A duty crew system for weekday emergency calls

Volunteer brigades across regional Australia can lose weekday coverage when members work rostered shifts, travel for work or live beyond the station area. A practical duty crew system for weekday emergency calls gives each appliance a defined crew, confirms availability and creates a backup path when the first callout receives no response.

The right model depends on risk, distance and staffing. Regional NSW crews in the NSW RFS may cover large catchments, while volunteer members of CFA district stations in Victoria often balance demanding jobs with family commitments. Copying a metropolitan roster onto a country station is unlikely to work.

Map the coverage gap before choosing a model

Start by charting every period when the station is uncovered, from the first appliance leaving to its return. In country Queensland around Goondiwindi, gaps can extend beyond working hours when crew members are interstate or on FIFO rosters. Distinguish appliance availability from actual crew availability.

Compare that map with three months of callouts, including notification, turnout, arrival and time spent at the scene. Note road closures, harvest periods, school holidays and ambulance attendance. Talk with neighbouring Queensland Fire and Emergency Services volunteer auxiliaries, councils and other brigades about backup arrangements.

Define the crew and its fallback chain

Adopt the minimum safe crew stated by your state fire service, insurer and local procedure; requirements vary according to the appliance and incident. Build the roster around a crew leader or officer in charge, driver and pump operator, communications support and sufficient relief members. For larger incidents, authority should pass to an incident commander.

Create a primary duty crew and a backup crew. When no acknowledgement is received within the locally agreed interval, activate the backup and notify the relevant station coordinator. Never commit an appliance or crew below the approved minimum, and document how requests for assistance are escalated.

Build a roster volunteers will keep

Use repeating roster blocks so members know when they are available without checking a daily message. Allow swaps only among approved members, and keep one roster owner plus a deputy responsible for contacting people when changes occur. Track leave, vehicle access and any restrictions on responding from work.

Keep the language plain at the shed: unavailable means unavailable, while standby means the member is ready to respond. Ask volunteers to update their status before each shift and after any activation. Before committing to a paid roster platform, an independent software review can help assess usability and vendor support.

Connect calls, vehicles and communications

A duty roster supplements Triple Zero activation; it does not replace emergency dispatch. Establish whether state control or the station coordinator initiates a callout under local procedures, then record that sequence clearly. Volunteers should know when to contact 000, when to wait for dispatch and who receives activation messages.

Keep one live availability board showing whether each crew is available, committed or returning. Test radios and backup communication methods, particularly where mobile coverage is unreliable. Appliance status must be updated whenever a vehicle leaves, arrives or becomes unserviceable, allowing neighbouring stations and the coordinator to respond accurately.

Train and maintain readiness

Readiness begins with short checks covering radios, protective equipment, breathing apparatus, fuel and vehicle equipment. Remove defective items from service and record urgent repairs. Daytime turnout drills should test communication, vehicle preparation and the arrival of the backup crew, not merely the time taken to answer a phone.

Tasmania’s volunteer brigades and many Western Australian volunteer brigades often depend on a small daytime pool. Training should therefore include remote access, smoke, long distances and restricted road conditions. Use realistic scenarios, such as a structure fire in town, a highway crash or a grass fire near the boundary of the coverage area.

Fund coverage and protect members

Build a three-year budget covering phone and data costs, radios, fuel, protective equipment, training and vehicle maintenance. Combine council and state grants with familiar community fundraising such as sausage sizzles, pub nights and bake-offs. When purchasing equipment, compare quotes and total ownership costs rather than focusing only on the purchase price.

Before launch, check state laws, workplace arrangements, workers compensation and vehicle insurance for every role. Requirements can differ depending on whether a brigade is council-managed, state-supported or independently operated. Ask employers about rostered release, paid training and flexible break arrangements, particularly where volunteers work shifts, FIFO contracts or council operations.

Launch, measure and commit

Run the system as a 90-day pilot with one duty coordinator and a deputy. Track acknowledgement time, turnout time, unanswered activations, complete-crew availability and equipment deficiencies. Compare results with the station’s own agreed targets, recognising that distance and road conditions can make a metropolitan benchmark misleading.

Publish the roster at the station, keep a current version online and review it at each monthly brigade meeting. At the next meeting, approve the roster, confirm funding, assign the duty coordinator and begin the pilot with a clear activation and escalation process ready on day one.