We are in the age of high-tech communications systems when we can use our mobile phones to call 000 from anywhere and expect an immediate response from our emergency services. It is hard to imagine the feelings of fear and frustration suffered in past years, caused by isolation in times of emergency.
Prior to the development of the telephone system, the only way to get help in case of fire was by horseback or shanks’ pony – or just hoping that someone would look up, see smoke, and come to your assistance. The inevitable result would be a considerable delay before anyone arrived, possibly resulting in major loss and destruction.
Telephone & Switchboard
When the telephone first arrived in Shoreham it was restricted to about 6 subscribers. Even if you could get access to one of these telephones there was still no organised group to come to your aid, until the organisation of the Shoreham Rural Fire Brigade in August 1949. At this time, Mrs Gertrude Hitchcock was Post Mistress and operated the manual telephone, until Sid took it over in 1951.
In the case of a fire being reported through the exchange, Sid would simply plug into the Fire Brigade Lieutenants’ phone lines, pull the ringing key and, when one of them answered, Sid would tell them that ” Sector so and so” had a fire and they would take control from there.
The Need for a Siren
This system worked quite efficiently until the advent of the automatic exchange which meant that Sid could no longer simply contact all the Lieutenants simultaneously, therefore a better system had to be devised, thus the decision was taken to install a fire siren. At this stage there was no fire station so it was suggested that the siren be erected near Ted Byrne’s (opposite St Peter’s Church) so that it could be heard in both valleys. It was considered that this location would be open to vandalism and so it was located in its present location. Once the Fire Station was built and the FRS (Fire Reporting System) installed, it enabled the siren to be activated by the intercept telephone operators or automatically.
Initially the Brigades fire ground communications were fairly primitive and restricted to face-to-face conversation or the use of runners between incidents and to the nearest available telephone. These were days when Sid Hitchcock would use his motor bike to reconnoitre the fire and relay reports back as necessary. It was about this time a major fire came over the hill from Dromana and some bright spark climbed up the telephone poles and hooked up a phone on the wires. The PMG (Post Master General’s Dept.) were unimpressed with this, even though it probably saved thousands of dollars of their equipment.
Enter the radio
The greatest advance in firefighting communications was the advent of the transceiver radio. The first versions were somewhat cumbersome and a had relatively short transmission range.
The earlier radios transmitted on a single frequency per channel (Simplex) and had little more than a line-of-sight transmission capability of several kilometres. They were reasonably efficient for fireground transmissions and if you were in the right location – with a bit of luck, you could contact the Westernport Group Headquarters or the Shoreham Base at the Fire Station as it is overshadowed in all directions except in the southeast by hills.
The first concern in a fire is individual and crew safety and radios have certainly aided in this by allowing them to receive information on fire ground conditions, weather changes and safe areas – and, being able to transmit reports and requests for further support, water locations and supplies. The acquisition of handheld portable transceivers in the late 1970’s also enhanced safety and communication on the fire ground.
In the last few years, the CFA has changed our main radio communications over to a “Voting ” system. All main transmissions within Region 8 now pass through one of three interconnected beacons located at Deans Hill near Ferntree Gully, Bass Hill on the eastern Side of Western Port Bay and on Arthur’s Seat – resulting in any transmission sent over the voting network heard by everyone listening. This means that all messages sent by our Brigade are heard by everyone from Portsea to Melbourne and Bunyip.
The advantage of this system is that all the transmissions are centralised control of “Vic Fire” which is the Section of the 000 emergency system that co-ordinates all firefighting related within Melbourne and its environs. The radio traffic can become very congested during a fire. To enable smooth running, protocols have been adopted to reduce messages to concise unambiguous statements.
Shoreham has at times found a barrier to communication. One classical example of the laid-back style of radio communication of yesteryear follows.
Shoreham Support was following closely and in the blind spot of the Tanker. The following transmission was sent by the tanker:
“Shoreham Support, where are you?”
and then the following friendly reply was clearly heard by all,
“Right up you’re a… good buddy!”
The Brigade shortly received a reprimand from the CFA.
At some stage in the 1970’s, a limited number of “Voice over / Tone” Pagers were introduced to Shoreham. These were carried by key members of the Brigade, which allowed them to be contacted by the transmission of a “tone” followed by a radio message. Their range was limited and the tone and radio message tended to interrupt general radio traffic.
At the same time that our radios were changed to the voting system, all our firefighters were issued with “Alpha Numeric” pagers as replacements. This new pager system enables all firefighters in the brigade to be contacted simultaneously by Vic Fire in case of a “call out”.
New Technologies
Several years ago, the brigade now received, by generous donation, a mobile telephone to be carried at all times in the cab of the tanker. Its main purpose is for crews to stay in touch with their families.
In the last couple of years, greater use has been made of fax machines to transmit general information to Brigades, whilst during the fire season they are used to transmit casts, fire status information and weather forecasts, fire status information and Strike Team information.
The development of all this communications equipment has meant that nearly all Brigade members can be contacted at all times. This has led to our faithful old siren being made redundant, but it will still be retained, just in case the gremlins strike at the heart of this hi-tech wizardry.
By Mike Wilding
An extract from the Shoreham Rural Fire Brigade, 50th Anniversary Booklet (1999)