Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Art "ChiefReason" Goodrich on September 5, 2010 at 11:57am

For those of you who are worried about getting sub-par-i.e. a department that doesn't meet your standards AND you have control over your mutual aid agreements, then void the agreement.
If you don't control the agreements and operate like a county department, then you document the issues and allow the county to determine if changes are needed.
You know; some of this stuff can come down to a SINGLE incident or observation by someone who may or may not be in the best position to make it.
Turf wars and hopes to resolve them are generational. "Bad blood" between departments tend to end when the parties from those departments are no longer on the department.
But, if you want to see the same issues year after year, generation after generation with little chance of resolving them and strengthening the response in your areas, then all you need to do is keep "electing/appointing" officers who cannot lead, let alone deal with something like conflict resolution.
Stop looking for reasons to isolate yourselves with this idea that your bar is so much higher and bring the other departments up with you. Instead of cancelling the agreements, how about getting together and training together, fund-raising together, sponsor open houses at each other's fire station.
You might think that there are departments near you that are "dangerous", but so is the attitude that you will "WAIT" for a more "qualified" fire department.
Resolution is the solution.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Tony P on September 5, 2010 at 8:44pm

Sorry Andrew, I forgot who I was talking to! Of course you know our system.

Yes, our system isn't perfect. Mostly, what you mentioned are a matter of fine tuning things. With dispatch times, my area is mostly on the four minutes to roll mark, then there are a couple of Brigades on the eight minute mark. If brigades aren't making their turnout time, it's well known to District (eventually I'll get used to that instead of 'Region'!) in which case it's up to District to make changes, and of course a brigade captain can bring this up with Ops as well. Should and could be taken into account.

Being paged for a second call in your own area when your own vehicles are all out? That's a fault, and needs to be addressed. When we've all been out on a job, second calls have come over as 'non-emergency' on the pager, in other words just an advice message to us with another brigade (often the Mets for us) being responded as primary and someone else again as support for them.

Back to the one I missed (yes, I was asleep...) of "dont really call the small trucks that we need", that also can come down to how the response tables have been set up. It can also help if a request for certain types (Ultra Light Tankers in the case you mention?) is made with detail as to why those are needed. Still doesn't always work as we want though, the human factor...

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Andrew Salinger on September 6, 2010 at 5:37am

yeah it can take alot longer to get things changed from out here. We have been asking for 1 particular brigade to be turned out with us for ages and only for structure fires because they can get on the road and assisting us faster than some of the closer brigades and they are better equipped but its not happening so we have to ask to have them paged every time. But we always get the job done, the fire will always go out when it runs out of fuel. As long as no one gets hurt then its a sucess for us.

Yes i was meaning light and ultra light we use the light tankers more as we have 2 in our group. If we can call DSE we do. We have 1 ultra and 1 light tanker planned to be coming in the future, hopefully soon.

• ▶ Reply

▶ Reply to Discussion

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next ›
• Page