sea search and rescue groups
Submitted by petermac on Fri, 2013-07-19 19:27
After reading Icemans post about a mayday and the dick they set out to rescue with the water coppers it might be a crazy idea but I think these vollys should be paid along the same lines as the army reservists are paid .They risk their lives and take the pressure of already over stretched resources like the navy (always out saving refo boats) and water coppers
Lastchance
Posts: 1274
Date Joined: 02/02/09
Volunteer is volunteer mate.
Volunteer is volunteer mate. No-one has forced the folks involved to be involved. Yes the job can be demanding at times, but so is fire fighting, ambulance, reserve armed forces etc. Some carry on like society owes them something and at times this may be the case, but as for requesting payment, stick to your day job.
squidder
Posts: 457
Date Joined: 03/09/10
I'm with you
Lastchance, vollys are vollys. What's next , stand by money and lets not forget, $$$$$'s gotta come from somewhere.
A lot of the volunteers I know, love the job.
petermac
Posts: 2946
Date Joined: 03/03/10
what i am saying
understand blokes what I am saying is all the groups like the volley fireys and ssar should be paid for the time they put in army res for the most of them is just about a good time and few weeks away from work every year and a good booze up at the end and I know as I was detached to an A res unit for 3 months when I was in the regs and don't forget A res members are vollys too but get paid . And yes I know all vollys love their job it was just a suggestion and I stand by it
carnarvonite
Posts: 8685
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Paid??
Where is this govt going to get money to pay anyone.
When you are in smaller country towns nearly everyone is volunteering for some group or another, be it the town firies, bush firies, St Johns ambos, Ses,Old Bastards, footy clubs, Rotary, Lions and the list goes on for ages and if we didn't the town would not survive and what would happen then
Getting paid doesn't come in to it, its doing service for the whole community not just for a select few, seeing a good result is reward enough.
From what I believe, a lot of the sea rescue groups on the east coast are paid and this comes from boat registrations, but I could be wrong in this. How would the vollie firies, Ambos and all the others feel when one lot is getting paid and they are not, pretty pissed off I would say.
petermac
Posts: 2946
Date Joined: 03/03/10
response
hey john what I am saying is there should be recognition of this stuff eg re embirstment of fuel or if you blow a tyre heading to the blow holes to help some 1 I think if your a registered member of a clulb like the ssar or firys or the like you should be able to at least claim it on tax like you can union membership that's my last word on the subject
carnarvonite
Posts: 8685
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Recompense
If like you say , I blow a tyre while on a call out, I can get it replaced at no cost.
Not too long back I slipped and fell on to our air berth while doing maintenance and broke 3 ribs, I lost a pair of polaroids prescription glasses and my watch, all medical and replacement of property was covered.
Like our Christmas Island members says, community recognition for our service is enough.
petermac
Posts: 2946
Date Joined: 03/03/10
thats the way it should be
and so you should be reimbursed for that stuff, I am just sick and tired of money being wasted on stupid things like studies into why we have chinless youth wandering the streets of perth at 3am the answer is simple they don't have any values any more why do you think most vollys are from another generation you only have to see the amount of grey hair the vollys at Rockingham sea search and rescue have I got rescued by the Mandurah boys earler this year when my 90 opti max ($2 dollar o ring) died on me they came out picked up all my crab nets and towed me back to the ramp I got a letter a week later saying my rescue cost $60 in fuel I sent them a postal order for $120
Robbo88
Posts: 72
Date Joined: 07/01/09
Where to get funding from....
We could start by taking the Australian Cricket teams money off them, they don't bloody deserve it at the moment! Followed by dole bludgers, refugees ect. But it's hard enough trying to get funding for equipment without having to pay volleys.
I would like to see pensioners compensated better for their efforts in the community tho!
Taylor fishing
Posts: 42
Date Joined: 02/09/12
Hi guys,guess thiss is is an
Hi guys,
guess this is is an occasionally controversial subject but thought i might add my two cents. I live on Christmas Island and volunteer for the local marine rescue. We occasionally get some heavy requests and I must say I ONLY do it to contribute to the community. Knowing the tasks I would never do it for money. If I was getting paid for those tough tasks i think it would feel cheap and lessen the satisfaction from a job properly done. Dont know how else to say it, but the community gives so much to me and my family, and to put a price on something like this that i can do for the community seems really harsh and crass.
squidder
Posts: 457
Date Joined: 03/09/10
God only knows
how much my mate , and others, would have to be paid for the little venture they have been on of late, And Still Are.
There's a little place called Windy Harbour on the south coast which has of late had a shed built to house a S.S.&R.B. gained from funding.
The shed was, and still is, getting finished off all by Volunteers, even the building licence, my mates, again volunteered.
Some "Vollys" drive 200kls plus to volunteer their time to assist, one way that is and also take time out to do search and rescue training days further down the track at Walpole.
I could not imagine the cost involved to some of these individuals let alone the family downtime they are sacrificing. One would probably ask why?????.
Simple answer, one day one of these individuals may man the rescue boat to assist one of their own in distress off one of the most treacherous coasts in the world.
That would be payment enough, I feel.
dodgy
Posts: 4588
Date Joined: 01/02/10
One thing I would like to
One thing I would like to see is a bit more funding coming from the Emergency Services Levy. I believe currently only SES, Firies and St John's have access to that.
Small towns have a great culture of volunteering. Everything from the footy club to Ambos, you realise nothing would happen without these guys.
This is where fifo hits small communities particularly hard. It sucks the lifeblood right out.
There was talk a little while back of some kind of tax breaks for Emergency Services Volunteers as well.
Does anyone know where the love of god goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours?
dodgy
Posts: 4588
Date Joined: 01/02/10
Oh, And if I get called out
Oh, And if I get called out in work time my employer still pays me.
Does anyone know where the love of god goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours?
carnarvonite
Posts: 8685
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Rio Tinto
As a bonus for volunteer groups, Rio Tinto donates to the groups $1 per hour to a maximum of $500 for each of their workers who volunteer their time to what ever service group they serve.
Robbo88
Posts: 72
Date Joined: 07/01/09
BHP Worsley do the same
BHP Worsley do the same thing,$10 per hour volunteered plus they'll match what ever an employee can raise towards a charity of club.
pricey10
Posts: 486
Date Joined: 07/01/12
Totally agree with what dodgy
Totally agree with what dodgy said! As for getting payed for your services I disagree. If your ever been in the situation where you require these guys help, thats when you really appreciate it. And if you are on the other end of it and you get a chance to help someone out in a bad situation there's alot of reward there to. That service can't be brought
Karratha. WA
Iceman
Posts: 747
Date Joined: 17/03/09
Not for the money
I do it for the satisfaction of knowing I have helped someone out who is in trouble. The thanks i get are from the boaties themselves and also the families of those who we have assisted.
I aslo have the full support of my family knowing I have the best equipped vessels and skilled personnel to get the job done and that we would not knowing put ourselves at risk.
Where we are let down is in the media. We very rarely get recongnised for the job we do or even get a mention.
Smartline Personal Mortgage Advisers - Level 1, 11 Hobsons Gate Currambine
0448122208
Ambiance
Posts: 105
Date Joined: 06/12/09
What I dont understand is
What I don't understand is this, with the Taxes Levies and everything else the Government takes why do they need to be volunteers. There should be a fully paid Sea Rescue, Fire, SES etc everywhere it is needed.
Everytime a Pollie travels overseas we hear of them giving $100 Mill yes $100 mill for a bloody boat in Indo or somewhere.
So if we have all this money why do we have to have volunteers for our needed services such as the SES etc.
I am not against the taxes I pay just the lack of services I get for it.
carnarvonite
Posts: 8685
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Demand
In towns away from the metro areas and with less population there isn't the demand on rescue groups , some times we go 4-6 weeks without a call out then may cop 3-4 in the next month.
How could you justify paying someone a wage with nothing to show for it.
Our group, like most other ones , have mainly older members with extra time on our hands to do whats needed but wish for younger volunteers to boost numbers if something that requires many hours at sea to take the load off. So if any of you have time on your hands and want to gain experience, qualifications etc please don't hesitate in signing up at your local unit.
dodgy
Posts: 4588
Date Joined: 01/02/10
Haha. Exactly the opposite
Haha. Exactly the opposite here. Would love to have so older hands on board but unfortunately they just cant afford to stay in town. Our group is 80% under 40
Does anyone know where the love of god goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours?
carnarvonite
Posts: 8685
Date Joined: 24/07/07
3 under 50
Of our 24 active members we have 3 under 50, the rest are all over 60 with some being mid 70s
petermac
Posts: 2946
Date Joined: 03/03/10
should tell
those numbers should tell you something john like a generation has go missing good on those blokes over 70 they must have been hard buggers when they were young blokes
pale ale
Posts: 1755
Date Joined: 02/01/10
I was a firey back South for
I was a firey back South for many years. I had a great crew, and we trusted each other with our lives. This came from doing massive amounts of training. Sometimes, I felt like we should have been paid for attending the training. To spend 5 or six whole weekends every year just to keep the training levels up to standard was a huge demand..... hell, I'd rather be fishing!!! Now that I'm living up North in Karratha, working long hours, I have given away being a volunteer. My weekends are now for fishing!
I don't think any of us care about the expense / time when you are doing the rescue / callout...... but hundreds of hours of compulsory training should be rewarded some how.