News

SITREP 14/2013

April 5, 2013

pressure gauge

 

  • Idiotic pressure gauges sillier than first thought
  • Who voted Tory? London’s burning
  • SSS and SASS retirement planning seminars

 

 

Idiotic pressure gauges sillier than first thought

SITREP 3/13’s “Overtime blowout a sham” item prophetically observed that “the idiotic KPI pressure gauges on the Department’s intranet site are a good metaphor for the silliness afflicting FRNSW generally these days”.

Demonstrating that those gauges (like most of the Department’s IR propaganda) is all spin over substance, the latest intranet “projected sick leave” gauge was today showing that:

  • average sick leave for 2011/12 financial year was 80 hrs per permanent firefighter; and
  • the sick leave target for the current 2012/13 financial year 58 hours per permanent firefighter.

However, a recent screen snapshot of the same gauge (Click here) instead showed that:

  • average sick leave for 2011/12 financial year was 110 hrs per permanent firefighter; and
  • the sick leave target for the current 2012/13 financial year 87 hours per permanent firefighter.

Of course, the latest gauge also contradicts the intranet’s own “projected sick leave” link, which explains that as at November 2012 sick leave hours per permanent firefighter for July to December 2012 is 50.86 hours. If this is extrapolated to the end of the financial year then the sick leave hours per permanent firefighter for 2012/13 is estimated to be 102 hours. This is higher than target for the 2012/2013 financial year of 87 hours per permanent firefighter but lower than the actual for the 2011/12 financial year of 120 hours per permanent firefighter.”

Shonky? You be the judge. What does add insult to injury though is that while the Department play loose and fast with their KPI gauges, they are still blaming firefighters sick leave for the need to close fire stations. We have sought a meeting to ascertain the real situation with sick leave. More to follow.

Who voted Tory? London’s burning

The London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA) has revealed its Draft Fifth London Safety Plan, proposing savings of some £28.8m ($A42m), including closing 12 fire stations, removing 18 fire engines, relocating four fire engines and reducing the number of firefighter positions by 520.

Apparently this would be done while maintaining existing response time targets of getting the first fire engine to an incident, on average across London, in six minutes and the second, if needed in eight minutes. Meanwhile, our UK firefighter comrades have not had a wage rise since 1 July 2009.

Mass firefighter sackings and a four year wage freeze – it couldn’t happen here, could it?

SSS and SASS retirement planning seminars

Memners are reminded that State Super holds regular seminars for members approaching retirement throughout Sydney and regional centres. For a full list of seminars, locations and registration details:

SSS members should see www.statesuper.nsw.gov.au/member_retireseminar_sss.htm and

SASS members go to www.statesuper.nsw.gov.au/member_retireseminar_sass.htm

 

Jim Casey
State Secretary

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