requirements?!

[country kid]

i was just wandering what are the minimum requirments for a volunteer to go on a SES call out. (ie what training does the person have to have)

cheers.

[chook]

This is the minimum standard:- basic skills & Induction, Basic comms, Map reading, Basic rescue! What callout are you refering to?
If you are talking about RCR then add Tools & Equipment & the Road crash recue course. If its Storms & Floods - storm damage course. Why do you ask?

[country kid]

i just thought i would ask, curiosity, and also a mate asked me what the requirements were so i thought i would find out for my self as well.
thanks heaps

[chook]

No worries, sorry if I sounded a bit suspicious. All SESSA members that are in rescue crews currently must be qualified in basic rescue as I said. However this takes a long time to get people to RCR, we are currently looking at the way that interstate services do it or something like CFS BFF1 idea. Also you need to requalify on every skill at 5 years(old courses) or 3 years (RCR, Navigation & other new courses). This can be a real pain as for some like myself, I'm forever either doing, teaching or being re-assessed in skills. This is also a huge drain on the trainers, payed staff & vollies.
It was quite interesting in another post how someone didn't think we do much, when in fact what we train in may surprise you (including boats, quads, even floatation pumps ). Anyway tell your friend to call in to their nearest unit and find out more or call in yourself I'm sure they would be happy to show you around. If they don't give em heaps cheers

[bajdas]

Sorry chook, but I would say that to go on a "SES callout" you would just need basic rescue, police clearance & PPE. At this level the person might be a runner, traffic or assistant to someone more experienced.

The ideal is for all four SES level one courses to be completed, but not many members have completed them in the metropolitan area.

[chook]

Not only in the Metro area Andrew rural units have the same problem, but theoretically what I have stated is correct. Hopefully as I mentioned this process may be streamlined a bit, but until that happens those are the competencies to be classed as a rescuer. And we were told a few years ago only rescuers are allowed to attend callouts as part of the initial response.

I agree in the metro situation you can use semi qualified members as runners etc, but most rural units don't have the luxury of large numbers & our main role is Road Crash Rescue - so thats the angle I was coming from in answer to Country Girls initial question.

And traffic control is another skill area which has not been totally addressed - the Police Traffic marshal course is the correct training for our people to complete in my opinion. However most use Work zone traffic management skills to manage traffic control, unless you block the road off all together of course . Again this could present real problems if untrained & inexperienced members are left to handle this task (I speak from personal experience). Anyway thanks for your thoughts - cheers

[bittenyakka]

this makes It seems very difficult to get a new member to any form of operational capacity if you even need training to direct traffic? is this a problem in SES keeping members interested until they have done 2 or 3 courses?

[bajdas]

this makes It seems very difficult to get a new member to any form of operational capacity if you even need training to direct traffic? is this a problem in SES keeping members interested until they have done 2 or 3 courses?

YEP....it is a hard line to keep volunteers safe when SES get tasked to many different types of taskings. This is part of an ongoing debate within SES on what minimum training requirements are for a member. It is a balance between getting a crew to do the job and then for the crew members to have the skills to do the job safely.

If the job is a specialised rescue (eg vertical, RCR, confined space, marine, etc), then only the people with the training will respond.

The same as CFS HAZMAT, BA, strike team, RCR, etc taskings. I assume the crew need more than BFF1 training.

Other types of taskings (eg storm (tree or flood), shoring, hauling crew) then as long as enough experienced crew are on the truck, the OIC sometimes allow inexperienced crew on. Someone lugging sandbags, moving branches or just needs to be the runner/storeman.

Generally this is when a second vehicle with extra crew is sent.

So I have seen SES volunteers at taskings who have Basic Rescue training only.

As I said this is an ongoing debate within SES. Chook is from a country SES Unit & I am from a metropolitan SES Unit. So the requirement on volunteers is different.

Also, metropolitan Adelaide SES membership is different. Currently Central Region SES has 513 volunteers registered over 14 SES Units. So metro has the luxury of more experienced volunteers to assist/supervise the inexperienced volunteer.

[bittenyakka]

In CFWS at least in my brigade if you have done BFF1 you can go to anything but to use specialized equipment ie hazmat PPC, BA, cutters/jaws you must have had the training. We aren't lucky enough to be able to wait for the right crew for the job. 

Some groups have policies on training required for strike teams but genearly it is just BFF1

[chook]

Yep its hard - lack of total numbers, lack of qualified personnel - however there may be a light at the end of the tunnel. And fortunately country people tend to be switched on when it comes to a lot of the tools & equipment we use so harnessing that knowledge and directing it correctly makes life easier.
But yet its hard - cheers

[sesroadcrashrescue]

it does seem silly to have to do 5 courses to go on a truck i dont see why you need to be trained to talk on a radio to the point ware you hold a certificate if you hold a lolly pop at a rcr some units bend the rules a bit i know that but at the end of the day you need to be trained but there has to be a better way to do it 

[chook]

A better way might just be around the corner .
Hopefully you should hear about it soon. cheers

[squiddy]

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...

[sesroadcrashrescue]

last i knew SFA was a requirement to ride the truck and basic should stay but get rid of induction the basic rescue is like bff1,

 it is the grounding for every other course you can do in ses, things like maps and comms can be broken down in to short sessions to teach how to use a map or radio.

 not how to find a needle that is 13.123 kms from point x on the fourth map of the aus map book edition 43 some things need to be more basic and that way you can move on to do the entire map course latter or comms latter not when you first join   

[chook]

Sorry guys induction will stay - sought of
Basic map reading is a doddle (I'm one of the instructors, so I should know), & you won't have to find a needle at X , prove you can read a street directory, a CFS map book & bit on 1:50000 maps thats it!
Basic comms - half a day, you never know if you have to sit in the left front seat.
Basic rescue - the new version & senior first aid. One of the questions that hasn't been answered yet - how quickly could a new person get this done before they are ready for assessment? Let me know your thoughts - cheers

[rescue5271]

I have spoken to a couple of rural captains this week while working and they are pushing for CFS to look at a better way in which new members can get on the fire appliance in their brigade's...It is taking far too long for police checks and then bff1 ti be run and in some cases they could be waiting 6months before a new member gets on the appliance...the situations is so bad that they loss that new member as he.she is not willing to wait 6 months,rural brigade's in small country towns are hurting and with declining numbers CFS needs to pull its finger out and fast....We all have heard of the bosses plan to get new members but its taking far too long.....

[Bowforce]

Yes being from a rural brigade I know how long it took for me and others to get on the truck!!  We had a guy that had organised his own BFF1 course as he had friends doing one at Murray Bridge.  Put a few noses out but now he can atleast respond!!!

[rescue5271]

The problem with BFF1 is that we dont allow the brigade's to do the non national subject and then the group can do the natioanl subjects,if we did it this way things may be a little better.i know a few groups that run it like this and its all over and done with very fast......