Posted on 11/06/2009 3:21:34 PM PST by naturalman1975
MELBOURNE'S firefighters should be paid extra for turning up to work sober, according to a log of claims by their union.
The Victorian branch of the United Firefighters Union is also calling for a "global warming allowance" for the city's 1600 firefighters, "in recognition of the increased work and risk to firefighters as a result of global warming"..
It is also demanding extra pay for firefighters if they have to work when a pandemic is declared.
The controversial claims have stunned the Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services Board (MFB), which says they are unprecedented.
"I am not aware of any other fire service or emergency service where claims of this sort have been either made or agreed to," MFB chief fire officer Tony Murphy told The Weekend Australian.
He said claims for such unusual allowances "devalue the profession of firefighting".
Among the claims made by the UFU in its draft proposal for a new three-year enterprise agreement with the MFB is that some of its members receive an allowance for coming to work with a zero blood-alcohol level.
"All employees required to have zero blood-alcohol content while at work shall be paid an allowance," the UFU's log of claims states.
Like many emergency services workers, firemen who drive firetrucks are required by law to have a zero blood-alcohol level.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.au ...
The 'climate change' claim though really annoys me. Even if 'global warming' was real, in Victoria, the type of fires that climate change is most likely to make worse are bushfires - the vast majority of which are fought by unpaid volunteer firefighters of the Country Fire Authority (including myself). For the city based professionals of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade to be seeking a special allowance - that's going to annoy a lot of the volunteers. (MFB firefighter certainly do sometimes fight bushfires, and they do it well, but their primary responsibility is the city of Melbourne).
I have a better idea. Pay them nothing and fire their butt if they come to work drunk.
“The Victorian branch of the United Firefighters Union is also calling for a “global warming allowance” for the city’s 1600 firefighters,...”
Dopes...don’t they know they can buy carbon credits? DUH!
How about paying them more if they quit the union.
This is only for fire truck drivers, like teenage drivers here in America.
It takes 90 minutes for 1 drink and one night's sleep (or 8 hours) for a six pack for a 180 pound man. If he was drinking a half a case of beer then he would want to stop 15 hours before work.
I’ve had measureable alcohol in my blood stream 9 hours after drinking a single beer.
It was less than 0.01 - but it was still measureable.
(Probationary drivers here - those who’ve had a licence less than three years - have to have a zero reading as well, and we were showing a group of senior school students what that means).
And the rules here state that all firefighters have to be ready to drive the truck. Yes, there are designated drivers, but this applies to all.
BUT ALL THOSE BEER FARTS WILL CONTRIBUTE TO GLOBULL WARMING!
So what is the explanation for how that could be?
Where’s the Pythons when you need them? This sounds like a set-up for a sequel to the “Bruces” sketch.
Zero must have a definition or else technology would constantly be chasing zero, I wonder what zero is for the fire truck driver because it can’t mean that they have to be non drinkers.
WHAT!?
how about this .... turn up to work sober or LOSE YOUR JOB!!!!
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH what is wrong with the world!
Works for me.

I’ll drink to that.
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