortage of nurses, but not retrieval nurses) and if the nurses stopped going, it would pull ambos from other areas where they are already in short supply. We need our ambos out in the field for the calls made by the public. They do a great job, and I know that a lot of nurses certainly wouldn't want to be ambos and do their job. I know that 99% of the retrieval nurses I spoke with the other day with the discussion paper certainly don't want to learn to drive an ambulance...

Just my two cents worth... hope it answers some questions about how retrievals work...

The SES did a dodgy ad a couple of years ago where they were "searching" for members. It was rather embarrassing to watch. SES even put out fliers and stuff with all the "glory" jobs on them, like vertical... but it just made the service look like a glorified scouts unit.

You want members: you need to sort out the politics and get out in the field and talk to people. While there is so much politcal upheaval in the services (especially with members of the public crying for Euan Ferguson's head on a platter, and the former SES chief at the helm of SAFECOM now with threats of legal action against the commission) the public are wary of getting involved.

There was a nice puff piece in the Sunday Mail today (23/12/07) about CFS crew shortages during the day. With this in mind: if you need a crewmember or two and youre about to take the truck out and someone rocks up with their PPE and some ID, whack 'em on the truck and give them a less intensive role. Hell, if you have to take trucks out of two areas to get a crew, take who you can get.

I know there are people in my own crew who I wouldn't trust with a simple task, much less with my life, but there are ways of working around that situation.

Beggars can't be choosers. We are all here for the same job. We are all "brothers". Seriously, you might be turning away the Firefighter Of The Year just because you don't know them. Put 'em on a lollipop... it frees up one of your regular crew to do a more trusted job.

A better way eh? They could start by scrapping that filtered crappy filtered course Basic Skills & Induction...

and to get on the RCR truck you should really have senior first aid, too...

1909029 13:25:40 02-10-07 MFS: INC # 44 - 02/10/07 13:23,RESPOND To,6 STIRLING CT,STRATHALBYN, MAP 251 P 2 ,,PATIENT FROM HOSPITAL IN 80S SMOULDERING NEAR BACK DOOR,1558*CFSRES:

anybody know whats going on here?

I think it was just very badly worded. Perhaps a person in their 80's just out of hospital called because something was smouldering near their back door?

Mind you, I did a double take when I first read it...

OK.. I've read everything. What freaking jackets are you talking about?! There's the shirts that go with the pants that are the alternative to overalls *ack* and then there's the wet weather gear that has just been provided (the good old blue and orange council-worker jacket). Then there is Strathalbyn SES's very attractive (almost red) Goretex jacket. Don't know what other jacket is out there that SES provides for doing RCR, but if there is one, I want to see it!

Mind you, if you are going to whine about how flimsy uniforms are for doing RCR, how about asking for fabric that battery acid doesn't eat through, eh? Lost count of the number of RCR lads and lasses that I've seen running around with holes in the thighs and crotch of their uniforms thanks to battery acid (mind you, what the hell are they doing putting their crotches near battery acid in the first place?!)

1916079 17:09:03 17-08-07 ST81 URGENT CASE... MOTHER DUCK NEEDING HELP TO GET DUCKLINGS ACROSS MAIN STREET... CAN YOU HELP? SAAS Strathalbyn

I thought the duck race was in November...

Blanket polls like this that ask such a general question just seem to stir the pot. When you ask a question like this, you really have to think first. In some areas it is simply not feasible for the CFS/MFS to "take over" rcr from SES.

There is a particular CFS rcr brigade at the moment who cannot get a truck out the door for most calls and now has an understanding with an SES rcr unit to back them up.

Hell, I think I would take Laura SES over the CFS in that area for rcr any day since they are the world champion rapid extrication team.

It isn't simply black and white, as with most of the issues concerning CFS/MFS/SES. Both CFS and SES have issues that need to be addressed from the top of the heirarchy down. Until these issues are addressed, the pot will always be stirred.

And Squiddy - as for who give a toss as to who does a tree job  - well I do.   If I am on my way to work, and find a large tree across the road, I want it moved ASAP, so I can get to work, or to whatever I am going to.  Hence I do not want to wait an hour for one service to arrive to remove it, when the other service can be there in 10 minutes.....

Which explains why most units/brigades can't find the damn trees in rural areas once they have been called, because some good samaritan or farmer grabs a chainsaw and cuts it up or drags it off the road with their 4WD.

But anyway, like I said, it is nothing for people to get so hot under the collar about.

1918239 18:22:30 17-05-07 MFS: RESPOND To 17/05/07 18:21,BARMERA SES,BARMERA, MAP 0 A 0 ,,ASSIST POLICE IN A SEARCH FOR MISSING PERSON - SEEK OUT SEN/CONST KIRK AT THE MOOROOK BOWLING CLUB..P1..DUTY OFF NOTIFIE,DAILY INC. NO. 45,73829*CFSRES: SES Barmera

So they are looking for Senior Constable Kirk at the bowling club? Sounds like it will be a pretty quick search... sounds more like a game of hide and seek 

Not to mention that DORT don't seem to equip their vehicles with working lights, so if the job is at night they are pretty much left to work in their headlights!