CFS STAFF BEING VOLUNTEER OFFICERS

[Darren]

Whats the difference between a staff member who is operational and a 9-5 worker, sometimes they aren't always available, and the staff members that aren't volly's anymore (just because your a member of a brigades doesn't make you a volly) aren't going to affect anything. Those that hold volly ranks tend to be those staff members that still give a stuff about their brigades.

I don't see why being a paid staffer of any emergency service makes you special all of a sudden, we rely VERY heavily on these sorts of people to keep our brigades operational, especially during the day. 

It almost seems the CFS heirachy are concentrating on everything but getting trucks on the road....imagine if they actually looked at how we are performing !

[jaff]

Lets have all SOs neutured....thatll fix'em 

[rescue5271]

I would not say i hate staff it is silly that CFS have one rule for this region and one rule for the others...I know when the staff who where all officers of the naracoorte brigade got full time CFS jobs that they had to resign as brigade officers. Yet in other parts of the state we have paid staff in regional offices who still hold their brigade officer position so why have two rule's.....

Now i think you will find that CFS at the top is pushing for this due to the R/C in region ? who holds the R/C rank but is also a LT in a hill's brigade, hey I am well aware of staff who are brigade officers and do the right thing by their brigade and go to training and call outs but you still have staff who are on the books hold rank and you dont see them much.....

[Darren]

So whats the difference to any other CFS member, we have a lot of dead weight, just because they work for the CFS doesn't mean they are a waste of space.
Anyone can be called away to their paid job, I just don't see the issue here. Maybe if they are staff members perhaps they don't work on SFEC proposals or something, maybe thats a conflict of interest. But you could also say that if a brigade members works for say Moore's.

Oh well, see how long before they try the proposal again.

[Bagyassfirey]

Meeeeh WHO CARES!

[wombat34]

Hey jaff, you're not going anywhere near my nuts!

[jaff]

Hey jaff, you're not going anywhere near my nuts!

Youre right Wombat ................. I'm no Micro surgeon

[RescueHazmat]

[wombat34]

 

[rescue5271]

Found out last night that the person who put this together has the support of 5 out of 6 regional commanders as they asked him to write the paper and put it in place. Now he also wrote 3 formats of this new SOP and there will be a consultation period with Volunteers before it comes into effect this year. Now this information was shared with all region one group officers the other night at a committee meeting as that region will be the hardest hit by te rule.

But lets look at it this way,the staff can still be volunteers,if they are the senior on the appliance they will stil be in charge it just means they can not hold any rank or brigade position...I am sure it will be talked about at group meetings over the next few months.

Before you all ask where did I get this information from, well it did not come a from a volunteer......

[Zippy]

.....Wasnt it thrown out....

Or is this "pile of corner trash" not dying an easy death...

So i guess the regional commanders have found their niche market of who would accept the SOP...(the group officers, except the ones with some sense!  how many 1, 2,..looking for 3...anyone, going going sold).

CFS just keeps removing the "Good"...and replacing it with the Bad...

[Heavy Rescue]

I can see that we need to fall in to line with the Act, and that there have been many brigades that have been breaching these rules for a long time and have now come to rely on these people for the good of their brigade, but boy oh boy this is going to cause a big shakeup in some of those brigades and groups.

Standby for some interesting times.

[misterteddy]

or just change the act to remove the stupidity....

[Zippy]

Thats utter stupidness. 

[Zippy]

... (stupid post button)

[Heavy Rescue]

or just change the act to remove the stupidity....

That would be too easy, wont happen.

[Zippy]

or just change the act to remove the stupidity....

That would be too easy, and wouldn't upset any vollies, wont happen.

Its targeting people that have a great deal of experience to assist the running of incidents during there "downtime" from work....or is CFS expecting to increase paid staff work hours to say 24/7?

[Darren]

Just had a read of a document being circulated throghout vollies and staff at the moment, the way it reads is that this has to happen. We are breaching the Act at the moment by having people who are holding two ranks and this is going to change, the consultation period is basically to work out how to upset people as little as possible.

It sounds like all the Regional Commanders agree that this needs to change except the one from Region 3 who is a Lt in a Region 1 brigade, not surprising he is against the idea.

I can see that we need to fall in to line with the Act, and that there have been many brigades that have been breaching these rules for a long time and have now come to rely on these people for the good of their brigade, but boy oh boy this is going to cause a big shakeup in some of those brigades and groups.

Standby for some interesting times.

Well looks like a hell of a lot of experienced officers will be sitting in the back of the appliance for no good reason.

I wonder if Steam Ranger are looking for new volunteers ?

[jaff]

At the risk of sounding stupid, lets look at this in perhaps a different light!
Does a helmet colour give you the respect of your coleages......in most cases not!
 Do any of you in your brigades have ex officers who's opinion are still sought and if they are doing the right thing, help to mentor new officers!
Would this apparently inescapable soon to be inacted act, greatly affect the way we do our business? or would it just speed up the natural election process and force us to be serious about sucession planning!
None of us like change, but the only constant is change!
This section of the act has been known for a long time and at a guess most staff officers would have been aware of it when applying for their positions, hopefully when its fully enacted they will remain with their brigades and give them the benefit of their experience.
I personaly know a lot of people this will affect and its a great shame they will probably be forced to step down from their elected leadership roles, but it wont stop me from me and others from continuing to seek their council on and off the fireground!

[Alex]

Ever get the feeling our service is trying to self destruct?

[misterteddy]

As per the '05 SACFS Regulations:

Division 2:

(6) A person is not eligible to be nominated for election to an officer rank if the person—

     (a) would, if elected, hold the rank and the rank of group officer or deputy group
         officer at the same time; or
     (b) would, if elected, hold the rank and a command or operational rank in another
         recognised emergency service at the same time; or
     (c) has been disqualified from holding the rank by the Chief Officer.

So although it doesn't specifically address Regional positions... it does make for interesting reading.

So much for all you Officers in SAPol and SAMFS!

read further on in the Regulations Numbers.....

( The Chief Officer may, on the application of an SACFS brigade—
(a) determine that subregulation (6)(a) or (b) will not apply to a particular person;

do we assume this is indeed a mountain out of a molehill.....each affected Brigade only needs to apply formally in writing to the Chief, with (hopefully the endoresement of the SAVFBA - cos they will see the idiocy of wasting time in this manner) for an exemption and all will be apples....right?? After all...its not personal is it??

To be honest....if I was the conspiracy theorist type, I'd be thinking this was a part of a concerted effort by Region Commanders to get rid of the pesky thorn in the side vocal types that are in Groups and Brigades out there that make them (the Regions ) accountable for the dumbness that prevails out of their offices, some of whom have positions within our friends in red trucks service. Seems awfully convenient doesnt it?

As for our A/R3 commander...stick to your guns mate.....your Brigade would have been in a far worse state of play these days without your long standing guidance, support and filtered hard work. Nice payback isnt it....sort of makes u feel appreciated ....like syphilis

[Zippy]

Now which brigade is our beauty RC1 from....

[6739264]

read further on in the Regulations Numbers.....

( The Chief Officer may, on the application of an SACFS brigade—
(a) determine that subregulation (6)(a) or (b) will not apply to a particular person;

Interestingly, most issues that people may have with the Act (Eg: Certain R1 Brigades having far more than the Capt, 4 Lt, 4 SFF) can be fixed by that lovely all inclusive "At the discretion of the CO" clause.

Will we one day audit all brigades to find out just who is following the act, and who is being a florist?

[rescue5271]

But is the region 1 R/C a officer in that brigade???

[RescueHazmat]

Epic failure on the part of the CFS.

Getting sick of putting in so much time for an organisation that only finds more ways to **** us over!