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South Australian Country Fire Service

The South Australian Country Fire Service (SACFS, commonly abbreviated as CFS) is a volunteer based fire service in the Australian state of South Australia. The CFS has responsibility as the Control Agency for firefighting, rescues and hazardous materials and inland waterways in the country regions of South Australia. Its official mission is "To protect life, property and the environment from fire and other emergencies whilst protecting and supporting our personnel and continuously improving."

SA Country Fire Service
CFS logo
Established1976
Location
Region served
6
ServicesControl Agency for Fire, Rescue and Hazmat
Members
  • 434 brigades
  • 784 appliances
Current CO
Brett Loughlin
Staff
190 paid staff
Volunteers
~13,500
WebsiteOfficial CFS Website
Grass fire at Willunga. January 2006

Many parts of Australia are sparsely populated and under significant risk of bushfire. It would be prohibitively expensive for each Australian town or village to have a paid fire service (department). The compromise adopted is to have government funded equipment and training but volunteer fire-fighters to perform the duties of regular fire-fighters. In South Australia, the name for the volunteer service is the CFS. Each Australian State and Territory has its own service, such as the Country Fire Authority in the state of Victoria and the Rural Fire Service in the state of New South Wales.

In the state capital Adelaide and larger towns in South Australia, a conventional paid service exists, the South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service (SAMFS). Most towns (over 430 communities) rely on the CFS. Several Adelaide suburbs that retain extensive scrubland have CFS stations whose area of operation overlaps that of the SAMFS with joint training exercises sometimes organised for major community facilities such as the Flinders Medical Centre. For urban incidents, both services will often attend with the Metropolitan Fire Service taking command.

Appearance edit

 
Two types of personal protective equipment are currently in use: yellow Nomex (left) for rural firefighting, and "PBI Gold" for structure fires.
 
Reflective tabbard worn at an incident.

The Country Fire Service fire appliances are painted white, rather than red as in many other fire services worldwide. This provides greater visibility on road, and in thick smoke. The day/night striping down the sides of appliances is either the old silver and red standard, or a newer red and gold chequering. Appliances made after 2012 have the newest red and bright yellow chequering. The red and bright yellow chequering provides much better visibility, particularly for crews working on roads. Some appliances are also trialling battenburg striping with bright chevrons on the rear of the appliances.[when?]

Fire fighters wear yellow protective clothing, with a two-piece set being the standard (Bunker pants, and turn out coat). With the introduction of PBI Gold (improved structural fire-fighting clothing), all CFS volunteers who have completed BA training are now seen wearing yellow/brown coloured clothing. All turn out coats have "CFS" or "FIRE" on the back in reflective writing. More modern jackets also have day/night striping around the sleeves and bottom of the jacket. Safety Vests are provided for work on the roads. these have "Fire", "Rescue", or "CFS" on both front and back in reflective writing.[1]

Fire fighters' helmets are white, (senior fire fighters have a red stripe), with the fire fighters surname on the back of the helmet in red writing on a glow-in-the-dark background. Lieutenants and Captains have yellow helmets (the captain has a red stripe), and Deputy Group Officers and above have red helmets. Regional staff have a blue stripe on their helmet.

History edit

 
Blackwood Emergency Fire Service in 1949

In colonial times, the government attempted to control the outbreak of wildfires by legislating against the careless use of fire. This began with the 1847 ordinance against reckless burn-offs of stubble and grass. The challenge of fire suppression was left to local residents who would band together to fight fires without any formal organisation or authority. In 1913, district councils were given the right to appoint fire control officers given the power to do anything 'necessary or expedient and practicable' to prevent fires or to protect life and property.

As firefighting technology advanced during World War II, a government-equipped volunteer Emergency Fire Service (EFS) brigade was established in Adelaide followed by additional brigades in some country areas. After the war, equipment from these brigades was lent to district councils for rural firefighting work. To supervise the program, an Emergency Fire Services division was formed as a division of the police department.

Throughout the mid-1950s, the EFS grew stronger and more organised, and volunteers began to campaign for the establishment of the EFS as a statutory authority. This was achieved in 1976 with the passing of the Country Fires Act through the South Australian Government which retitled the EFS as the Country Fire Service (CFS). The Country Fires Act, 1989 pulled the control of the CFS away from district councils to the State Government, allowing for the development of a standardised service able to respond quickly to emergencies across South Australia. In the late 1990s, as part of a drive to ensure that the CFS was properly equipped, another major change in funding was brought in, and the administration of the Service was combined with the administration of several other emergency services.[2] Today, the Emergency Services Levy Funding provides for the training, equipment and administration resources required to maintain the operation of the Service, but the CFS still stands fundamentally on the commitment and energy of its volunteers.[2]

In 2005 the South Australian Fire and Emergency Services (SAFECOM) Act was passed in South Australian Parliament. This act brings the Country Fire Service (SACFS) Metropolitan Fire Service (SAMFS) and South Australian State Emergency Service (SASES) together under one administration board, and funding source. Vince Monterola, CEO of the Country Fire Service at the time, was appointed as the inaugural chairman. It is this Act that defines the Country Fire Service (CFS) as the South Australian Country Fire Service (SACFS). The SAFECOM Act of 2005 replaces the Country Fires Act of 1989, the South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service Act of 1936 and the State Emergency Service Act of 1987.[3]

Divisions edit

 
An appliance from Ironbank at a bushfire on Kangaroo Island in 2006.

The CFS is made up of brigades which are organised into groups, which are again grouped into Regions. There are six regions in SA, and 55 groups. The CFS consists of around 434 brigades and 16,400 volunteers (11,800 fire fighters, 3,400 Auxiliary and 1000 cadets).

Strike teams edit

 
Large regional strike team on Kangaroo Island, January 2006

A "strike team" is a deployment of appliances out of their usual area of operation. A strike team is made up as an operational unit to simplify incident command and control. A strike team typically consists of 5 fire appliances and a leading command car. The most common configuration is 4 Fire fighting appliances and 1 Bulk water carrier. A Strike teams firefighting force will be standardised to an appliance type, such as Rural or Urban Strike team; where Rural Strike teams contain only 24 and 34 type tankers, and an Urban Strike team contains only light/medium/heavy pumper type appliances, with the exception of a Bulk water carrier type appliance. Typically Strike teams are sourced from a group, and are named after their group. (e.g., A strike team from Swanport Group would be called "Swanport strike team"). Strike teams however can be composite made up from appliances from a number of groups. Strike teams are often deployed to regional areas for several days deployment. Often a strike team will be in charge of a particular sector of a fire.

There are also "cascading strike teams", which follow the 1 leader, 5 appliance ratio, however, these types of strike team do not organise prior to the deployment. They are paged in a way that is similar to a normal call out, and then meet up on the fire ground. This is a much quicker way to get trucks to an incident, but, the crews that are deployed in this way are often only used for a single day, as they are less organised and have less preparation time.

Along a similar line task forces are groups of appliances that are mobilised to combat a particular incident out of their usual area of operation. However, task forces are more flexible in their makeup and appliances are usually specifically selected for a particular incident. Where practical the 1 leader with 5 subordinates ratio is maintained for command ability. Unlike Strike teams, Task forces do not require appliance standardisation, hence a "Light Task force" may consist of type 14, Quick Response, and Bulk Water carrier appliances. Task forces attend a wide range of incidents including flooding.

There are also regional strike teams. These strike teams are put together when there are high fire danger days coming up and the CFS does not want to stretch a group's resources. These regional strike teams usually have one or two trucks from a few groups in that region. They sometimes have two or more commanding cars, plus a State Emergency Service vehicle for logistics.

Chain of Command edit

The CFS chain of command is set out in the following way, with the top being the most senior in rank:

  • Chief Officer (Red helmet with a white stripe)
  • Deputy Chief Officer (Red helmet with a white stripe)
  • Assistant Chief Officer (Red helmet with a white stripe)
  • Commander / Regional Commander (Red helmet with a blue stripe)
  • Staff/Regional Officer (Red helmet with a blue stripe)
  • Group Officer (Red helmet)
  • Deputy Group Officer (Red helmet)
  • Brigade Captain (Yellow helmet with a red stripe) is the most senior rank in a brigade. The brigade captain is responsible for the operational and administrative aspects of the brigade. The position is elected by members of the brigade. Some of the things that a Captain will do are: undertaking responsibility for the proper management and maintenance of brigade property and equipment, ensuring members of the brigade are properly trained, take command of incidents and ensure that the chain of command within the brigade operates effectively, assisting with bushfire prevention and planning within the brigade's response area, liaising with other captains in adjacent brigades and managing the operations of the brigade in accordance with any determination of the CFS board.
  • Brigade Lieutenant. (Yellow helmet, pronounced as 'lef-tenant') There must be at least two Lieutenants in a brigade and a maximum of four. They are elected to assist the captain in the performance of his or her functions, and take over in the absence of the Captain.
  • Senior Fire Fighter. (White helmet with a red stripe) Seniors are not officers as such, but assist the Captain and Lieutenants with mainly operational management. They should be experienced personnel within the brigade, and they provide an opportunity for brigades to establish a line of middle management or succession planning. Some people see the position of a Senior as a buildup to becoming a Lieutenant.
  • Fire Fighter (White helmet) is the lowest rank of operational fire personnel, but they are the most important, because they make up the numbers. These fire-fighters can be trained just as much as a more highly ranked person but they do not usually take a leadership role at an incident.
  • Operational Support member. (no helmet) They do not go out on the fire truck. They help out with any of the other jobs that need doing, including fundraising, preparing food, operating the station radio etc.
  • Cadet. They do not go out on the fire truck to incidents. The age in which you can become a cadet is 11, but some brigades will set higher minimum ages for their members. At the age of 16 you are able to choose to become a fire-fighter, or stay on until you are 18 as a cadet. Cadets are taught skills which will help them when they become fire-fighters.

All positions from Group Officer down (inclusive) are voluntary and are elected democratically by fire-fighters (with the exception of cadets).

Regional Officers and above are appointed by the state government.

Other positions that may be held within a brigade/group are:

  • Brigade/Group Communications Coordinator is responsible for ensuring all communication equipment is operational and utilised correctly and efficiently.
  • Brigade/Group Training Coordinator coordinates training, including weekly training and ensuring volunteers are placed on appropriate specialist courses.
  • Brigade/Group Logistics Support Coordinator provides logistics support at a local level, e.g. food packs on appliances, and resource directories in the radio room.
  • Brigade/Group OH&S Coordinator ensures OH&S requirements are met, and near miss and accident report forms are lodged appropriately.
  • Brigade/Group Administration Coordinator does administration, including signing up of new members.
  • Brigade/Group Finance Coordinator coordinate finances, reimbursements, purchases, and GST claims (often combined with Brigade Administration Coordinator)

Leadership edit

Former Chiefs of the Country Fire Service have included:

Chief Officer edit

  • Brett Loughlin as of September 2022
  • Mark Jones QFSM from September 2019 to September 2022
  • Greg Nettleton AFSM from 24 January 2011 until 5 July 2019.
  • Euan Ferguson AFSM since 2001. Announced resignation 30th Sept 2010 to take the role of Chief Fire Officer of the CFA

CEO edit

  • Vince Monterola AM AFSM (2001–2003)
  • Stuart Ellis AM(Military) (1996–2001)
  • Alan Ferris (1994–1996)

Director edit

  • Donald Macarthur (1985–1994)
  • Lloyd Johns (1979–1985)
  • Fred Kerr (1977–1979, and EFS Director from 1949)

CFS logos edit

 
The CFS star logo, now mostly replaced by the 'corporate logo'.

edit

The eight-pointed star logo is used as the official badge of the SA Country Fire Service. It is claimed to have originated from the Maltese Cross, the emblem of the Knights of Malta, which was used by the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem at the time of the Crusades. The points or tenets were said to represent the knightly virtues of tact, loyalty, dexterity, observation, sympathy, explicitness, gallantry and perseverance. Since these virtues represent the qualities required by a firefighter, the star was chosen for the insignia of the CFS.[2]

Each point of the Star represents a virtue, valued in a fire fighter. These are (from top point, going clock-wise): tact, loyalty, dexterity, observation, sympathy, gallantry, explicitness, and perseverance.

Although the corporate 'taxi' logo is now used in most applications, the star is still the official insignia of the CFS.

edit

The new corporate logo was introduced in 1999, in an effort to present the modern image of the CFS as a professional organisation. The logo should be used on fire appliances, fleet vehicles, helmets and official CFS publications. The logo was chosen as a result of a competition and is based on a design by a CFS volunteer, Gary MacRae.[4] The red checker pattern representing the fire service, the yellow representing the colour of the CFS turn-out gear, and the map of south Australia representing the area served.

Dispatch edit

 
Bush Fire strike team on Kangaroo Island in 2006.

The CFS has a few ways of dispatching brigades to emergencies, however in almost all, pagers are used to alert volunteers to the incident. People wanting to report an incident should ring the national emergency number 000 and ask for 'fire'. Their call will be taken by trained operators at the SAMFS communications centre. Brigades can also be responded by notifying a brigade in person, or by ringing the local brigade's phone (if the station is staffed).

As of July 2007, all dispatch and day-to-day state operations were relocated to the SAMFS communications centre. SAMFS are now the lead agency undertaking dispatch for MFS, CFS and SES.


South Australia's dispatch callsign is 'Adelaide Fire', SAMFS, SACFS and SASES all use this call sign to contact dispatch.

Responsibility edit

In addition to supporting the SES regarding flood damage, and weather damage (e.g. trees over roads), the CFS responds to three main incident types.

Motor vehicle accident (MVA) spillages, and Road Crash Rescue (RCR) edit

The CFS provides fire cover and cleanup at road accidents. When there are entrapments, the CFS will provide fire cover, and when required will respond with rescue appliances with the appropriate tools for stabilising and extricating trapped casualties. They also perform other rescue duties, such as rope (vertical / high angle) rescue, confined space rescue, building collapse related rescue, industrial site rescue, water and ice related rescues/emergencies and animal rescues.

The Country Fire Service often performs these duties assisting other agencies. Such as the Metropolitan Fire Service (SAMFS), State Emergency Service (SES), South Australian Police (SAPOL), the South Australian Ambulance Service (SAAS) and Water Operations (Volunteer Coast Guard, SES, F MAS, life saving or Sea Rescue).

 
Crews extricate a patient from a simulated motor vehicle accident as part of a training exercise.

Fire fighting edit

Fire fighting is the main job of the CFS. They respond to any fires including country and urban. Fire fighters combat grass fires, bush fires, crop fires, scrub fires, haystack fires, and brush fence fires, house fires, chimney fires, car fires, rubbish bin fires etc. Many trucks carry breathing apparatus (there are around 800 sets of breathing apparatus spread across the state with most groups having at least 2 brigades (each having 1 vehicle with a minimum of 2 sets) equipped. Vehicles are equipped with foam induction systems to allow the use of foam as a fire fighting agent should the operation require it.

The CFS's specialty is the containment, control and extinguishing of bushfires.

Special service edit

The CFS is the combatant authority for HAZMAT (hazardous materials) incidents. However, not all brigades respond to these. As HAZMAT incidents require a lot of people, only about 1 in 10 brigades are HAZMAT trained, and resources are drawn from all over the state. Urban fringe brigades also do "Enhanced Mutual Aid" with the SA Metropolitan Fire Service. This involves change of quarters to metropolitan stations and responding to incidents in the metropolitan area.

Appliances edit

The CFS has 5 types of appliances: urban appliances, rural appliances, specialised appliances, Combinations of all three.

Rural appliances edit

CFS Appliances have a call sign which describes the appliance. The most common rural appliances are the 24 (Pronounced two-four), which means it carries 2000 litres of water and is a 4-wheel drive (4WD) and the 34 (Pronounced three-four), which means it carries 3000 litres of water and is a 4-wheel drive (4WD). Other common appliances are 14 (1000L, 4WD), pumpers and QRV (330-500L 4WD). The newest appliance is the 44 (Pronounced "four-four"), which means it carries 4,000 litres of water and is 4 wheel drive (4wd).

 
New CFS 14 type appliance (Hermitage 2013) – carries 1600 litres of water, four-wheel drive capable, and is deployed in both urban and rural environments.

These figures are the nominal water carrying capacity. Fire fighting appliances carry water, foam and other fire fighting related tools and equipment. They are designed for bush/scrub/grass fire fighting however can be utilised for a number of other duties. Bulk Water Carriers (BWC, previously called 'Tankers'), which carry large volumes of water (up to 30,000 litres), also respond to rural related incidents, however may be used as water sources for structural fires, car fires, HAZMAT incidents etc., where water sources are minimal.

These rural appliances are extremely important for keeping South Australia protected from fires. Almost every town in South Australia would have at least two of these rural fire trucks. The reason that there are many different types of rural trucks, is because the terrain changes a lot in South Australia. A 14 appliance, typically only carries 1000 litres nominally, but new single cab variations hold the capacity for up to 1600 litres. 14 appliances are extremely useful for getting into small tracks which larger appliances can not. Large 34s often have trouble in getting into smaller areas. 24s are the most common, because they are not too heavy and big, but carry a reasonable amount of water, which can last a good time before having to fill up. In most parts of South Australia outside major centres there is no water mains, so this is where Bulk Water Carriers come in handy. These BWCs, often at a rural fire, will be stationary at the edge of it, for smaller trucks to fill up from. when empty it is their job to go and find water in places including, rivers, dams, swimming pools and water tanks.

Urban appliances edit

 
New CFS Pumper (Burnside 2009) – Carries 4 x BA (3 x in-seat), rescue and Hazmat equipment and is deployed in urban and rural environments.

Urban appliances are usually Pumpers', 24Pumpers' (24P) or 34Pumpers' (34P). They have bigger pumps and more specialised equipment (e.g. extra SCBA sets), and are more suitable for responding to urban incidents like house fires, car accidents etc.

Specialised appliances edit

These are trucks which are designed for one purpose, like Rescue, or HAZMAT. Usually these are combined with another truck. (e.g. A pumper will be a combined Pumper/HAZMAT truck, or Pumper/Rescue) There is one statewide HAZMAT truck, which is based at Burnside CFS that responds to any HAZMAT incident in the state. It carries extra air cylinders for the Breathing Apparatus as well as gas tight suits, atmospheric monitoring equipment, and other specialised equipment.

Vehicle inventory edit

According to the Basic Firefighting 1 (BF1) manual, the CFS vehicles are such:[2]

  • 73 Urban appliances
  • 515 Rural Appliances
  • 7 Multi purpose appliances
  • 1 state HAZMAT response appliance
  • 71 Command vehicles
  • 11 Rescue Vehicles
  • 19 Tankers
  • 150 Miscellaneous transport vehicles

Training edit

Skills Training edit

The CFS pays for all its volunteers to be trained to the required level. It has a world class training centre at Brukunga, in the Adelaide Hills, where the specialised courses are held. However, some courses are trained by other services or companies, like first aid, given by St John Ambulance SA. There is another training centre, called the south coast training centre, but it is not as well equipped, nor funded. Here is a list of some of the courses available.

  • Basic Fire Fighting 1 (BFF1) (Basic training course) (Nationally accredited)
  • Suppress Wildfire (Level 2) (Nationally accredited)
  • Defensive Fire Suppression (Level 3) (Nationally accredited)
  • Plantation Fire Fighting
  • Operate Breathing Apparatus Open Circuit (Nationally accredited)
  • Compartment Fire Behaviour (Nationally accredited)
  • Hazmat (Nationally accredited)
  • Road crash rescue (Nationally accredited)
  • Applied First Aid
  • Advanced Resuscitation
  • Rope Rescue (Nationally accredited)
  • AIIMS incident management (Nationally accredited)
  • Leadership
  • Navigate in Urban and Rural Environments
  • Global Positioning Systems Instructor
  • Leadership (Nationally accredited)
  • SPAM (Stress Prevention And Management)
  • Train Small Groups
  • Flammable Liquids (FL)/ Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) Workshop
     
    Fire fighters train to combat LP gas fires.
  • Atmosphere Monitoring

Weekly Training edit

 
Fire fighters test a hose line during training.

Most urban stations have a weekly training, the time of this training differs between brigades. (Some brigades opt to have 2 training days a week, so that all members can attend). In this training time CFS members will revise skills which they have learnt in skill training. This training time is also used for organisation and maintenance. Below is a list of common things that happen on Training nights.

  • Testing of equipment
  • Pumps, pumping and draughting
  • Social Games with other brigades
  • Map reading, and navigation
  • Communication skills
  • Mock Search and Rescue
  • Vehicle and station maintenance
  • Fitness tests
  • Mock Vehicle accidents
  • Mock running grass fire
  • Other mock incidents

Deaths in the line of duty edit

As of 2022, 16 deaths have occurred in the line of duty.[5]

Date Brigade Rank Name Age Incident/Cause of death
15 February 1979 Athelstone Brigade Senior Fire Fighter Barry James McLoughlin 33 Vehicle accident en route to fire, Gorge Rd, Athelstone.
16 February 1983 Callendale Brigade Brian Nosworthy 52 Ash Wednesday Fire
16 February 1983 Summertown Brigade Brigade Fire Fighter Peter Ralph Matthies 27 Caught in fire. Ash Wednesday Fire
16 February 1983 Lucindale Brigade Brigade Fire Fighter Andrew Eric Lemke 23 Ash Wednesday Fire
18 March 1985 Yeelanna Brigade Brigade Fire Fighter Dean Russell Dennis 49 Property fire, Possible heart failure at incident
22 January 1986 Lobethal Brigade Captain Brian Arthur Fox Heart attack at incident
23 March 1990 Burnside Brigade Brigade Fire Fighter Peter Donald Stacy 25 Vehicle accident at incident
1 May 1990 Waterloo Brigade Brigade Fire Fighter Howard Herbert Kruse 51 Heart failure
1 February 1991 Yahl Brigade Brigade Fire Fighter Robert Leslie Jones 42 Heart attack at structure fire, Johnston's Road, O.B. Flat
21 August 1993 Moorook Brigade Brigade Fire Fighter Peter Geoffrey Aird 46 Heart attack at incident
10 March 1994 Strathalbyn Group, Strathalbyn Brigade Deputy Group Officer Leslie John Peek 48 Heart attack at incident
11 January 2005 Cummins Brigade Brigade Fire Fighter Trent Alan Murnane 30 Wangary Fires
11 January 2005 Ungarra Brigade Brigade Fire Fighter Neil George Richardson 54 Wangary Fires
31 October 2014 Mount Templeton Brigade Brigade Lieutenant Andrew Raymond Harrison 38 Nantawarra Fire
9 December 2014 Wattle Range Group, Millicent Brigade Deputy Group Officer Brian Johnston 65 Rendlesham Fire
21 January 2022 Happy Valley Brigade Senior Fire Fighter Louise Hincks 44 Falling tree, Coles Fire

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Personal Protective Equipment". South Australian Country Fire Service Promotions Unit.
  2. ^ a b c d "Basic Firefighting 1 Learner Guide", "Unit 1: CFS agency awareness and Teamwork"
  3. ^ . Archived from the original on 21 August 2006. Retrieved 30 August 2006.
  4. ^ Ellis, Julie-Ann (2001). Tried by fire : the story of the South Australian Country Fire Service. Adelaide: South Australian Country Fire Service. p. 358. ISBN 0957747292.
  5. ^ "SACFS Promotions Unit History". www.fire-brigade.asn.au. Retrieved 21 January 2022.

External links edit

  • Official CFS Website
  • CFS Promotions Unit Website
  • SA fire-fighter – A website for South Australian Fire fighters
  • Country Fire Service Volunteers Association (CFSVA)
  • (Including pager scanner)
  • Australian fire forums

south, australian, country, fire, service, this, article, relies, excessively, references, primary, sources, please, improve, this, article, adding, secondary, tertiary, sources, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, 2017, learn, when, remove. This article relies excessively on references to primary sources Please improve this article by adding secondary or tertiary sources Find sources South Australian Country Fire Service news newspapers books scholar JSTOR May 2017 Learn how and when to remove this template message The South Australian Country Fire Service SACFS commonly abbreviated as CFS is a volunteer based fire service in the Australian state of South Australia The CFS has responsibility as the Control Agency for firefighting rescues and hazardous materials and inland waterways in the country regions of South Australia Its official mission is To protect life property and the environment from fire and other emergencies whilst protecting and supporting our personnel and continuously improving SA Country Fire ServiceCFS logoEstablished1976LocationSouth AustraliaRegion served6ServicesControl Agency for Fire Rescue and HazmatMembers434 brigades 784 appliancesCurrent COBrett LoughlinStaff190 paid staffVolunteers 13 500WebsiteOfficial CFS WebsiteGrass fire at Willunga January 2006Many parts of Australia are sparsely populated and under significant risk of bushfire It would be prohibitively expensive for each Australian town or village to have a paid fire service department The compromise adopted is to have government funded equipment and training but volunteer fire fighters to perform the duties of regular fire fighters In South Australia the name for the volunteer service is the CFS Each Australian State and Territory has its own service such as the Country Fire Authority in the state of Victoria and the Rural Fire Service in the state of New South Wales In the state capital Adelaide and larger towns in South Australia a conventional paid service exists the South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service SAMFS Most towns over 430 communities rely on the CFS Several Adelaide suburbs that retain extensive scrubland have CFS stations whose area of operation overlaps that of the SAMFS with joint training exercises sometimes organised for major community facilities such as the Flinders Medical Centre For urban incidents both services will often attend with the Metropolitan Fire Service taking command Contents 1 Appearance 2 History 3 Divisions 4 Strike teams 5 Chain of Command 5 1 Leadership 5 1 1 Chief Officer 5 1 2 CEO 5 1 3 Director 6 CFS logos 6 1 Star logo 6 2 The corporate logo 7 Dispatch 8 Responsibility 8 1 Motor vehicle accident MVA spillages and Road Crash Rescue RCR 8 2 Fire fighting 8 3 Special service 9 Appliances 9 1 Rural appliances 9 2 Urban appliances 9 3 Specialised appliances 9 4 Vehicle inventory 10 Training 10 1 Skills Training 10 2 Weekly Training 11 Deaths in the line of duty 12 See also 13 References 14 External linksAppearance edit nbsp Two types of personal protective equipment are currently in use yellow Nomex left for rural firefighting and PBI Gold for structure fires nbsp Reflective tabbard worn at an incident The Country Fire Service fire appliances are painted white rather than red as in many other fire services worldwide This provides greater visibility on road and in thick smoke The day night striping down the sides of appliances is either the old silver and red standard or a newer red and gold chequering Appliances made after 2012 have the newest red and bright yellow chequering The red and bright yellow chequering provides much better visibility particularly for crews working on roads Some appliances are also trialling battenburg striping with bright chevrons on the rear of the appliances when Fire fighters wear yellow protective clothing with a two piece set being the standard Bunker pants and turn out coat With the introduction of PBI Gold improved structural fire fighting clothing all CFS volunteers who have completed BA training are now seen wearing yellow brown coloured clothing All turn out coats have CFS or FIRE on the back in reflective writing More modern jackets also have day night striping around the sleeves and bottom of the jacket Safety Vests are provided for work on the roads these have Fire Rescue or CFS on both front and back in reflective writing 1 Fire fighters helmets are white senior fire fighters have a red stripe with the fire fighters surname on the back of the helmet in red writing on a glow in the dark background Lieutenants and Captains have yellow helmets the captain has a red stripe and Deputy Group Officers and above have red helmets Regional staff have a blue stripe on their helmet History edit nbsp Blackwood Emergency Fire Service in 1949In colonial times the government attempted to control the outbreak of wildfires by legislating against the careless use of fire This began with the 1847 ordinance against reckless burn offs of stubble and grass The challenge of fire suppression was left to local residents who would band together to fight fires without any formal organisation or authority In 1913 district councils were given the right to appoint fire control officers given the power to do anything necessary or expedient and practicable to prevent fires or to protect life and property As firefighting technology advanced during World War II a government equipped volunteer Emergency Fire Service EFS brigade was established in Adelaide followed by additional brigades in some country areas After the war equipment from these brigades was lent to district councils for rural firefighting work To supervise the program an Emergency Fire Services division was formed as a division of the police department Throughout the mid 1950s the EFS grew stronger and more organised and volunteers began to campaign for the establishment of the EFS as a statutory authority This was achieved in 1976 with the passing of the Country Fires Act through the South Australian Government which retitled the EFS as the Country Fire Service CFS The Country Fires Act 1989 pulled the control of the CFS away from district councils to the State Government allowing for the development of a standardised service able to respond quickly to emergencies across South Australia In the late 1990s as part of a drive to ensure that the CFS was properly equipped another major change in funding was brought in and the administration of the Service was combined with the administration of several other emergency services 2 Today the Emergency Services Levy Funding provides for the training equipment and administration resources required to maintain the operation of the Service but the CFS still stands fundamentally on the commitment and energy of its volunteers 2 In 2005 the South Australian Fire and Emergency Services SAFECOM Act was passed in South Australian Parliament This act brings the Country Fire Service SACFS Metropolitan Fire Service SAMFS and South Australian State Emergency Service SASES together under one administration board and funding source Vince Monterola CEO of the Country Fire Service at the time was appointed as the inaugural chairman It is this Act that defines the Country Fire Service CFS as the South Australian Country Fire Service SACFS The SAFECOM Act of 2005 replaces the Country Fires Act of 1989 the South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service Act of 1936 and the State Emergency Service Act of 1987 3 Divisions edit nbsp An appliance from Ironbank at a bushfire on Kangaroo Island in 2006 The CFS is made up of brigades which are organised into groups which are again grouped into Regions There are six regions in SA and 55 groups The CFS consists of around 434 brigades and 16 400 volunteers 11 800 fire fighters 3 400 Auxiliary and 1000 cadets Strike teams edit nbsp Large regional strike team on Kangaroo Island January 2006A strike team is a deployment of appliances out of their usual area of operation A strike team is made up as an operational unit to simplify incident command and control A strike team typically consists of 5 fire appliances and a leading command car The most common configuration is 4 Fire fighting appliances and 1 Bulk water carrier A Strike teams firefighting force will be standardised to an appliance type such as Rural or Urban Strike team where Rural Strike teams contain only 24 and 34 type tankers and an Urban Strike team contains only light medium heavy pumper type appliances with the exception of a Bulk water carrier type appliance Typically Strike teams are sourced from a group and are named after their group e g A strike team from Swanport Group would be called Swanport strike team Strike teams however can be composite made up from appliances from a number of groups Strike teams are often deployed to regional areas for several days deployment Often a strike team will be in charge of a particular sector of a fire There are also cascading strike teams which follow the 1 leader 5 appliance ratio however these types of strike team do not organise prior to the deployment They are paged in a way that is similar to a normal call out and then meet up on the fire ground This is a much quicker way to get trucks to an incident but the crews that are deployed in this way are often only used for a single day as they are less organised and have less preparation time Along a similar line task forces are groups of appliances that are mobilised to combat a particular incident out of their usual area of operation However task forces are more flexible in their makeup and appliances are usually specifically selected for a particular incident Where practical the 1 leader with 5 subordinates ratio is maintained for command ability Unlike Strike teams Task forces do not require appliance standardisation hence a Light Task force may consist of type 14 Quick Response and Bulk Water carrier appliances Task forces attend a wide range of incidents including flooding There are also regional strike teams These strike teams are put together when there are high fire danger days coming up and the CFS does not want to stretch a group s resources These regional strike teams usually have one or two trucks from a few groups in that region They sometimes have two or more commanding cars plus a State Emergency Service vehicle for logistics Chain of Command editThe CFS chain of command is set out in the following way with the top being the most senior in rank Chief Officer Red helmet with a white stripe Deputy Chief Officer Red helmet with a white stripe Assistant Chief Officer Red helmet with a white stripe Commander Regional Commander Red helmet with a blue stripe Staff Regional Officer Red helmet with a blue stripe Group Officer Red helmet Deputy Group Officer Red helmet Brigade Captain Yellow helmet with a red stripe is the most senior rank in a brigade The brigade captain is responsible for the operational and administrative aspects of the brigade The position is elected by members of the brigade Some of the things that a Captain will do are undertaking responsibility for the proper management and maintenance of brigade property and equipment ensuring members of the brigade are properly trained take command of incidents and ensure that the chain of command within the brigade operates effectively assisting with bushfire prevention and planning within the brigade s response area liaising with other captains in adjacent brigades and managing the operations of the brigade in accordance with any determination of the CFS board Brigade Lieutenant Yellow helmet pronounced as lef tenant There must be at least two Lieutenants in a brigade and a maximum of four They are elected to assist the captain in the performance of his or her functions and take over in the absence of the Captain Senior Fire Fighter White helmet with a red stripe Seniors are not officers as such but assist the Captain and Lieutenants with mainly operational management They should be experienced personnel within the brigade and they provide an opportunity for brigades to establish a line of middle management or succession planning Some people see the position of a Senior as a buildup to becoming a Lieutenant Fire Fighter White helmet is the lowest rank of operational fire personnel but they are the most important because they make up the numbers These fire fighters can be trained just as much as a more highly ranked person but they do not usually take a leadership role at an incident Operational Support member no helmet They do not go out on the fire truck They help out with any of the other jobs that need doing including fundraising preparing food operating the station radio etc Cadet They do not go out on the fire truck to incidents The age in which you can become a cadet is 11 but some brigades will set higher minimum ages for their members At the age of 16 you are able to choose to become a fire fighter or stay on until you are 18 as a cadet Cadets are taught skills which will help them when they become fire fighters All positions from Group Officer down inclusive are voluntary and are elected democratically by fire fighters with the exception of cadets Regional Officers and above are appointed by the state government Other positions that may be held within a brigade group are Brigade Group Communications Coordinator is responsible for ensuring all communication equipment is operational and utilised correctly and efficiently Brigade Group Training Coordinator coordinates training including weekly training and ensuring volunteers are placed on appropriate specialist courses Brigade Group Logistics Support Coordinator provides logistics support at a local level e g food packs on appliances and resource directories in the radio room Brigade Group OH amp S Coordinator ensures OH amp S requirements are met and near miss and accident report forms are lodged appropriately Brigade Group Administration Coordinator does administration including signing up of new members Brigade Group Finance Coordinator coordinate finances reimbursements purchases and GST claims often combined with Brigade Administration Coordinator Leadership edit Former Chiefs of the Country Fire Service have included Chief Officer edit Brett Loughlin as of September 2022 Mark Jones QFSM from September 2019 to September 2022 Greg Nettleton AFSM from 24 January 2011 until 5 July 2019 Euan Ferguson AFSM since 2001 Announced resignation 30th Sept 2010 to take the role of Chief Fire Officer of the CFACEO edit Vince Monterola AM AFSM 2001 2003 Stuart Ellis AM Military 1996 2001 Alan Ferris 1994 1996 Director edit Donald Macarthur 1985 1994 Lloyd Johns 1979 1985 Fred Kerr 1977 1979 and EFS Director from 1949 CFS logos edit nbsp The CFS star logo now mostly replaced by the corporate logo Star logo edit The eight pointed star logo is used as the official badge of the SA Country Fire Service It is claimed to have originated from the Maltese Cross the emblem of the Knights of Malta which was used by the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem at the time of the Crusades The points or tenets were said to represent the knightly virtues of tact loyalty dexterity observation sympathy explicitness gallantry and perseverance Since these virtues represent the qualities required by a firefighter the star was chosen for the insignia of the CFS 2 Each point of the Star represents a virtue valued in a fire fighter These are from top point going clock wise tact loyalty dexterity observation sympathy gallantry explicitness and perseverance Although the corporate taxi logo is now used in most applications the star is still the official insignia of the CFS The corporate logo edit The new corporate logo was introduced in 1999 in an effort to present the modern image of the CFS as a professional organisation The logo should be used on fire appliances fleet vehicles helmets and official CFS publications The logo was chosen as a result of a competition and is based on a design by a CFS volunteer Gary MacRae 4 The red checker pattern representing the fire service the yellow representing the colour of the CFS turn out gear and the map of south Australia representing the area served Dispatch edit nbsp Bush Fire strike team on Kangaroo Island in 2006 The CFS has a few ways of dispatching brigades to emergencies however in almost all pagers are used to alert volunteers to the incident People wanting to report an incident should ring the national emergency number 000 and ask for fire Their call will be taken by trained operators at the SAMFS communications centre Brigades can also be responded by notifying a brigade in person or by ringing the local brigade s phone if the station is staffed As of July 2007 all dispatch and day to day state operations were relocated to the SAMFS communications centre SAMFS are now the lead agency undertaking dispatch for MFS CFS and SES South Australia s dispatch callsign is Adelaide Fire SAMFS SACFS and SASES all use this call sign to contact dispatch Responsibility editIn addition to supporting the SES regarding flood damage and weather damage e g trees over roads the CFS responds to three main incident types Motor vehicle accident MVA spillages and Road Crash Rescue RCR edit The CFS provides fire cover and cleanup at road accidents When there are entrapments the CFS will provide fire cover and when required will respond with rescue appliances with the appropriate tools for stabilising and extricating trapped casualties They also perform other rescue duties such as rope vertical high angle rescue confined space rescue building collapse related rescue industrial site rescue water and ice related rescues emergencies and animal rescues The Country Fire Service often performs these duties assisting other agencies Such as the Metropolitan Fire Service SAMFS State Emergency Service SES South Australian Police SAPOL the South Australian Ambulance Service SAAS and Water Operations Volunteer Coast Guard SES F MAS life saving or Sea Rescue nbsp Crews extricate a patient from a simulated motor vehicle accident as part of a training exercise Fire fighting edit Fire fighting is the main job of the CFS They respond to any fires including country and urban Fire fighters combat grass fires bush fires crop fires scrub fires haystack fires and brush fence fires house fires chimney fires car fires rubbish bin fires etc Many trucks carry breathing apparatus there are around 800 sets of breathing apparatus spread across the state with most groups having at least 2 brigades each having 1 vehicle with a minimum of 2 sets equipped Vehicles are equipped with foam induction systems to allow the use of foam as a fire fighting agent should the operation require it The CFS s specialty is the containment control and extinguishing of bushfires Special service edit The CFS is the combatant authority for HAZMAT hazardous materials incidents However not all brigades respond to these As HAZMAT incidents require a lot of people only about 1 in 10 brigades are HAZMAT trained and resources are drawn from all over the state Urban fringe brigades also do Enhanced Mutual Aid with the SA Metropolitan Fire Service This involves change of quarters to metropolitan stations and responding to incidents in the metropolitan area Appliances editThe CFS has 5 types of appliances urban appliances rural appliances specialised appliances Combinations of all three Rural appliances editCFS Appliances have a call sign which describes the appliance The most common rural appliances are the 24 Pronounced two four which means it carries 2000 litres of water and is a 4 wheel drive 4WD and the 34 Pronounced three four which means it carries 3000 litres of water and is a 4 wheel drive 4WD Other common appliances are 14 1000L 4WD pumpers and QRV 330 500L 4WD The newest appliance is the 44 Pronounced four four which means it carries 4 000 litres of water and is 4 wheel drive 4wd nbsp New CFS 14 type appliance Hermitage 2013 carries 1600 litres of water four wheel drive capable and is deployed in both urban and rural environments These figures are the nominal water carrying capacity Fire fighting appliances carry water foam and other fire fighting related tools and equipment They are designed for bush scrub grass fire fighting however can be utilised for a number of other duties Bulk Water Carriers BWC previously called Tankers which carry large volumes of water up to 30 000 litres also respond to rural related incidents however may be used as water sources for structural fires car fires HAZMAT incidents etc where water sources are minimal These rural appliances are extremely important for keeping South Australia protected from fires Almost every town in South Australia would have at least two of these rural fire trucks The reason that there are many different types of rural trucks is because the terrain changes a lot in South Australia A 14 appliance typically only carries 1000 litres nominally but new single cab variations hold the capacity for up to 1600 litres 14 appliances are extremely useful for getting into small tracks which larger appliances can not Large 34s often have trouble in getting into smaller areas 24s are the most common because they are not too heavy and big but carry a reasonable amount of water which can last a good time before having to fill up In most parts of South Australia outside major centres there is no water mains so this is where Bulk Water Carriers come in handy These BWCs often at a rural fire will be stationary at the edge of it for smaller trucks to fill up from when empty it is their job to go and find water in places including rivers dams swimming pools and water tanks Urban appliances edit nbsp New CFS Pumper Burnside 2009 Carries 4 x BA 3 x in seat rescue and Hazmat equipment and is deployed in urban and rural environments Urban appliances are usually Pumpers 24Pumpers 24P or 34Pumpers 34P They have bigger pumps and more specialised equipment e g extra SCBA sets and are more suitable for responding to urban incidents like house fires car accidents etc Specialised appliances edit These are trucks which are designed for one purpose like Rescue or HAZMAT Usually these are combined with another truck e g A pumper will be a combined Pumper HAZMAT truck or Pumper Rescue There is one statewide HAZMAT truck which is based at Burnside CFS that responds to any HAZMAT incident in the state It carries extra air cylinders for the Breathing Apparatus as well as gas tight suits atmospheric monitoring equipment and other specialised equipment Vehicle inventory edit According to the Basic Firefighting 1 BF1 manual the CFS vehicles are such 2 73 Urban appliances 515 Rural Appliances 7 Multi purpose appliances 1 state HAZMAT response appliance 71 Command vehicles 11 Rescue Vehicles 19 Tankers 150 Miscellaneous transport vehiclesTraining editSkills Training edit The CFS pays for all its volunteers to be trained to the required level It has a world class training centre at Brukunga in the Adelaide Hills where the specialised courses are held However some courses are trained by other services or companies like first aid given by St John Ambulance SA There is another training centre called the south coast training centre but it is not as well equipped nor funded Here is a list of some of the courses available Basic Fire Fighting 1 BFF1 Basic training course Nationally accredited Suppress Wildfire Level 2 Nationally accredited Defensive Fire Suppression Level 3 Nationally accredited Plantation Fire Fighting Operate Breathing Apparatus Open Circuit Nationally accredited Compartment Fire Behaviour Nationally accredited Hazmat Nationally accredited Road crash rescue Nationally accredited Applied First Aid Advanced Resuscitation Rope Rescue Nationally accredited AIIMS incident management Nationally accredited Leadership Navigate in Urban and Rural Environments Global Positioning Systems Instructor Leadership Nationally accredited SPAM Stress Prevention And Management Train Small Groups Flammable Liquids FL Liquid Petroleum Gas LPG Workshop nbsp Fire fighters train to combat LP gas fires Atmosphere MonitoringWeekly Training edit nbsp Fire fighters test a hose line during training Most urban stations have a weekly training the time of this training differs between brigades Some brigades opt to have 2 training days a week so that all members can attend In this training time CFS members will revise skills which they have learnt in skill training This training time is also used for organisation and maintenance Below is a list of common things that happen on Training nights Testing of equipment Pumps pumping and draughting Social Games with other brigades Map reading and navigation Communication skills Mock Search and Rescue Vehicle and station maintenance Fitness tests Mock Vehicle accidents Mock running grass fire Other mock incidentsDeaths in the line of duty editAs of 2022 16 deaths have occurred in the line of duty 5 Date Brigade Rank Name Age Incident Cause of death15 February 1979 Athelstone Brigade Senior Fire Fighter Barry James McLoughlin 33 Vehicle accident en route to fire Gorge Rd Athelstone 16 February 1983 Callendale Brigade Brian Nosworthy 52 Ash Wednesday Fire16 February 1983 Summertown Brigade Brigade Fire Fighter Peter Ralph Matthies 27 Caught in fire Ash Wednesday Fire16 February 1983 Lucindale Brigade Brigade Fire Fighter Andrew Eric Lemke 23 Ash Wednesday Fire18 March 1985 Yeelanna Brigade Brigade Fire Fighter Dean Russell Dennis 49 Property fire Possible heart failure at incident22 January 1986 Lobethal Brigade Captain Brian Arthur Fox Heart attack at incident23 March 1990 Burnside Brigade Brigade Fire Fighter Peter Donald Stacy 25 Vehicle accident at incident1 May 1990 Waterloo Brigade Brigade Fire Fighter Howard Herbert Kruse 51 Heart failure1 February 1991 Yahl Brigade Brigade Fire Fighter Robert Leslie Jones 42 Heart attack at structure fire Johnston s Road O B Flat21 August 1993 Moorook Brigade Brigade Fire Fighter Peter Geoffrey Aird 46 Heart attack at incident10 March 1994 Strathalbyn Group Strathalbyn Brigade Deputy Group Officer Leslie John Peek 48 Heart attack at incident11 January 2005 Cummins Brigade Brigade Fire Fighter Trent Alan Murnane 30 Wangary Fires11 January 2005 Ungarra Brigade Brigade Fire Fighter Neil George Richardson 54 Wangary Fires31 October 2014 Mount Templeton Brigade Brigade Lieutenant Andrew Raymond Harrison 38 Nantawarra Fire9 December 2014 Wattle Range Group Millicent Brigade Deputy Group Officer Brian Johnston 65 Rendlesham Fire21 January 2022 Happy Valley Brigade Senior Fire Fighter Louise Hincks 44 Falling tree Coles FireSee also edit nbsp South Australia portal 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires 2005 Eyre Peninsula bushfire 2015 Sampson Flat bushfires 2015 Pinery Bushfire Emergency Fire Service The CFS before 1979 Metropolitan Fire Service SAMFS South Australia Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council State Emergency ServiceReferences edit Personal Protective Equipment South Australian Country Fire Service Promotions Unit a b c d Basic Firefighting 1 Learner Guide Unit 1 CFS agency awareness and Teamwork Fire and Emergency Services Act 2005 Archived from the original on 21 August 2006 Retrieved 30 August 2006 Ellis Julie Ann 2001 Tried by fire the story of the South Australian Country Fire Service Adelaide South Australian Country Fire Service p 358 ISBN 0957747292 SACFS Promotions Unit History www fire brigade asn au Retrieved 21 January 2022 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to South Australian Country Fire Service Official CFS Website CFS Promotions Unit Website SA fire fighter A website for South Australian Fire fighters Country Fire Service Volunteers Association CFSVA SAGRN On line Scanning Including pager scanner Australian fire forums Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title South Australian Country Fire Service amp oldid 1191685274, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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