This is scary

Yep! Your wife is right!

By your own statement - "She has never driven off road in her life."

Haven't you been scared the first time you did something? Give the girl some encouragement. It's people like her - those willing to give up their own time to help the community to keep us safe that makes this the great country that it is. Everyone has to start somewhere. DFES (no longer FESA) aren't going to give her the keys to a $170000 appliance straight up - but they will continue to give her training, support and encouragement though. Maybe you should do the same.

Shame on you Dennis! I hope you are just TROLLING and this isn't your real point of view.

I just hope that now one else replies to this thread and it is relegated to the archives where your sort of attitudes belong.

Cheers

Anthony

Sounds like she hasn't had much previous experience doing this sort of stuff before and double good on yer niece for giving things a go - at a time when the number of 'younger' people volunteering is rapidly diminishing we need people like her in every DFES agency.

As someone who leads a voluntary emergency service agency we are very mindful of giving our people exposure and experience to these sorts of situations. The DFES course is but the first formal step in a long journey of experience. It gives them a ticket and then we do the rest.

Rather than casting stones at her ability to drive and serve how about encouraging her. Take her out, show her some ropes and let her drive your vehicle in areas she is likely to experience and support her endeavours.

Dennis I was in the VBFB for 21 years and at one stage I was one of only 3 regional trainers for the Perth metro. Back in those days we taught all the newbies how to drive. Many of them women, and most had never been in a 4wd let alone sat behind the steering wheel of one. They soon became competent with practice. Just like you did when they first let you loose.

I learnt by the old hands and they by those that went before them. Unfortunately training these days all revolves around RTA's and Occ Hlth & Safety.

Good to see she's having a go and I still get the willies up when going over a big dune or drop off.

Dennis,
When did you lose your licence and now on a bicycle?
You did say "my tyre" and "that's on a bicycle" so we believe you.

Dennis,

What a negative post. If you are unlucky enough to need the assistance of a young medico, copper or ambo, I hope you are a little more grateful and a lot less arrogant than you have shown tonight.

Skull

Generally speaking there are things that females can do better than males. FESA may not be one of those things. My experience has determined that there is a dispreporionate number if injuries to females within FESA.
Something like FESA should have volunteer jobs alocated relevant to skills and ability. Some people dont perform under pressure so get them out of the way and doing something more apropriate.

This is not sexists it is a fact of life. We are different.

Yeh, it is scary

Neil

I bet you wish you could take this one back Dennis?

I've pondered hard over this post, trying to work out why Dennis is so worried about his wifes Niece joining the DFES, I wondered if, after an accident a young girl around his wifes Nieces age came to help rescue him, would he feel the same way, is it because he still sees his Niece as a young kid, a little like when my kids started driving, we all have to start somewhere and I'm sure she would not be sent out on her own to any rescue, she will do the training first, you just might be surprised at how she improves as the training takes hold..
I congratulate her on trying to help out in the community, it's a pity more young folk don't take a leaf from her book..... I do hope that you can encourage her in her quest to help out.......

Cheers

Deanna.

Dennis,

Don't sell your niece short. With the appropriate training and a bit of practical experience she might just surprise you with what she can accomplish when placed in a stressful situation. None of knows what we are truly capable of until we do find ourselves out of our comfort zone.
Having said all that are you sure that what you are feeling isn't so much about some perceived lack of ability on her part, but rather a bit over an over protective tendency on yours. Having served in both volunteer bush fire and ambulance brigades alongside females we males were warned against loosing focus when faced with a possibly dangerous situation and becoming a little to protective of our female colleagues at the expense of concentrating on the task at hand and letting them get on with theirs.

Cheers
Pop

Hi Dennis,
when I first joined the RAN I had no experience of the sea, I was seventeen, I couldn't drive anything other than a tractor, but I could milk cows at 5:00am, but the navy gave me something that I have never lost and that is a self belief in my self, and a great consideration of everyone around me and there own abilities, what I learnt from belonging to a large organisation was mate ship and ability to work in a team. Your niece god bless her in a couple of years will surprise the hell out of you. Probably like my fourteen year old grand daughter did the other day, she put a new set of spot lights on my car for me, and did the wiring too my question was where did you learn that she said Google pa, and that included wiring it up through the computer system and Granny put me in my place too. Your niece is to be commended, and you have every right to be proud of her, and the path she is going down at this moment of her life. give her time and she probably will be changing your bike tyre.lol. with your blessing.

Giday Dennis, Pop by now and then.
As soon as I read your post I had that 'wink-wink-nod-nod' feeling I think you were trying to convey.
I was surprised, or rather not, at the 'storm in a teacup' replies.

Seems to still be a few thin skinned, Green Tea sipping Bob Brown supporters here.
One of the reasons I let my membership lapse many years ago.

Nice to be back in the real world.....lol.


Cheers.......Lionel.

Denniss

On our first drive of the 100 series we went to Abercrombie NP with our son in his old Navara. We stopped at the start of a quite steep climb. You know the type. Sitting in the front seat you all you can see directly in front of you is "dirt". To see up the track you have to lean forward and look up.

The son goes up the track first with a bit of wheel spin here and there and my wife says words to the effect that she doesn't want to be here. But off we go and no hassle.

Nowdays she would drive up and down steeper and rockier roads and up and over under and around dunes without the blink of an eye. And without doubt drive rings around a lot of you blokes as well.

Don't sell your niece short, as said already by someone, because a bit of experience will go a long way to giving her the confidence to be dependable.

In nashos I did a stint as a driving instructor at 2 Base Workshops at Moorebank. We used to enjoy scare the living daylights out of "first day" trainer drivers in the Army. By the end of the course they were fine. There is nothing like being in a locked up APC113 and going full belt over the crest of a HUGE!!! sand dune. We never let on that the "sand dune" was only about a 1" high drop off a concrete ramp. Poor buggers. I am chuckling away like a hyeena here.

Phil

PSAPC113

Mate I wouldn't stick my head up top over seas. Okay if you want to play cowboy back home. I heard too many whizzes's go by to do that.

Phil

Dennis,
I know what you are saying, maybe you just approached it the wrong way.

I have worked with some very capable women over the years and some would put shame to many a macho man. It doesn't matter if you are male or female, as long as the person in charge knows the limitations of their charges and delegates accordingly.

One thing is, you never know how a person will react in an emergency until it occurs.

Please don't sell her short. I assisted a very young slim girl who had very little experience. She accepted the help and started driving semi's, then ended up on road trains. She also would put many alpha males to shame. More balls than a battleship.

It is interesting reading the sexist claims on this post, I wonder if there would of been the same reaction if you change the story to be about his nephew ?
Some people ( male and female) don't have a practical bone in their body and are not suited to this style of job and Dennis's comments and observations may not be sexist at all?

Just saying............too often these days issues get turned into a rascist or sexist or descrimmination issues

I'm sorry, but I must have missed something here, where is this post a 'sexist' post or have I lost the meaning of 'sexist'. Apart from a couple of replies most of them are encouraging Dennis to support his Neice, my comment certainly would have been the same had he been talking about a nephew.
The only thing I would add is that Dennis knows his Niece, I don't, so at least we should allow for that, I still wonder whether he is more concerned for her safety more than anything....

Cheers

D

Gday Dennis,
If what you are saying is some people just aren't suited to some jobs, I agree.
Its just the political correct world we live in these days that says everyone is equal, and you cant discriminate against any one, sex, race, weight, height, mental capacity....anything.
You cant tell someone they failed (even if its for their own good) you must deem them not yet competent even if its extremely unlikely they ever will be!
I cant read anything into your post about she wasn't suited because she was female or that you were knocking her for trying.......just struggling and possibly out of her depth and certainly out of her comfort zone.
Maybe if she puts in a lot of work she may become good at it, but probably not as good as someone who can just do that stuff naturally. And being that no one on here knows her better on here than you Ill just have to take your word for it.
I wonder if you changed you post to describe me and say, Im over 6 foot 100+ kilos, have long hair, beard and tattoos and are training to be a jockey or a ballerina people would be so encouraging....LOL
A mate conducted a heap of job interviews the other day and a 64 year old bloke had some how made it through to the short list...........when he suggested to the panel that his age might pose a problem he was shot down in a second because it was discriminatory.
The bloke had no experience in the field, would take three years to train and was one year off retirement????? Go figure
I personally reckon were turning into a bunch of Latte sipping fags ( not that there is anything wrong with Lattes and I hope fags is an expectable term in the homo-sexual world) if we cant say what's on our minds or have an opinion for fear of people screaming discrimination all the time. (even if they don't know the people concerned)

Just my thoughts...

Cheers

Some of these posts are just another example of political corectness gone mad. We can't make any comment percieved to be critical of a female without being a misogynst (the new buzzword, another on the list to be eternally grateful to Julia for)!. Can't make an observation of any race without being a racist... and the list goes on! Whatever happened to being able to call it as you see it, NO, we might hurt someones feelings! I continue to fear what kind of world my kids will grow up in! There is one saving grace however, the silent MAJORITY are gradually standing up to this madness!

Hello

This thread was barely (if at all) on topic to start with and probably should have been nipped in the bud at the beginning in hindsight. There are now several off (thread) topic discussions going on and its become a bit of a mess so unless advised otherwise it will be locked to further comment.

Cheers
The ModSquad