Gassasinian Civil Defence Force
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| Formation | 1979 |
|---|---|
| Type | Fire Brigade, Ambulance, Technical Rescue, Search and Rescue, Air Ambulance, Mountain Rescue, Emergency Management, Civil Defence |
| Location | |
Budget | $1.458 billion |
Staff | ~20,000 |
Volunteers | ~5,000 |
The Gassasinian Civil Defence Force is the primary state fire brigade, providing firefighting services across the nation, along with providing ambulance coverage, civil defence, search and rescue, technical rescue and air ambulance services. The Gassasinian Civil Defence Force is staffed through a mixture of volunteers, full-time employeers and retained firefighters.
Although the primary goal of the Gassasinian Civil Defence Force is stated to be firefighting, the Gassasinian Civil Defence Force has in more recent years has found itself increasingly responding more to medical emergencies, car accidents and rescue. To provide ambulance services across the country, the Civil Defence Force works alongside a number of non-profit ambulance services such as the Gassasinian Red Cross, National Hatzalah and the St John Ambulance, who all have representation within the management of the National Ambulance Service and provide ambulances and emergency medical responders.
The Gassasinian Civil Defence Force is the responsibility of the Minister of Health and Public Welfare since 1990. Before 1990, the Minister of the Interior was responsible for the Gassasinian Civil Defence Force.
The Gassasinian Civil Defence Force was formed in 1979 shortly after the 1979 General Election from a merger of the Gassasinian Defence Force's Civil Defence Corps and Coastal Unit and the Gassasinian Fire Brigade. Although the Fire Brigade is a specific sub-unit of the Civil Defence Force, the Civil Defence Force is still often colloquially known as the Fire Brigade.
History
The Gassasinian Civil Defence Force has its' roots in the Gassasinia Fire Brigade. Formed in 1899, the Gassasinia Fire Brigade was responsible for fighting fires across the [BRITISH] Protectorate of Gassasinia. In 1939, the Gassasinia Fire Brigade First Aid Squad was formed, initially equipped with EUROPE produced ambulances which were merely a van in white ambulance livery, with very limited ability to provide on-site medical care. However, during the 1970's, the focus of ambulance services started to move to providing on-scene care, and basic Ambulancemen were trained as Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics, who had basic ability to provide on-scene care, particularly through techniques such as CPR and defibrilation.
The Gassasinian Civil Defence Force was formed in 1979 after the bombing of an election centre in a poor Muslim slum of Jabiyah by a far-right terrorist group determined to scare away muslims from voting, and the subsequent fire which in total resulted when the explosion sparked a gas-pipe, causing the deaths of 79, injured hundreds more, and displaced upwards of one or two thousand more. Owing to the poor co-ordination and performance of the Fire Brigade due to poor management and insufficient equipment, the subsequent Fatimah Report - named in remembrance a 4 year old girl who was killed immediately in the blast - recommended reforming the organisation of the Gassasinia Fire Brigade, acquiring greater quantities of more modern apparatus and increasing co-ordination with local volunteer groups.
After Gassasinia's first free elections in 1979, the Gassasinian Civil Defence Force was formed by a merger of the Gassasinian Defence Force Civil Defence Corps and Coastal Rescue Unit, and the Gassasinia Fire Brigade.
During the period of economic recovery and growth during the 1980's and 1990's, the Gassasinian Civil Defence Force expanded and modernised it's equipment, training and techniques. Notably, the Gassasinian Civil Defence Force was called out in force in 1999 after a major accident at St. George Underground Station when an over-crowded underground train's brakes failed and collided with the rear-end of another train that was departing passengers at St George Station, killing almost a hundred and injuring twice as many.
Vehicles
The standard livery for vehicles of the Gassasinian Civil Defence Force is a plain red base colour, with a horizontal blue-outlined yellow or plain white retro-reflective stripe running across the vehicle. Sometimes, firefighter crews will hang the Gassasinian flag off the back of the fire engine. Most Gassasinian fire engines are built on lorry and truck chassis of Thuadian vehicles - particularly those manufactured in Bakyern.
On the other hand, some ambulances in Gassasinia generally feature a horizontal yellow and green angled retro-reflective pattern across the vehicle, whereas others - especially GCDF ambulances - share the same livery as fire apparatus. Similar to fire apparatus, ambulances are mainly vehicles of Thuadian - particularly Bak - origin - mainly Sprinters and Ducatos. Ambulances in Gassasinia are divided into two types: a Type A ambulance, generally built on a van chassis with a raised roof, and a Type B ambulance featuring a specifically designed rear-compartment on a truck or van chassis. While traditionally Type A ambulances were more common, Type B ambulances are increasingly becoming more and more common.
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All fire apparatuses and ambulances are fitted with red and/or blue emergency lighting, a Whelen Engineering Company emergency siren, and a two-tone airhorn siren.
The Civil Defence Force operates a fleet of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters for fire-fighting, search and rescue, and air ambulance purposes, with similar livery to the fire apparatus and ambulances. Furthermore, a series of motorbikes are used to quickly deliver EMTs and fire-fighters on scene.
Often, advanced paramedics and emergency physicians working for the Ambulance Service will utilise fly-cars to get on-scene to assist responding paramedics with their specific knowledge where needed - such as when responding to heart attacks. In some cases, paramedics also use fly-cars for less urgent medical calls, and then call in for a transport ambulance if needed, allowing for faster response times and reducing strain on the fleet of transport ambulances.
Uniforms
Standard "Class B" uniforms for the Gassasinian Civil Defence Force consist of dark navy blue short-sleeve shirt, tucked into a similarly coloured pair of cargo trousers with a webbing-type belt, along with a yellow fire-fighter Thuadian-style helmet. When attending fires, fire-fighters will usually don dark mustard yellow bunker gear with lime and silver reflective stripes.
Alternatively, ambulancemen will generally don a reflective amber vest which carries a variety of equipment such as gauzes, medical, trauma shears, and other handy equipment. Furthermore, each paramedic wears a dark navy blue baseball cap with a blue Star of Life stitched into the front.
Some National Ambulance Service personnel who work for non-governmental organisations wear a variety of uniforms, including white or green Class-B's.
Structure
- Civil Defence Force
- Fire Brigade
- Auxiliary Fire Brigade
- Airport Fire Brigade
- Ambulance Service
- Hazardous Materials Response Teams (HART)
- Air Ambulance Service
- Patient Transport Services
- Explosive Ordnance Disposal
- Coast Guard
- Flying Service
- Technical Rescue
- Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Response Services
- Mountain Rescue
- Fire Brigade
National Ambulance Service
The National Ambulance Service is a child agency of the Gassasinian Civil Defence Force, and is responsible for managing and co-ordinating ambulance response services, and setting standards for ambulances. The National Ambulance Service is a joint operation run by several national and local public organisations, including the Red Cross, St. John Ambulance Service and National Hatzalah, along with the Civil Defence Force who all contribute ambulances and emergency medical specialists to provide emergency medical response across the country. Charity groups which are part of the National Ambulance Service are also partially funded through the Civil Defence Forces' budget.
Most ambulances carry Emergency Medical Technicians who are capable of administering Basic Life Support. However, in rural areas, Advanced Emergency Technicians are utilised for cost-efficiency who can provide Intermediate Life Support. In more serious cases, an ambulance carrying a Paramedic, who can administer Advanced Life Support amongst other advanced specialised skills and treatments is dispatched.
The proportion of ambulances in Gassasinia under the National Ambulance Service is made up of about three quarters Civil Defence Force ambulances and one quarter public organisation ambulances. Some GCDF ambulances are staffed by dedicated specific Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics, whereas some are staffed by Firefighter-EMTs and Firefighter-Paramedics who also fulfil firefighting roles.
Ambulance fees are paid for by one's public or private insurer, meaning that ambulance fees are basically never paid directly.
One of the earliest paramedic services in Gassasinia and Anteria that pioneered pre-hospital life-saving techniques dates back to the Gassasinian civil unrest during the early 1960's, with the South West Jabiyah Red Cross Hospital's "Mobile Trauma Aid Squad", formed by Doctor Aharon Shachar. Initially, the ambulance service consisted of a doctor and a nurse, who would rush on-scene as needed by ambulance crews in a modified car. However, during the mid 1960's, nurses were trained as "Mobile Trauma Nurses" who would go out in their own ambulances to transport and provide on-site prehospital care to critically injured patients, adapting the techniques used by military medics. As violence escalated and the life-saving utility of the Mobile Trauma Aid Squad became apparent, violence escalated and emergency medical service techniques and technology advanced, the Mobile Trauma Aid Squad gained more ambulances and manpower, and modern equipment such as defibrillators and portable electrocardiorgaph monitors, notably the Lifepak, of which the Mobile Trauma Aid Squad was one of the earliest adopters, acquiring its' first Lifepak machines in 1972.
Red Cross hospitals across the country formed their own Mobile Trauma Aid Squad paramedic squads, as did many hospitals which were state-owned or run by other organisations. Today, the Mobile Truama Aid Squad is considered the direct ancestor of the Gassasinian Red Cross' modern emergency medical services.
101 Non-Emergency Number Service
The 101 Non-Emergency Number Service is a payless non-emergency medical helpline, which is staffed by call-handlers who are trained to provide medical advice and, when needed, escalate the phone-call to professional clinicians, local GP surgeries and even - in an emergency - call an ambulance to the caller. The 101 Helpline is maintained by the National Ambulance Service, and is intended to provide an alternative route for patients with non-life threatening urgent health issues.