This is a joke!

[Tone7]

MFS: RESPOND Assist Resident 22/10/06 15:13,54 CROUCH ST/S,MT GAMBIER, MAP 0 0 0 ,,POSSIBLE FLAT BATTERY IN DETECTOR CODE GREEN,701*CFSRES:
MFS - Mt. Gambier


This is a joke right?… These types of calls should be ignored by SAMFS and the person should be advised that emergency services are not used for this type of activity and they need to pay some one to come in and fix the issue.

I  understand we are here to help.  However I feel that people do abuse these services.  People don’t want to pay to get a tow out of a bog CFS and SES are not supposed to do tow jobs.  Fair enough if they are truly out in the middle of nowhere…or the weather is an issue, or a level of danger, not because they just don’t want to pay for someone to come get them out.

We got a job the other day in SES being a dual member the person wanted us to literally pick up her antenna and stand it back up for her just so she could watch dancing with the stars.  This is not our job, the house was not in danger, the antenna wasn’t going to fall threw the earth.  After 10 min of telling her that we had done all that we could she deemed our efforts not good enough. 

Im going to be pissed once SACAD is introduced to R6 and SAMFS start taking our calls.  I can’t wait until they move SACAD to some where they actually know what they are doing and start responding the right services to the right jobs.

I have nothing against our local MFS they are a great bunch of guys and they know what they are doing, plus most of them are ex CFS members.  I’m more than happy to work along side of them on a job……

Just the filtered higher up the ranks that know SFA… another classic example… lets pull in a IMT team from Adelaide on the Boston fires just recently..  what a heap of political crap that was… when Lincoln CFS already had this in place and were working with all services. All that I saw was required was for MFS to arrange another crew or two to man there trucks on crew change over…  why pull an IMT that has SFA idea on how country fires work and grrrrrrr I’m not even going to go there… WHAT a WASTE of MONEY!!

Once again another classic example was a tree fire 30km on Lincoln Hwy and Port Lincoln Fire was responded.. WHAT A JOKE… I can name 3 CFS brigades that are closer and that and will do it for free… By the way MFS didn’t respond it was reported to Tumby Bay CFS.

[medevac]

@ station54 - firstly isnt 54 Pt lincoln stn? therefore your already responded by MFS comms or is your name just misleading?

anyway, you've got a lot of anger there mate.

ill admit though, im not terribly happy responding to change someones smoke detector battery over, and i have done it before (at 2am at request of our DGO after they recieved a personal call re: it) ive  also seen a brigade get turned out by MFs comms to remove a kite from a tree...

its strange when these jobs that quite obviously arent a threat to life or property get turned out...

on a side note; i wouldnt throw too many comments around like the SFA thing about state and regional staff... you have to remember they not only have there own asses to cover, but they have to think about the full picture rather than just locally like most brigades do.

[5271rescue]

Would not be the first time the MFS have been paged to help replace a smoke alarm battery.....

[SA Firey]

Would not be the first time the MFS have been paged to help replace a smoke alarm battery.....

This almost a daily occurrence in the metro area,just listen to the broadcasts on MFS all day and you realise how many they are doing

[Camo]

MFS: RESPOND Assist Resident 22/10/06 15:13,54 CROUCH ST/S,MT GAMBIER, MAP 0 0 0 ,,POSSIBLE FLAT BATTERY IN DETECTOR CODE GREEN,701*CFSRES:
MFS - Mt. Gambier


This is a joke right?… These types of calls should be ignored by SAMFS and the person should be advised that emergency services are not used for this type of activity and they need to pay some one to come in and fix the issue.

I  understand we are here to help.  However I feel that people do abuse these services.  People don’t want to pay to get a tow out of a bog CFS and SES are not supposed to do tow jobs.  Fair enough if they are truly out in the middle of nowhere…or the weather is an issue, or a level of danger, not because they just don’t want to pay for someone to come get them out.

Mate i think you are the joke!

In regards to fires over there that is none of my business but changing a battery on a smoke detector for an elderly person what is wrong with that?  It takes 10 mins and it could possibly save their lives.  Fair enough if the person is able that is a bit of abuse of the system but an elderly person who may not have anyone else to ask for help.  Get a life!

[Tone7]

Family?? Friend?? Next door Neighbors???

Plus i even bet that call came over on 000 so no camo you get a life and get over it... One rule for everyone, smoke dectors are not our problem to maintain

[RescueHazmat]

In regards to the response being a joke, it is anything but.

Why should the call be ignored by a fire service? (I say ' a ' fire service, as I have seen responses like this for both services)..

Why should it be ignored?? So it can be responded too a few days later when the house is fully involved in fire and a person is reported?

Why should someone who may not be physically able, with no family, scared of the new or noisy neighbours, or simply elderly with no one else but the people who wear a uniform and make them feel safe, not be able to contact the fire service, which they pay their ESL too or donate to every year, and have them come down during the day and fix their smoke alarm?

I'm not going to tell you go get a life, or grow up, or get a grip on reality, but I will tell you to consider the fact of why you are part of a fire service... - Saving life? Protecting and serving your community?.. - Well, assisting a resident in changing a smoke alarm battery on the occasional once off may just save a life, and may just be doing your job that much better..

[5271rescue]

where has your community spiret gone??? what is wrong with helping a older person change a battery in a smoke alarm??? and hey what great PR for your brigade,its  very said in this day and age that SA has not taken on some good IDEAS from other interstate fire brigades who each year are involved in in stalling smoke alarms into peoples homes with a joint program by the lions or local service club. they also help with changing smoke alarm battery's and at the same time help with providing information on fire safety..Time we became more community involved rather than sit on a fence......

[Tone7]

Ok,

please tell me once where i said where i said i wouldnt help an older person changing the battery.  000 is not a community involved program for changing battery's.  I dont have a ladder does that give me the right to ring 000 and ask MFS to come around... no it doesnt.  000 is for emergency calls only hell why do you think sapol brought out the 13 number to call them on.. because they where getting too many calls via 000 that where non emergency.

My community spirit has gone no where neither has my cfs mission statement.

I know what im trying to say but its just not coming out rite.

1.  000 is for emergency calls only??
2.  People that need a smoke alarm battery replaced should try and exhaust all other options first before calling and emergency service.
3.  If they need to call out an emergency service maye we need to set up a SA wide number or they need to call their local brigade direct on training night, or something..

I dont know... any ideas or suggestions??  im not here to attack ppl

[bajdas]

If a call like this came via SES (eg tree trimming jobs for the elderly) the telephone contact details will be on the pager message. A quick telephone call & the task is downgraded to SES P4 response (when convenient for the volunteer).

Then some telephone calls are made by the duty officer so that minimum 2 people go to recce/complete the tasking or it is done next training night.

Normally the tasking is recce by an experienced person so that it can be explained that we will not do some jobs.

It is a fine line between helping the community and cutting someones income. eg home maintenance people change smoke alarm batteries, gardeners trim trees, etc.

[SA Firey]

MFS do it as a PR exercise but at 3 o'clock in the morning is a bit much.We have also had a call at that hour and it was a smoke alarm beeping due to a low battery which the elderley resident called in.
She got 4 appliances as it came across as a domestic

Secondly we dont keep stocks of 9 Volt batteries for that purpose.

Sometimes we are called purely for the fact that some people are just not interested in coming out or too lazy...ie animal rescues...bird in a tree or a cat....I know call the fire service

[5271rescue]

Its called education,teach the public which number to call but hey that is all going to change with CAD....

[RescueHazmat]

It was 1513 - This is afternoon, not morning.

[Camo]

Ok,

please tell me once where i said where i said i wouldnt help an older person changing the battery.  000 is not a community involved program for changing battery's.  I dont have a ladder does that give me the right to ring 000 and ask MFS to come around... no it doesnt.  000 is for emergency calls only filtered why do you think sapol brought out the 13 number to call them on.. because they where getting too many calls via 000 that where non emergency.

My community spirit has gone no where neither has my cfs mission statement.

I know what im trying to say but its just not coming out rite.

1.  000 is for emergency calls only??
2.  People that need a smoke alarm battery replaced should try and exhaust all other options first before calling and emergency service.
3.  If they need to call out an emergency service maye we need to set up a SA wide number or they need to call their local brigade direct on training night, or something..

I dont know... any ideas or suggestions??  im not here to attack ppl

Fair enough i understand 000 should not be used unless it is an emergency but is there another number to contact the fire service on?  Yes the Alerts number for CFS (which is being phased out, not even listed in the latest white pages) but do MFS have an alternate number?  I certainly dont know what it is.

Its one of those calls where only one person really needs to respond and im sure there is one person with a spare 10 minutes to help change the old persons smoke detector battery.

[Darius]

it says in the white pages to use the 1300 info number to contact your local brigade. Failing that I guess the CFS/MFS general business numbers.

PS. I don't think Alerts is being phased out.

[medevac]

if the public wish to contact the CFS for non-emergency related enquiries then they should be dialling the bushfire info hotline 1300362361...

i think the only numbers CFS are advertising anymore are 000 - 1300362361 - and general admin for regions and state

[Camo]

it says in the white pages to use the 1300 info number to contact your local brigade. Failing that I guess the CFS/MFS general business numbers.

PS. I don't think Alerts is being phased out.

Alerts will become a backup to 000.  000 is also the only emergency number being advertised.

[5271rescue]

I think you will find in time that alerts will be gone as we are ment to be promoting triple zero(000) as the main number to call if you look at all new command cars they all have 000 on it....

[CFS_Firey]

Isn't ALERTS the backup for if 000 or the paging network fails?  Seems silly to get rid of it...

[Robert-Robert34]

If someone wants the battery changed in their smoke detector and cant do it themselves why not call an electrical contractor who is qualified in that sorta thing 

[5271rescue]

Yep and I will charge you $70 just to remove a 9vlt battery so call me  1800

[Pipster]

If someone wants the battery changed in their smoke detector and cant do it themselves why not call an electrical contractor who is qualified in that sorta thing 

There are many people within our communities who are very isolated, and living on a very small income (often a pension / social security benefits.

I come across many of these people in my job - often they have no family (or at least no family that either a) care about what happens to them, or b) live interstate / overseas and can't just drop around for a few minutes )

Many people within our communities for a range of reasons, have little contact with their neighbours, have no friends (or no friends physically able to change the battery in a smoke detector)

So what do these people do?   As Bill suggests, it costs a lot of money, from the point of view of a person living solely on a pension, to pay...and have you tried to get a tradesman to come and do some work for you...they appear to be very busy people!!!  (And you may well ask, what price is a life, but when you have to choose between paying to get your smoke alarm battery replaced, or for the next two weeks, what are you going to do? )

I don't mind being contacted for a job like this (at a reasonable time of the day!) - but only for a person who really has no other option.   Getting called to something like this for a person who is simply too lazy to do it themselves, or who has plenty of ready cash, but decides they should get something back from the money they pay for the ESL... that's different....   

Pip

[SA Firey]

I think you will find in time that alerts will be gone as we are ment to be promoting triple zero(000) as the main number to call if you look at all new command cars they all have 000 on it....

As per CFS SLA(Service Level Agreement) all advertising of old FACU/ERS/ALERTS numbers is to be removed from brigade websites,letterheads,stations,promotional material,appliances etc and replaced with 000

Per Gary Bau CFS SOCC

[K99]

Boo Hoo! A sweet little old lady needs help. Just do it. You will feel good afterwards.

[Camo]

And its not like you couldnt scoot off if another call came through...its not one of those jobs that ties an appliance up.