Long-running concerns about the radio network used by the Country Fire Service have been raised again following the Pinery fire.
CFS volunteer and Gilbert group officer Andrew Allchurch said the SA Government Radio Network used by the CFS had some “enormous problems” with its coverage.
“They work 90 per cent of the time in 90pc of the areas,” he said. “But when the CFS needs it most in that 10pc, it doesn’t work.”
Mr Allchurch said several brigades were left short during the Pinery fire when they tried to push the emergency button to call for help and the network failed.
“The CFS headquarters has known about this, and the government has known about this, for years,” he said. “It’s not a new problem, it’s an old problem.”
Mr Allchurch said he was concerned about safety in times of disaster.
“If we can’t get warnings issued out to the community, it’s not only the volunteers in danger but the community as well,” he said.
In October last year, Mr Allchurch told Stock Journal radio black spots were found in almost half the Gilbert group region.
“It’s not only in our area,” he said. “The Yorke Peninsula, near Burra, in the South East and the West Coast; it’s everywhere.”
Mr Allchurch said in the past 13 years there had been some upgrades to existing radio towers but very few new towers.
“When it is hot, windy and smoky, it deteriorates the signal,” he said. “We pay $12 million a year to the tower system. If the system is not adequate, why pay?”
Emergency Services Minister Tony Piccolo said the SAGRN was used by more than 20 agencies with 20,000 active users and was considered one of the best public safety communication networks globally.
“Since 2010, the state government has invested in multiple upgrades of key parts of the network and earlier this year, signed a $175m contract to complete the upgrade,” he said.
“Among other things that upgrade will provide additional site capacity and improved coverage to identified areas.”
Mr Piccolo said crews were also equipped with UHF radios.
He said, as with any major fire, there would be a range of debriefs and reviews following the Pinery blaze.
The CFS Volunteers Association has also expressed concern about the failure of the network.
In a statement released this month, the CFSVA said they called on the government two years ago to “immediately implement solutions for known blackspots”.
“CFS pays almost $12m of its annual budget to the Attorney-General’s Department for the use of the SAGRN network and there is no excuse for the system failing, especially at crucial times,” the statement said.
The CFSVA has called the network upgrade completion date of September 2017 “absolutely unacceptable”.
The CFS was contacted but declined to comment.
