FI mountain sites

[CC]

Saw this lovely snippet yesterday that TG4 and TG12 personnel deploying to a Mountain Site in the FI will have to undergo Food Handling training as Chefs will no longer be going to the Mountain Sites.

Basically, they'll have to do all the cooking!!

Apologies if this is already common knowledge, I only saw A1 Ops e-mail yesterday!

 

[The Masked Geek]

Considering that no RAF cook has ever passed trade training, I can't see how they expect techies and scopies to manage...DT_Xtremez_14:

 

[jaguardriver]

Saw this lovely snippet yesterday that TG4 and TG12 personnel deploying to a Mountain Site in the FI will have to undergo Food Handling training as Chefs will no longer be going to the Mountain Sites.

Basically, they'll have to do all the cooking!!

Apologies if this is already common knowledge, I only saw A1 Ops e-mail yesterday!

Thats probably no bad thing!! During my 4 months on Byron, I put on at least a stone as the food was plentiful and fantastic - 3 chefs to cook for twenty something personnel!

Obviously the beer had nothing to do with the weight gain!!

 

[spike7451]

Considering that no RAF cook has ever passed trade training, I can't see how they expect techies and scopies to manage...DT_Xtremez_14:

Pot Noodles & cup a soup!DT_Xtremez_14:

 

[mememe]

2 posts will also have to be trained to team medic standard as the medics are being removed too...Risk????

 

[MAINJAFAD]

Mountains still have an Advanced Level (Senior SAC) Chef, The Food handling 'Q' is to allow personnel to heat and serve food pre-prepared by the chef so that the Chef can have a day off.

Though it is disgusting that Air Command have only just passed that training requirement out to UK Units as the request for change of pre-employment 'Q's was put in by the theatre staff at least six months ago and was required to be put in to force before November (and has been in the public domain since April at least).

Techies (and its only the Techies) have been cooking food for two months and on the whole have done a good job of it, though only because Theatre managed to find somebody to do the course for most of the personnel at MPC.

Also nobody getting ****ed on the hills as the 2 Can Rule is religiously in force and no functions.

The Medic will be going once the personnel are trained to do the team medic like the army do in AFG, plus the Cleaners will most likely be going by the middle of next year.

All of the changes were pushed by a brown job brass hat from PJHQ, and funny old thing will not affect the only Brown Job on the hill as they will only be detached to the mountain for two months of their tour, the other four they will do at MPC, unlike the rest of the personnel on the mountain who will be stuck there for nearly four months and have no formal R+R.

 

[ninjarabbi]

As a medic and not having heard we were going to become 'persona non-grata' on the mountain sites that's interesting news. I had heard that there was a possibility of 30 - 40% cuts in TG15 next year and I can see now how they'll achieve that. What the hell, train team medics in every camp and we can all have redundancy!DT_Xtremez_30:

 

[Mug?]

All of the changes were pushed by a brown job brass hat from PJHQ, and funny old thing will not affect the only Brown Job on the hill as they will only be detached to the mountain for two months of their tour, the other four they will do at MPC, unlike the rest of the personnel on the mountain who will be stuck there for nearly four months and have no formal R+R.

I am sorry but I am pretty sure the grand idea was an idiot at Griffin who came up with a plan without really thinking or asking about the actual workings of it. I think it has been adapted and sounds a little more workable than the 6 people move site plan.

To put things into perspective, i think the plan was to be dry, obviously no retail outlets! clean the site, cook for yourselves and live in a metal box with 5 others until one went stir crazy and had a fight and then you would have to bandage yourself up.....if there was time you may need to do a bit of servicing?

 

[Drill Bit]

Does this mean that the techies may get a pay rise in order to bring them in line with Chefs? DT_Xtremez_30:

 

[Born-northern]

Wasn't the original idea to rotate personnel through each of the sites for a shift at a time (1 week or so) similar to the stackers at fox bay and the other refuelling sites. Personally i find it heartbreaking that they've effectively closed the 3 best tours (alright, kent went s**t when they built the road) to be had down FI.

 

[Dilbert]

D@mn Shame...!

D@mn Shame...!

Having experienced three environments that the FI can offer a former TG3 (Alice/Kent/MPC ), it is a real shame that the mountain sites will never again be the home to some of the best dining-in nights ever experienced; some of the most inspired fancy dress outfits; some of the best morale-boosting evenings for poor-old MPC stooges; and a good time for all...

It looks as though the camaraderie (even including the Siggy) that builds up in that closet environment and the fun had during everyone's 4 months are now a thing of the past.

I, for one, am gutted. My sympathies go out to everyone on the mountain sites - especially A and B sites - as they will be presented with the sh1t-iest end of the stick. One chef, no medic, no cleaners, no p1ss-ups! How much worse can it get...?

Does anyone know what is happening with regards to the contract personnel who maintain the sites? I was under the impression that they had certain contractual agreements regarding their accommodation and messing...

Allegedly, this all sparked off from PJHQ JOC visiting one of the remote Rapier sites when he visited the FIs. He (apparently) decided that if the Army can maintain an RRS site with minimal staff, a field kitchen and a cat, there was no reason that the RAF couldn't do the same on the mountains...

Also, spare a thought for the new FS Det Cdr role who will have a bed at each mountain site and MPC... bonus! Do Brintel do Air Miles...?

Anyway, it's a New Year and I've resolved to do good things! I'm off to change my JPA Preferences to 90 SU, Leeming and TCW... is it in Yorkshire...?

D DT_Xtremez_30:

 

[The Loan Ranger]

Wasn't the original idea to rotate personnel through each of the sites for a shift at a time (1 week or so) similar to the stackers at fox bay and the other refuelling sites. Personally i find it heartbreaking that they've effectively closed the 3 best tours (alright, kent went s**t when they built the road) to be had down FI.

I've got to jump in here and point out an error in your post Born-northern,

The helicopter refuel sites were manned until recently by DWR posts of 4 monthsand not a week at a time as you state, in more recent years they were manned by TSW on 2 or 3 month tours. Fox Bay stayed under the control of TSW but Hill Cove returned to DWR posts until closing last month, both sites did their own cooking at all times and had to do food handling and preperation course prior to deployment, I agree fully that it's s**t that they are closing the mountain sites having known a few people who have managed to visit and they always seem to enjoy themselves, it's just another example of a sh!te decision by the powers that be...

 

[Joe_90]

The other way to look at it is that it's 2 less DWR posts for SAC chefs to fill on each site. They are trade that get hit quite hard for DWR and this could be a way of giving them a couple of extra months between tours. It may be not as cushy for the guys that are left but to be honest I'd enjoy taking a turn in the kitchen now and again.

 

[Born-northern]

I've got to jump in here and point out an error in your post Born-northern,

The helicopter refuel sites were manned until recently by DWR posts of 4 monthsand not a week at a time as you state, in more recent years they were manned by TSW on 2 or 3 month tours. Fox Bay stayed under the control of TSW but Hill Cove returned to DWR posts until closing last month, both sites did their own cooking at all times and had to do food handling and preperation course prior to deployment, I agree fully that it's s**t that they are closing the mountain sites having known a few people who have managed to visit and they always seem to enjoy themselves, it's just another example of a sh!te decision by the powers that be...

Apologies i stand corrected DT_Xtremez_21:. Although from what i've heard i'm still not sure the mountains will be a full 4 month tour now (certainly wont be for the scopies anyway), but will work on a rotation basis between all 3 RRH's and CRC Griffin.

 

[Dilbert]

Hmmm....

Hmmm....

The other way to look at it is that it's 2 less DWR posts for SAC chefs to fill on each site. They are trade that get hit quite hard for DWR and this could be a way of giving them a couple of extra months between tours. It may be not as cushy for the guys that are left but to be honest I'd enjoy taking a turn in the kitchen now and again.

It's actually one less Joe. The mountain sites have only had 2 x chefs for quite a while now... it certainly was when I was at Kent in 2006.

I agree with you though, I would expect there will be guys who will enjoy helping out the chef. The mountain sites have a very good attitude to anything that they do as it's "all for one....etc". The problem is that the things that made it bearable.. including 4 days R&R... have all been removed. I hear that the TG12 personnel will be rotating personnel; the same could be done with any other personnel... but I cannot see that they will let techies move around. Each site has it's own peculiarities and there's too much to handover on a 6-8 weekly basis... it's bad enough for the 4 months.

There is also rumours of remoting it all as well and having a repair team at MPC...

Anyway, I shall labour the point no more. Enough to say that it's a shame that this special place will not be the same again...

Not sure why I'm going on anyway.... I'd be perfectly happy never to have to go again... DT_Xtremez_30: