Recession and Emergency Services

i-digress

Just wondering...do workers in the emergency services feel that cutbacks to date are affecting the service that they provide to the public?

Eru

The total withdrawal or damn near of overtime has effected a lot of operations where its a simple reality. Im not talking about people picking up extra shifts but survelliance and specialist units that cant simple clock in and out every 8 hours.

In my district the top 3 overtime reasons are; Operation Anvil, Court, weekend nights. Operatio Anvil has been scaled back to task force only and only an extra 4 hours a day on top of the cars normal 8 hour shift no extra units are allowed. Court now has to be sanctioned in advance which is stupid because only the judge can excuse you from attending. The weekend, well theres still a few extra hours being sanctioned but theres not the numbers around now at kicking out time as they was say, Christmas 2007 which means more assaults and fights etc with a reduced response time.

Paulzx

At the moment it looks like training is the main target to save money for us. When people are in the training center they need to be covered at station level so overtime comes into play. Training is going to be cut back to avoid this.

At station level we operate a mimimum manning level and this is still being met. If we are short bodies due to leave etc. overtime is still being used to achieve our minimum manning.

Extra bodies are being drafted into the Control Room in order to eliminate all overtime there.

The numbers of personnel are definetily being managed better at the moment to try and save cash.


Oh i nearly forgot. We're walking around the station in the dark to get the esb bill down. Don't say we're not doing anything to help;)

civdef

Perfect really, practicing BA search techniques in the dark whilst also conserving electricity,
someone should put that in a suggestion box!

kwalsh000

A big way it will affect the city stations I think will be more members stuck on posts on weekends as opposed to having overtime doing the posts. That means less members on beat which means less visibility which is not good. Less guards on beat = more assaults , thefts and stupidity, more guards on beats = more discretion, less people willing to do stupid things and a happier street :P

i-digress

Thats a shame because, as a civilian, the one big thing I think Fachtna Murphy has done is made the gardai more visible. The amount of gardai you see on the beat at all hours definitely makes people feel more safe.

wreckless

civdef wrote: »

Perfect really, practicing BA search techniques in the dark whilst also conserving electricity,
someone should put that in a suggestion box!

cud see that catching on!!! healtha nd safety issues might see us getting more training this year, but the council have upped their charges so maybe calls might be down if people knew of the bills they might get, blah blah blah etc. "is your house and car covered by fire insurance?"

our budget went up for the co. tho, and more has been put toward training too. happy days.

Tango Alpha 51

O/T being cut. A/l leave not being covered meaning reduced number of ambulances on the road, happening throughout the country. Does make you wonder where this will all end

TheNog

buzzman wrote: »

O/T being cut. A/l leave not being covered meaning reduced number of ambulances on the road, happening throughout the country. Does make you wonder where this will all end

It will end in tears. Unfortnately it will be the deaths of people and the families they leave behind.

drzhivago

buzzman wrote: »

O/T being cut. A/l leave not being covered meaning reduced number of ambulances on the road, happening throughout the country. Does make you wonder where this will all end

Same in hospitals if I can add tuppence

Cutting Overtime pay and by that I dont mean hours just the pay.
Want to pay the first 9 hours at time and ALL the rest at 125%. Cant or Wont really reduce hours so people doing 80 hour weeks and crazy 30+ hour shifts but they wont tell the public that

At night in hospitals skeleton service of medical staff, they want to send some home "on CALL" in a means to reduce OT but some of these people commute 60 miles to work, nonsensical, if you want them ina hurry you need them

Doesnt bother me if when there are no fires the fire brigade are at the station resting, they are ready then when you need them in a hurry

Idea of hospital management on similar vein is look we want you to be in hospital for Overtime at night, if youre not busy for the whole night we dont really want to pay you OT, and by the way your OT is mandatory you dont have a choice so take it or take it.

metman

Recession 2009: 'nostrils' are making a come back as are old skool blaggings.

AlekSmart

Jerome Reilly has an interesting piece in today`s Indo ....

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/civil-unrest-may-force-june-poll-1673559.html

It`s the first time I have come across as senior a "Strategist" as Noel Whelan breaking ranks on the use of the term "Public Order" when dealing with the possible reactions to the Government`s attempts to restore Financial Order and secure some form of future for Ireland Inc.

There is a strong sense among "Ordinary" folk..ie "The Man on the 19 Bus" that the well publicised measures are being narrowly targetted at the rapidly dwindling middle-income sector,blue collar workforce.

This bunch have for yearts ponied up to contribute and fund every possible scheme to aid and assist an ever increasing number of individuals who had decided to plot a different course through the same life.

The past week has vividly shown the contrast in what,for example,Pres Obama`s Administration understands as a desireable starting point ie: Bernard Madoff in chains and looking at LIFE in Jail for perpretating Fraud on a massive scale.
The low key and strategically belated responses to our Anglo Irish situation combined with the ability of it`s major perpretator to continue to holiday abroad and play exclusive Golf simply will not cut the mustard any longer.

However,to date NONE of our Politicians appear to have grasped the reality of a situation which I regard as a tinder box,just waiting for a spark.
One might hope that Noel Whelans opinions may strike a chord with some Political Personage before it all falls around our ears.

Who will Mind the MInders ?