SA Firefighter

Now now bittenyakka, not everyone does the CFS thing of donning CABA outside of buildings in fresh air and drag in charged hose.

I think you'll find the Hooligan tool is the cheap version of the Halligan, being of a three piece, pinned consturction, rather than being a single forged piece.

The proper and more expensive Halligan, is much less likely to break when attempting to force entry.

Quote from: bajdas on February 20, 2007, 11:00:20 AM
The only common theme seems to be RCR, casualty handling and driving. Everything else is a speciality to a particular service.

RCR, Low Angle/Vertical resuce, Confined space rescue...?

Quote from: bittenyakka on February 19, 2007, 03:42:17 PM
This discussion is making me think.

Two points i have
I am wondering when there is a crash on the freeway and Burnside and 441 get responded as 441 will get there first do they sit around and clean up letting the Vollies go home or do they leave it for Burnside to pack up so they can go and provide fire cover? and what do other CFS brigades in this position usally do?

The Idea of CFS being paid every time we go into MFS area is silly but I think that If CFS and MFS are working together MFS in MFS area then CFS should be allowed to go home as soon as possible because they are Vollies.

It depends whose area it is in. The freeway up to crafers is a triple response of Stirling, Burnside and MFS. Depending on where it is, MFS or Stirling will arrive first, MFS usually hang around untill either Stirling or Burnside arrive to take details or assist.

Why should CFS be allowed to go home first if our paid colleagues are out of their area and in ours? Is it not our responsibility?

Perhaps look at a new layout? Being totally serious, this site now looks like some tacky Sci-Fi fanboy site. The old layout was simple, good looking and most of all, effective.

Apart from that, its all pretty decent, although you're now expanding to step on OZfires toes.

Quote from: Darius on January 17, 2007, 11:28:54 AM

Quote from: CFS_Firey on January 16, 2007, 11:47:05 PM
My 5c:
As a personal preference, when working on a roadway, I feel safer operating the pump from the side (where you are protected from traffic) than from the back, (where you have no protection...)

you could park at a 45 degree angle fend-off position, or point the rear of the appliance to the incident rather than the front.

The 45 degree fend off position has the mid mount pump panel protected, the arse of the appliance can still be hit. As for turning the appliance around, well on a roadway the rear end is still facing on coming traffic and on freeways... youre not going to be able to turn around easily.

The CFS doing things on the cheap, and changing agreed specifications.

You need to have previous experiance to go into a potentially very dangerous situation in an are you dont know. Mind you, your two years 'experiance' is going to be very different depending on the number of jobs your brigade does a year.

Yes it was introduced yesterday so that jobs can be referred to by numbers, rather than locations, making things easier for both firies and SAMFS commcen. No impact on CFS.

Not sure how things work where you are mate, but our group, and the neighbouring groups have always run their own Lvl 1,2 and 3 courses, with STC only being used for further specialisation...

Quote from: lilmiss_firey on December 02, 2006, 08:11:45 AM
hey... as i haven't been in the CFS that long i haven't been able to pick up why the CFS and the SES don't get along??

can someone please enlighten me :? :? :?

It depends on where you are from and your local SES and CFS really, in some areas there is no issue between the services, in other areas.. well... its not good at all. A few of the issues can arise from who gets turned out to what and where. EG: SES gets turned out to a tree on road job, which is next to a CFS station, but the SES has to drive 25 minutes and past multiple fire stations to get there...

As medevac said, form your own opinions about them. I've had bad experiances with some SES units, but then again, I've had worse experiances with some CFS brigades.

Quote from: bittenyakka on November 29, 2006, 07:53:51 AM
Does any one know why the response plans where drawn up the way they were? ie Piccadilly and Summertown are closer that Bridgewater  and Upper Sturt.

Are you serious? Closer does not mean appropriate. Bridgie is closer, as its just down the freeway, they have a pumper and can crew rather decently.

Murray Bridge, trendsetters.

Quote from: SA Firey on November 21, 2006, 09:08:52 AM
2nd Alarm gives you 4 appliances :-D

Depends what to...  :wink:

Its only been in the workshop as a result of the CFS and their attempts to cut costs  :wink:

If the CFS supported its prototype appliances (eg: Stirling Pumper/Blackwood CAFS) then we would have good options available to us. Stirling pumper for example is a great appliance, it just needs a second stage on the pump. The NSWFB Type Two was built for NSW conditions, not SA conditions. Lets get it right, built our own and then make them standard.

Its not about the truck, its about the stowage. One is an urban pumper, with urban pumper stowage, the other is a Rescue truck, with rescue stowage. Not to mention that Mt. Barker has a rather decent residential risk and a very nice amount of industrial risk.

Pumprescue, I think you might be in for a surprise buddy....

Don't tell me you're the young bloke with the Camelbak on....


All the Pardarna appliances need is a length, or two, of 25mm. Please? Next time we may as well just bring our own.

Quote from: Big Yellow Gongbeater on November 12, 2006, 08:36:38 PM

Quote from: 2090 on November 12, 2006, 01:31:52 AM

Quote from: Big Yellow Gongbeater on November 11, 2006, 07:03:44 PM
And no they weren't vollies in a 5 call out a year brigade, they've got extensive experience in an urban fringe brigade that also has huge rural risks.  :evil:

Pity they didn't learn anything from that 'extensive experience' otherwise we'd have decent urban capabilities.  :wink:

Ahh your cynacism is noted, but I do believe that the vast majority of urban fringe brigades are more than happy with the appliances allocated to them. Do I detect that you wish to pursure a discussion along the lines of changing BRT's to BWT's?  Won't happen coz the rules were laid out and simple, and heavens forbid you may be labelled as a gongbeater   :lol:

You what? All I want is decent appliances designed for SA conditions, not suburban NSW areas. We have different needs that have not been filled. Don't get me started on the stowage on the appliances...

Calspec, Burnside is 2919 (Rescue) in general. 19 is (in general) the designation of a rescue vehicle/brigade for the purposes of the response database. (You can see that 4/9/19 can all point to a rescue vehicle)

This page should be become your best friend: http://users.chariot.net.au/~mattb/scan/mfscall.htm

ATH, the brigades dont all have the same prefix:

128/8 Brukunga
126/42 Heysen Group Tanker (Littlehampton)
126/8 Littlehampton
125/9 Meadows
127/9 Mt Barker
129/8 Nairne

549/8 Wandilo
543/8 Mil Lel
548/8 Tarpeena

Meadows and Barker both have RCR capabilities, hence 9 (Pump Rescue) and I believe that the rest of the brigades appplainces could well fall under the general category of 8 (4x4 medium pump)

There seems to be a general pattern, yet no hard and fast rule. Hence some CFS brigades having 5 digits, some 4 etc etc.

Quote from: Big Yellow Gongbeater on November 11, 2006, 07:03:44 PM
And no they weren't vollies in a 5 call out a year brigade, they've got extensive experience in an urban fringe brigade that also has huge rural risks.  :evil:

Pity they didn't learn anything from that 'extensive experience' otherwise we'd have decent urban capabilities.  :wink:

Initial Response: Burnside, Stirling, Glen Osmond 441. I'd try to get a tanker from either Stirling(preferable as they are above it) or Burnside.

The tanker is wholly in the tunnel and on fire? Close the feeway, both up and down tracks, using BA crews provide protection to the Up track tunnel. Depending on the amount of people required and the access - if its too hot, don't bother - respond Aldgate/Bridgewater.

I'd look at trying to pump the tunnel full of foam (from the top initially), requesting the 1000's of litres of foam from Stirling, as well as trying to get more from town. As there would be petrol (alight or not) running down the hill, I would attempt to initially set up a dam with charged 64mm hose and lay a foam blanket up from that point. I would then try to get some earth to build an earthen dam to contain the run off.

Not a whole lot to do apart from try to smother it and/or let it burn itself out.


The drivers? Dead. (If the fire was primarily on one side of the tankers and the cabs 'safely' accessible, an attempt could be made under a cover of a hoseline. Apart from that, not much you can do)

Quote from: Pixie on November 11, 2006, 10:00:29 PM
Seaford is actually 8334.

even though our primary  urban truck is a 24 pumper it has the code 8334 because there is suposedly a conflict in the system if brigades in the same group have the same suffix, that is also why happy valley 24P is 8032

Almost.. Two brigades can't have the same prefix as that is the station number, but suffix, no worries.
The number is split between Station Number/Applaince number:

Burnside: Station 29
Hazmat: 28
thus 2928

Mind you, this is only the case for 'specialist' CFS applainces at the moment, for example, Aldgate is 8824 (they run a 12/24P), there is no separate code for Aldgate 12 (8812) :O

Can I suggest that Happpy Valley is 8032 because they used to have a 32 when the Database was introduced? Also Seaford 8334 would suggest they had somewhat of a 34 type appliance... Same thing with Ironbank, 8532, lost the 32, got a 34 no database change.

2919     Burnside
2928    Burside Hazmat
2942    Burnside Tanker
46??    Eden Hills
4719    Blackwood
48??    Belair
49??    Corromandel Valley
57??    Cherry Gardens
74??    Norton Summit
8032    Happy Valley
8124    Morphett Vale
8334    Seaford
8424    Upper Sturt
8532    Ironbank
8624    Bradbury
8642    Lofty Tanker
8724    Mylor
8824    Aldgate
8924    Bridgewater
9019    Stirling
9028    Stirling Hazmat
9042    Stirling Tanker
9119    Salisbury
9219    Dalkeith
9228    Dalkeith Hazmat
9419    Athelstone
95??    Tea Tree Gully
96??    Virginia
97??    One Tree Hill
114    Clarendon
162    Aldinga Beach
163    Mclaren Vale

Thats all I've got for now. There are around 30 Brigades turned out by MFS I believe.

I heard this, I heard that....


Ok. You need minimum 1 year C class experiance to get an MR license. Your years on P's count. Hence the youngest you can hold an MR license is 17.5 years. There is no "lerners permit" for MR, hence you can have L's up and a car license. (the only way to learn to drive)

You can drive a CFS applaince P1, if you hold the license class for that vehicle. It then gets murky. Ir you have a C class license, and are on your P's for it, but have an MR license, you can drive vehicles requiring an MR license P1, BUT not any vehicle that requires a C class license as you are still on P's.

Quote from: 5271rescue on November 11, 2006, 08:24:14 AM
did you know that if you have a car licence that you can drive the appliance to the job but a truck driver has to drive it back?????

Find me written official proof of that. Ill put money on you not being able to find it. (the other way around yes, but NOT an unlicensed driver under P1 conditions.)

Instead of sitting here looking at this, or making crap up, go and look at the god damn SOPS and COSO's.