Kangaroo Fires Deployment

[adelaide_medic]

SES have been asked multiple times over the weekend to send crews to both Warooka and Kangaroo Island to assist.

I have put my name down for the deployment starting tommorow morning and returning sometime Saturday. Still awaiting final travel details and arrangements from State HQ tonight. Anyone else heading over?

[chook]

We (Berri)have sent a crew of 3 down this morning to fill tankers and help at the staging area. We have been asked for more (including RCR qualified people to assist the local unit) unfortunately we are fully stretched at the moment. So we will have to wait until the other three come back before sending any more.
cheers

[bittenyakka]

I spent 3 days over there and must thank the SES for the work they did as it made our job a lot easier.

[Pipster]

Are SES having a similar problems to CFS, in getting people to go over for extended periods of time (5 days)?

Would sending people for 1 or maybe 2 days make a difference to the numbers who could attend?

Pip

[bajdas]

Are SES having a similar problems to CFS, in getting people to go over for extended periods of time (5 days)?

Would sending people for 1 or maybe 2 days make a difference to the numbers who could attend?

Pip

I think so.... SES State Field Command going tomorrow (Tuesday) morning with a crew. They are scheduled back sometime Saturday.

My work might allow me 1 or 2 days off....but not that amount of time.

If crew required next week from Saturday onwards, I might be able to because the weekend dows not affect work commitments.

[bittenyakka]

remember in a job like this where there are over 400 people on the island if they where there for 1 or 2 days the job of getting relief crews to the island and the old ones from the island the job would be horrendous.

[squiddy]

Very hard to leave for more than two days at a time when you are on a 24/7 rotating roster that has been sorted with 250 other people over xmas...

Would have liked to have gone, though.

[littlejohn]

remember in a job like this where there are over 400 people on the island if they where there for 1 or 2 days the job of getting relief crews to the island and the old ones from the island the job would be horrendous.

True bittenyakka, I'm sure it would be great from a management perspective to be rotating people through a four days on, four days off or something simple. If all the firefighters were paid staff it would be much easier - they'd go and do pretty much what (and when) asked.

But I don't think volunteers want to be treated as employees. I must admit I don't have much enthusiasm for strike teams out of the region anymore. I neither can, nor want to, take that much time from work. Time away from work is one thing. Time wasted while away is another.

How long has it taken those vic teams to get to the fire ground? At a guess they'd have left home yesterday first thing, and may start on scene this avo, or tonight??

I wonder if the use of strike teams will grow, or diminish. The idea is sound, the management is something of a challenge.

[chook]

Damned if you do damned if you don't. The trouble is travel - our guys basically loose a day traveling to & from KI.
Also the legislation does not assist with extended deployments. As part of my role at work (& because of my ES background) I've been asked for opinions on whether to let vollie members go to KI - the EBA says paid Emergency Services Leave for local emergencies only, so even though KI falls within our region (SES)it can't be classed as local.
Also after the recent Cobby fires some managers were reluctant to give the CFS guys a paid day off to recover (same when we went to Newcastle - I took leave).
So employees who are members of CFS/SES loose out on pay or the employer looses the cost of an employee for what ever time period they are away.
There needs to be some changes to legislation & some incentive to employers to release their guys for deployments. The federal government does this for military reservists, but for the men & women of the services that help protect the community on a daily basis - zip!
cheers

[rescue5271]

Has anyone been reading the comments from the public in the advertiser about the fire's on KI and about the CFS?? Have a read and by the time you get half way into reading them you will want to hit someone......The salvo's are catering for 1600 meals per day with only 16 staff/volunteers and they have just called for a extra 10 to help.I past part of the Vic CFA strike team at casterton on monday at 9am and they where on there way to STC....

[6739264]

What are the comments saying?

[Jimmy]

I spent Monday to Friday at Pandana Base camp last week as part of Deployment 1 of TF1.

Lots of long exhausting days, got a roster of shifts in by the wednesday so only a couple of 16 hour shifts at the start (only 12(+3 or so) hour shifts after that)

So many things to do different next time... but that is always the way.

We did such things as, close a school a week early and turn it into sleeping quarters, load and unload logistics trucks, creat a new road for trucks, set up a traffic managment system in the base camp, refurbishing trucks to return them to the fire ground, assist staging manager, errect tents gallore, support SAPOL on roadblocks, transport people left right and centre, take fuel water etc etc to the fireground, a zillion small tasks like moving bins, writing signs, depoying towels,  and lots more I can't think of right now.

Was pretty terrible when I first arrived, but the crews going with TF3 shouldn't have much to complain about. Showers, toilets etc are all now in place.

The locals were absolutely fantastic, supplied with vehicles, cakes, pretty much anything we needed. The head of the school was one of the most helpful people I've ever met.

The salvos too were fantastic. GREAT GREAT food, with very primitive conditions.

[rescue5271]

Nice to hear some good feed back about KI, nice to hear and  see that KI has at last got its acted in order. I have only heard one person complain and that was nothing worth talking about,all in all a good job done by all would like to know what food the salvo's had on offer if someone could drop me a line or two... May be if strike teams could pass on all the feed back that is good then next time group's may allow more members to go.....

[Zippy]

well now after KI...the CFS now owns hundreds of tents, sleeping bags, and air mattresses...so expect to see them in action at every Campaign fire hahaha..

[RescueHazmat]

I thought "Tent City" has been round for a few years?.. Or were they SES resuorces the last few times?

[JC]

The good old salvos did a great job, dinner feeds were great, plenty of cereal and fruit for brekky, they seemed to be very unstaffed aswell. Good stuff.

[rescue5271]

Tent city has been around for sometime and I think it all belongs to CFS,I did hear the emergency services boss of the salvo's say that they had 16 staff/volunteers doing the meals at a rate of 1600 per day....Good on them...

[bittenyakka]

the only gripe i have with the whole deployment was that there was a huge shortage of showers and toilets for the first week. it took a week to get 2 semies of portaloos to the island and there was a whole 6 showers for the men.

[6739264]

the only gripe i have with the whole deployment was that there was a huge shortage of showers and toilets for the first week. it took a week to get 2 semies of portaloos to the island and there was a whole 6 showers for the men.

Bah, showering on a strike team is soft mate 

[chook]

Yep we used to go six to eight weeks without one - you don't notice the smell after awhile 
Thought you guys only deployed for a couple of days at a time anyway?
cheers

[alphaone]

the only gripe i have with the whole deployment was that there was a huge shortage of showers and toilets for the first week. it took a week to get 2 semies of portaloos to the island and there was a whole 6 showers for the men.

Try only ONE for the females, and there was a large contientant of females over there, not only firies, but St Johns, SAAS, SES, Salvos, and I saw a couple of females from SAPOL. It was a nightmare trying to use the shower when there was 10 plus females all needing to use it at the same time- two m inute shower max. We were lined up out the door one morning.

[Zippy]

They actually increased the number of Female showers during the days i was there from 1 to 4.

(between 10-12th dec)

I have to say it was good to see a large representation of Female firefighters over on KI...

[Pipster]

Alphaone, you must have been in a different place to me on KI     ...there were 4 ladies showers within the footy club rooms....I understand there were further showers (the semi trailer based ones) brought in part way through the deployment...

Pip

[JC]

Plenty of showers at vivonne bay. 

[Benji]

I thought "Tent City" has been round for a few years?.. Or were they SES resuorces the last few times?

Tent City has always been a CFS resource how ever it was just about always setup and whatnot by SES crews.. SES now also have a Tent City thanks to KI there was a small bit about it on the back of this weeks Sunday Mail of how SES bought out 2 camping stores of sleeping bags, tents, etc etc..