Self responding and getting egg on face

[pumprescue]

I have noticed lately that several brigades and groups are self responding or just getting a couple people together and going to jobs on the quite and things turning to poo.

Do brigades think that by keeping it quite things will go better, or are some brigade officer generally just oblivious and forget they aren't in the CFS ?

For example Montacute self responded via the paging network to a grass fire recently, tried to keep it quite, then eventually had to call for help from Adelaide Fire and ended up with several brigades and the group base opened.

Does anything get done about this, do groups and regions follow up on this acts before they end up in the coroners court again ?

I know Adelaide Fire aren't perfect, but they are only as good as the information they get, but clearly self responding doesn't work either !

If anyone is involved in self responding can you tell me how you think its a good idea ?

[Darius]

you said they "self responded via the paging network" so do you mean someone in the brigade paged the brigade to respond rather than contacting AF and getting them to send the page? That's not really "going to jobs on the quiet" (not "quite"), if you want to do that then you do a ring around and don't use the paging system

and it's not what I think "self responding" means, I think that's when you respond an appliance to an incident outside your area without an invitation.

But apart from not then getting a job number allocated and all that guff, how's it really make any difference to the job getting done or not and whether things turn to poo or not?

[flyonthewall]

And the CFS wants to be seen as a professional service!

[pumprescue]

Darius that is why we will never shake the Dads Army tag, wonder how that dodgy operation will go with CAD?

[flyonthewall]

if you want to do that then you do a ring around and don't use the paging system

........and everytime I ask the question about brigades/stations doing their own thing, someone gets a bit narky!

Does anything get done about this, do groups and regions follow up on this acts before they end up in the coroners court again ?

Spot on.......

...... end up in the coroners court again ?

[misterteddy]

Scenario 1
so....its a working bee at the station with 10 or 12 people there.....and a car pulls into the car park "quick.. there's a prang down on Main St and one of the cars is smoking"....what do our intrepid firemen do?.....do they

a) tell the  messenger, "Piss off mate and ring 000 we can't do anything until they page us" and go back to their BBQ and soft drinks, or

b) Get an appropriately trained response crew together, contact Adel Fire and advise them of the local notification and advise they are mobile with a sitrep regarding requirements for further services on arrival.


Scenario 2

Same working bee day (fortunate hey!). The crew kick back with a sausage and a coke surveying their fancy handiwork in painting their station (oh thats right....we should have waited for the Gov't to paint it cos thats what professional fire services apparantly do). Suddenly....in the foothills to the back of the station, a large plume of smoke, building quite quickly with some vigour, appears.

Do our heroes,

a) while waiting for someone else to call 000 and report it, hide the PPE of the guy next to them to ensure they get a place on the truck and stuff another sausage in their mouth because the prospect of Salvos catering for the next 12 hours is too much to bear, or

b)Get an appropriate crew together, contact Adel Fire with an intial report and investigate?

Both cases IMHO are valid instances of self responding. All services do it. Remember Special Service Calls?....a large % of those are self responded by Group or Brigade - and the world doesnt fall in.

Dogma and rote adherance to rules are the last bastion of the inept. Allowing your service providers some common sense flexibility in all this IS in fact a much more professional approach (N.B. cruising the streets of your neighbouring MFS area to scab jobs, doesnt fit this criteria.....just saying)

[flyonthewall]

ummmmmmm.........I'll answer 'b' for both  

I think self responding is a very loose term and the way I read it, the first post is more about trying to sneak out to an incident (not following the correct procedure - perhaps undermanned? maybe not advising Adelaide fire in the first instance?) and then asking for help when it has gotten out of control.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

[pumprescue]

Flyonthewall has it down pat, never said don't respond but get on radio ask can you initiate response so you get the CORRECT response and all notifications are done, not do it on the sly and hope it works!!

Dogma and rote adherance to rules are the last bastion of the inept. Allowing your service providers some common sense flexibility in all this IS in fact a much more professional approach (N.B. cruising the streets of your neighbouring MFS area to scab jobs, doesnt fit this criteria.....just saying)

But thanks anyway Mr T.....I pity the fool

[Darius]

I can only assume there is something more to this that I'm obviously not aware of (or it's a storm in a teacup).

[BundyBear]

If a member of the public calls into your station whilst your there and reports an incident close to your station with the appropriate crew I would attend notifying Adelaide fire etc.

What CFS still does poorly because of tribalism, lack of education and poor leadership:

* Responds more appliances out of one station than they need to.
* Delay on defaulting to another brigade or service.
* Responding appliances with non appropriate crews.
* Generating non event jobs to get their call rate up.
* Sitreps given before they actually arrive.

I've seen all of the above from certain brigades and if they were paid they would face serious disciplinary actions of demotion, suspention or termination of employment. These brigades need to wake up and realise community safety is bigger than their little brigade boundary!