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Tony P

, Male

Melbourne, Victoria

Australia

Profile Information:

Type of Organization: Fire/Rescue Department - Volunteer
Job Function: Firefighter
Years in Fire/EMS:: 8
Primary Fire/EMS Department:: Country Fire Authority. Victoria
Years With Department/Agency: 8
Dept. Web Site:: http://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/
My Training:: Structure/Wildfire Firefighter. HAZMAT qualified. Driver. Trainer/Assessor. 1st Aid.
About Me:: Full-time volunteer firefighter. It's a great job but the pay sucks!

What more is there to say?
Relationship Status:: Divorced
Why I Joined Fire/EMS: I was available. They needed members. The rest is history.

Once you start, how can you stop?

Comment Wall:

Load Previous Comments

Chief 29

Thanks for understanding were I was going with my discussion.

Dec 19, 2008
Michael Vito

Hello Tony, Kung Hei Fat Choi ! Happy Chinese New Year ! G'day, mike

Jan 27, 2009
Aussie_Wildfire

Thanks tony for keeping the thread going. Did you read the comment under yours on my page. It's mike commenting on the full 40min canberra fires DVD I sent him :)

Feb 4, 2009
patricia mccarty

Thanks, Tony! Really appreciate the input. Working on getting in here at home... but work is work.

Plus it would break my heart to have to work where I might get to surf ..I'm not even mentioning the places... stuff dreams'r' made of ! LOL!
Ya'll stay safe. yeh. Wildland, Structural 1 and Red Card Certified... not a total yobbo

Love the work you guys have done/are doing w/ urban interface, brush clearing, and possible shelter-in place tactics for potential candidates. Prepping areas and helping folks who might get trapped in those areas... Planning is a beautiful thing. best to you and yours,

Patricia

Feb 6, 2009
Aussie_Wildfire

Two strike teams Tony, you have been busy. I sat on my arse and tuned into the ABC radio. My brigade feels useless. but such is life.

Feb 8, 2009
Finn Volunteer

Oh. Hello to you too ..

Feb 9, 2009
Ken O'Brian

Thanks mate. Nice to meet you too, pity it's not under better circumstances.

Feb 11, 2009
Diana Carolina

thanks for the comment intoaccount it takes, just get there and hope to meet that goal that I am proposing to work in what I like are emergencies .. I hope some day when I get to know your beautiful country

Feb 15, 2009
Charlie Watson

We were a Healsville for 2 nights and then in the Yarra ranges backburning around the water catchments. Long nights and then day sleeping in tents 1 k from the staging point at Wesburn where 3 erikson skycranes takeing off and landing all day. Shagged comes close to describing how we felt when we got home but there are those worse off than us of course.

Feb 19, 2009
Charlie Watson

We saw the strike force of 4-5 urban pumpers at Healsville parked outside the Community centre. The tassie force was made up of 90-odd, consisting of 30 forestry/parks, 40 tasmania fire service volunteers and the rest were career fireys like myself who had been gathered from around the state. Career brigades in tassie are located in the four main population areas of Hobart, Launceston, Devonport and Burnie.We were only able to send limited numbers of career guys due to it still being high fire danger in tassie at the moment and the career fireys only number 330 or so state wide. The union can get a bit narrow minded sometimes and lose focus on the big picture

Feb 19, 2009
Coty Shoemaker

Yes, I closed it cause I got the answers I needed, and also it got a lil more attention that I expected. I work with Forestry fairly often, a few guy on my dept work on our Forestry Commision. and thanks for the Input

Mar 4, 2009
A.J.

hey man hope all is well. im still praying for all of you in austrailia. were the fires bad near where you were.

Mar 7, 2009
Christopher J. Naum, SFPE

We'll get you "thinking" like a US Firefighter yet.....hopefully not for the wrong reasons.....we certainly have our issues don't we...stay safe my brother

Mar 7, 2009
Christopher J. Naum, SFPE

Safety is the bottom line, no matter what part of the world we're operating at or with..the job is truly the same to a great extent..

Mar 7, 2009
Nathan Whoric

thanks for the ideas!

have a good one and stay safe

Mar 9, 2009
k hig

No prob, thanks for the add. I like to keep busy you know the way. Very funny comment on the St. Patty's day saga!
Take it easy anyway and have a good one :)

Mar 13, 2009
Jason Koontz

Thanks very much! I look forward to being apart of this awesome nation. Hows the fire season goin? Heard you guys have had some pretty nasty ones thus far.

Mar 16, 2009
Eric

Tony,
How are things down under? How's everyone holding up with the wildfires?

Mar 21, 2009
Eric

Tony,
It's good to hear that the wildfire season is calming down. My thoughts and prayers go out to those affected. I'm glad you guys have good CIS teams to help those cope with what they've gone through. I know what you mean when you say some will need it more than others. I hope the BBQ was good. Nothing better than a good meal and a cold drink with family, friends and peers after a hard job. Well deserved. Best of luck and stay safe.

Mar 22, 2009
Chris

Hey thanks mate. Yeah the old girl is awesome, Its a great piece of NSWFB history...

Apr 1, 2009
Mick Shelley

Tony, I first would like to say I am sorry for the comments I made earlier.
Here in the USA we do have different levels of police. Maybe in Australia, you have only one. It was just a misunderstanding. Again I am sorry Brother.
Mickey

Apr 20, 2009
Mick Shelley

Thanks Tony, Sorry to hear you were ill, I wish you a speedy recovery, hope to talk to you soon. Mickey

Apr 24, 2009
paula beckham

Hi Tony how are things going is oz at the moment you had a really bad run there the wife asked if i would go over if i was needed it was like show me the door of the plane and im on my way anything to help our neighbours over the ditch but alas they only asked for the rural guys from down shouth to be honest they would be the best anyway

May 8, 2009
paula beckham

Hi Tony thanks for that we have sunshine today so its off to work i go

May 8, 2009
paula beckham

Hi Tony
the pay it forward thing nip down to the video store and in the family/drama area you will find a dvd with that title have a watch its a good film you will need a box of tissues

May 9, 2009
paula beckham

its not as good as bad boy bubby which is one of your home grown films watched that a few years back had a filf nite a while ago with some mates and took that along they all accuse me of being a sick mf###er for the first 15 mins but all agreed at the end it was a good film

May 9, 2009
Eric

Tony,
How are things where urban legends tell me that the toilets flush couterclockwise (though I know this to only be an urban legend).?

May 9, 2009
PFC Harmon

Tony, some people just dont understand the concept of a discussion (or proper grammer). I am a volunteer but I canot stand for people to use volunteer status as an excuse ro be sub standard, I get tired of hearing "the community don't support us", or "we give enough time anyways". I come to this site to learn and talk about interesting or fun topics and I probably took some of my comments to far but I don't like some one attacking me on my age when they don't know me. I enjoy reading your post and learning about how fire departments "down under" operate. Stay safe and I was thinking of taking up a donation for a dictionary and 3rd grade english text book if you want to chip in. LOL.

May 13, 2009
Sarah Tinsley MacKenzie

yea it was filling up my email box

innz we do our 7 day basic that makes us firefighter and then we have other courses we have to complete for qualified firefighter then senior pump and driver

May 14, 2009
Sarah Tinsley MacKenzie

i reopended it

May 14, 2009
Sarah Tinsley MacKenzie

instructor wow what sort of training do u hav to do to do that
im thinking of becoming a perm onedae n the future but i really want to be trainig instructor

May 14, 2009
PFC Harmon

i Figurd That a thrd grad tex BOOK would Be a gooood sterting pointe. That and my wife is a third grade teacher so it's the grade that popped in my head.

May 15, 2009
Rom919

On Thursday Governor Paterson signed legislation allowing firefighters to operate fire trucks and other emergency apparatus without a commercial drivers' license during non-emergency situations, such as training, building inspections and ceremonial duties, including parades.

Some of the defect was cured by language in the recently enacted NYS budget, which exempted firefighters from the CDL requirement while going to and from an emergency situation. The legislation now completes the exemption and makes it clear that ceremonial activities, such as parades, are also exempted activities.

May 26, 2009
Rom919

I didn't add it to your profile to agitate you, but to let you know what the eventual outcome of the NYS ruling came out. Sorry if it appeared that way, it was not meant to. Good luck to you and the land down under.

May 27, 2009
Eric

Tony,

I see you have the actual Maltese Cross in your pics. I don't think I've noticed it before. Is that so people that don't believe what you say about the difference between the Maltese Cross and the Firefighters' Cross can reference your pic? Anyway, I was actually jumping on here to see how things are going on your side of the world and to applaud your keeping cool in the "2 1/2 inch" thread. I can't believe how heated people get over some of these conversations. Well, hope everything's going good for ya'. Take care and stay safe.

-Eric

Jun 4, 2009
Eric

I figured it took a little restraint. I usually leave the thread alone when it takes a twist like that one did. It turns from simply asking people's opinions to criticizing them when they give it.

Unfortuneately I don't have the option of only putting law enforcement dispatch on my profile. I work directly for our Police Department as a dispatcher. Very different from our county wide emergency services dispatch/911 center. They dispatch fire, ems, law enforcement, anything else on the county level. I get to work directly with the police officers, in the office and through the radio. It's a good job, but I'm working toward actually becoming a police officer.

I understand what you're saying when you mention cell phones being as much of a hinderance as a help. You end up getting 5 calls for the same thing. As with everything else today, no one can win. I can't imagine handling 5,000 calls in the course of a day. I mean that literally, I can't even imagine that call volume.

Anyway, I hope you all finally get some rain. I completely forgot that it is winter in Australia.

Take Care, stay safe
-Eric

Jun 5, 2009
Michael C. Harrison

Sorry Brother....I just found your comment (I'm not really too computer savvy)
And people arguing and disagreeing with me couldn't bother me in the least.
I just find it funny that the self-proclaimed "high and mighty" people that are telling me that MY opinion is WRONG.....can then turn around and tell me to be open to other ideas.
Kinda funny funny.....kinda sad.
Anyways.....thanks for lookin out and if you ever get to the USA and come to Washington D.C. and want to see the "wrong way" that a department operates.....hit me up and I will give you the 25 cent tour

Jun 10, 2009
PFC Harmon

Hey Tony, It has been a while since I have been on here. I've been busy with the army getting ready to go to the desert. Had any good discussions on here lately?

Aug 23, 2009
Michael Vito

Hello Tony, three days ago we had a meeting at civil defense headquarters. And would like you to know, that there are Australian contingent are helping us out here. They even donated medical equipment for upgrade and re-stock of hard to find medicine here. Their visit was cut short because of the Indonesian earthquake but they promise if things settle down in their end. They will come back and finish the job.

To all Aussies out there. Thank you !

Mike

Oct 12, 2009
Arron

Hey Mate,

We have a few cops at the station who are involved in firefighting, a few are in volunteers and a few in retained stations [paid part time - on call]. It can be hard getting to calls sometimes because the cops dont always release you or the rosters are stuffed up, but generally we get to go away to the big stuff without too many problems.

Thanks for adding.

Arron

May 20, 2010
Arron

Nah, While on shift I cant respond to anything, but I work in a unit where I can easily get the time off to go and work on the big stuff. Eveyday incidents I dont get to all the time, unsually only on my days off, which is when most people are working anyway. Would love to think that I could go to incidents when working but at the end of the day there are usually more important things to do with the cops.

May 30, 2010
Finn Volunteer

Thank you for your comments :)

May 31, 2010
Rusty Mancini

Tony, thanks for the add on. Stay safe my friend..

Jun 17, 2010
Gregory Borg

Yea, I knew that when I wrote it. I just get tired of flag wavers and the hero crap. Have a nice 4th.

Jul 3, 2010
Gregory Borg

Oh Oh, I see you are in Oz, well have a nice day on the 4th, some day you guys will give the Queen the boot as well.

Jul 3, 2010
Jack/dt

Tony it was Tyler James, from queensland. When he posted yesterday am his profile said he was 16 and an explorer. Bot myself and Paul Montpetit gave him a rash of shit about a stupid and very unprofessional posting. In essence the post implied that anyone that claims to have been read ended (MVA) is lying, a faker and looking to make money and some other nonsense. I commented and so did Paul and shortly he took it down. He then posted another disucssion on the color of a fire truck, with a wise ass comment about people with no sense of humor. I commented on THAT one too and he took that one down.
He's a little wise ass. Now he says he's in college, I'm pretty sure he's a bullshitter.

Aug 13, 2010
Jack/dt

Tony, no worries, not like I hold you responsible just because you're both aussies. On a brighter note he did remove both his posts rather than ignore our .suggestions'. He's shows promise but....unless what he did was to update his profile, he's actually a 16year old kid, and if so shouldn't be passing himself off as older/more experienced. It ain't right.

Aug 14, 2010
ROOKIELZ

g'day Tony! Glad I found you. Much easier once I knew your name here!

Aug 16, 2010
ROOKIELZ

We probably SHOULD have had marshmellows at that last house fire. >roll eyesbr /> I felt more like beating some folks with my halligan, though.

I went through your pics; nice!
And I am surprised that you don't have Eva's music on here.

Aug 23, 2010
Mick Mayers

Did you see my picture with Blazer Bear?

Aug 30, 2010