Strange work patterns.

As of last Saturday we lost the penalty for missing our meal break if there was too much work to be done. If there were enough staff and vehicles we would get our break and so not get the penalty, that was fair.

Seems someone convinced the ol' codgers on the IRC that we somehow made this extra work and were routing the system so it stopped.

We now get a single penalty of one hour if our break is missed or interrupted so we can still work the rest of the shift without a meal break and it's tough luck. Thank you IRC and your fat cat salaries and business lunches.

A whole lot of officers are opting to have our unpaid lunch off air or unavailable as is the norm for any other worker but the managers have to bring vehicles in from other areas to cover ours while we're off road, so it appears that we are not being allowed, (by the virtue of doing non urgent transports and taxi work in other areas,) to get back to station to dine.

It costs them one hour penalty only and we still don't get a meal break so the day shifts have been very mundain.

That is until some bright spark (pardon the pun) in the NSW Fire Brigade pushed to start having NSWFB officers trained as first responders with the inclusion of drug therapy???? or lets screw the Ambos a bit more. Last time I looked we still drove on the left so why are they trying to slip the thin edge of the wedge to turn us into the American version!
I was so upset but this news from our union that I sent an email off to the fire fighters union and do you know they didn't know anything about it??? I have passed on the details as I knew and look forward to seeing what they do.

Maybe the Government is trying to save money by joining the two?????

Now I do have a lot of readers from the US and I do not intend to criticise the system of Paramedics being part of the FB but it's not the way we do it here. As I understand FB Paramedics are also trained in fire fighting, sorry I'm not interested in that.. I'll stay outside the burning building.

But enough gloom, it's Mardi Gras

I have my bit to decorate the uniform and am looking forward to a fun night with all the partys and joy that should be flowing tomorrow.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz