PROPOSED state government reforms to emergency services have put SA Country Fire Service volunteers on edge.
Following tensions created by the dramatic jump in Emergency Services Levy bills, the volunteer group officers from the six regions have aired concerns about rumoured structural changes.
Region 2 volunteer management committee representative Andrew Cadd, Agery, said the proposed reforms had triggered alarm bells.
"Under the proposed structure, we could have all emergency services under the same banner and logo," he said.
"We would lose our identity, part of the character and uniqueness, and a big part of why this works so well."
Mr Cadd said there would be major concerns if the Metropolitan Fire Service, CFS and State Emergency Service were placed under the same banner. The CFS has about 133 paid staff and 13,354 volunteers.
He said the review also suggested that the six regions could be split into as many as 11.
Emergency Services Minister Tony Piccolo said the government review was still ongoing and the result of months of meetings with people on the ground.
He said he had met with more than 1500 people throughout the state - paid staff and volunteers - to see where reforms could be made, following the Holloway Report into emergency services released last year.
Mr Piccolo said following these meetings, he had prepared a draft discussion paper.
"This is a summary of what I've heard, an overall draft of what the sector could look like," he said.
Submissions in response to the paper close tomorrow (Friday) with close to 100 already received.
Mr Piccolo said he hoped to have a detailed recommendation to the sector before Christmas with the entire process expected to take 18 months.
"I'm calling it a one organisation, three-service model," he said.
"We will still retain a CFS, MFS and an SES.
"People on the ground are very attached to their uniforms and what they mean to the community.
"We still need to decide at what level we will bring the three organisations together."
* Full report in Stock Journal, October 23, 2014 issue.