With all due respect sir, and not telling you how to do your job but if you could nail this in the remainder of your tenure, im pretty confident the RAFAC would be set up for success. Like ive hinted at i do change management in multi million pound organisations for my day job and the way the organisation approaches it is nothing but frustrating, and no where near what one would call industry or best practice (probably the military way of doing things though) couple that with no clear communication strategy in the organisation it all comes across as knee jerk reactionsâŚmaybe this is the root cause of FOIs against the org? The collective We need to do the basic things better as change impacts everyone and everyone has a part to play.
Lets take parking for example it was delivered to the organisation as just stop it, as no part of that there was no scene setting, no reason for change it was just delivered to the volunteers as a simple no. To put it simply we dont communicate the reason and why for change properly to get buy in.
Albeit i have questioned for sometime on the morality of kids being used to marshall cars, but thats me and maybe rightly or wrongly, i just accepted it because weve done it for 40+ years
By the nature of the organisation not every one will be up for change but we arent helping ourselves in setting that change up for success and embedding the change.
The worst part of this is the reliance on this forum to suggest ideas and vent, because if you try and use the chain of command theres so much resistance and even instances of disciplinary action fot even suggesting changeâŚand im 99.9% sure members of this org will back me up on that very bold statemeny. We need to really look at communication channels both upwards and downwards and really apply a RACI model against. Because its a series of empires layered on top of one another with no form of cohesion between them.
But alas, this org isnt my trainset.
Hopefully this post doesnt come across as wingey and moaney but ive tried to remain constructive, balanced and suggest bigger picture solutions rather than moaning that we cant do car parking anymore.
If you want to discuss further and unlike the majority of this forum i dont hide behind an alias so have nothing to hide or loose so drop me an email and im willing to engage, support and provide an insights to help drive this org forwards.
Several people have asked for the objective evidence-based processes as to why car marshalling is seen as dangerous, & just as importantly, what processes could be introduced so that the assessed risk can be brought down to what is seen as ALARP / acceptable.
Iâm just commenting to second everything youâve said here. As you know, Iâve also been highly experienced in risk management and know what Iâm seeing despite so-called assurance that a risk owner isnât attempt to eliminate a risk rather than reduce it to ALARP.
The general theme that I find from Cabâs comments are that risk management in the civilian world isnât conducted the right way, in his opinion.
What the comments do suggest is something many of us have stated on here over the past few years quite a number of times; senior leaders responsible for RAFAC, for whatever reason, forget that weâre SMEs in the civilian world. We know when weâre witnessing âmale cow excrementâ
The Hollywood depiction of a highly decorated senior fighter pilot in the twilight of their career: Surviving against the odds flying suicide missions to prevent rogue states becoming nuclear-capable.
The reality: having to spend your Saturday evening bogged down on an internet forum in a to-do with naffed off volunteers about risk-assessing car parking duties, against the back drop of government cuts.
I donât think this is going to inspire a script for another Top Gun sequel, unless maybe they get Ken Loach to direct it (âTop Gun III- I, Pete Mitchellâ perhaps?)
The money is an issue for sure. But itâs the implementation, the lack of empathy, the knock on impact to reputation and relationships and if youâre in the south west, the fact you might have renegotiated a role with no car parking only for a week later to have to pull out completely. Itâs the embarrassment that those making these decisions donât have to deal with and never will, but foist upon the mere mortals having to enact their whims. That is why there are 430+ posts.
But it isnât going to change, so explain the reason (even as simple as policy change - donât need to go in-depth) and say we do want to help, what other areas do you need assistance in.
Just because you canât do car parking doesnât mean you canât still help at the event. See my earlier post about what we did to switch (although it was 2018 as staff we choose to stop car parking.
It was never about the money for me.
Whatâs got my back up is the fact that we are now at a point, in this diminishing organisation, were one person can wake up and think, âThat activity seems a little bit risky to me, Iâd better pop into the office and ban it.â
No proper assessment, no consultationâŚjust ban it.
Gone in the blink of an eye and the click of the fingers. Never coming back. That easy.
I will be less frustrated and critical when somebody in the senior management wakes up one day and, instead of adding to the banned list, does something tangible that will result in the return of the following;
Parachuting
Motor Gliders
Air Cadet Pilot Navigation Training Scheme
Air Cadet AEF Course
Air Operations Acquaintance Center
AEF progression through sorties 1-6
Regional Aerospace Courses
BTEC in Aerospace Studies
Sir Michael Knight pilot scholarship
Crab football
Paragliding
The LSW
Outdoors drone flying
Aircraft recognition
Nitex at local country park.
Assault courses
Microflight flying
Popular Flying Association Rallies - where cadets could get seriously close to aircraft by marshalling on the taxiways.
I do feel that the answer to this question weighs more heavily than it might appearâŚ
If only because any route of alternative funding equally could be cancelled âtomorrowââŚ
Grants are great but having just annoyed the local community where the chances are someone from the event you messed around also sits on the board of Lionâs/Rotary/Masonâs doesnât really sit well.
I know on a previous unit where we helped on a Christmas town event volunteers for that organisation were so impressed they our in a good word and the Rotary club offered us moneyâŚso hardly a stretch to suggest that the opposite could happen too.
My worry is if volunteer car parking a staple for many has been banned what is next for the chop? What keeps senior management awake a nightâŚthe âunknown unknownâ is greatâŚuntil it gecones known and banned.
Alternative funding sourcing? Yeah sureâŚbut it will take 2-3 years of reputation damage fixing to sort out and maybe the same again to build the trust and to a level that sees the same funds coming in againâŚonly to find out that volunteering at the townâs fireworks display working on the entry gate (or insert other event) is now not viableâŚ
If these âalternativesâ were easily topick up in the place of car parking chsncesare weâd already be doing itâŚi know our unit does a handful of different activities in the community already. Weâre not turning away offers or invites to help out at events
totally agree, beside being RAFAC I am member of a club that puts a small event on, at less than 4 days notice i had to advise them that the local RAFAC unit could no long do Car Parking/Traffic control, then followed for SW Region a total ban on activities away from unit (except national events) so a double wammy. Another youth organisation came to our rescue, and yes they will be asked to assist in next years event,
Again, do we know if âhelping outâ included vehicle marshalling?
This is a valid stab at PR implications of the SW pause, but unless there was vehicle marshalling then it does nothing to add value or momentum to this conversation.
The âdonations cascadeâ thing is real - my Sqn pulled out of car parking for a major, local to us, agricultural event at two weeks notice. We lost ÂŁ1500 for that day - as well as the engagement/recruitment stand, the free food and drinks, free admittance for 30+ cadets and their families (ÂŁ80 for a family ticketâŚ) and all the schmoozing - and guess what?
Local YFC have said of course weâll put you in the draw for next yearâs designated charity - but there are lots of strong contendersâŚ. The actual meaning was 'NFC mate, you stuffed us all.
Weâve had about ÂŁ6k off them in the last 6 years.
In terms of our community engagement, reputation etc⌠weâre in freefall.
This is my great concern. Itâs not just the direct money gained from the events. Itâs the local community exposure that is very badly hit. We used to have access to a good source of revenue within the County but this has been restricted by Wg Co pet projects. None have worked well! We are also a laughing stock locally within the youth groups. We canât play because of CS who are probably all on their Summer holidays. When the call went out from RAF stations to support events because Air Cadets couldnât surely this rang a bell with someone. These other units like scouts or sea cadets will just get priority visits over us and who can blame the stations. Feel like if the RAF want us put up or shut us down.
I can assure you that is not the case. Please use the Town Halls to raise your concerns. Better to do this face-to-face (albeit virtual). There are many competing challenges and we are working tirelessly to fix them whilst maintaining a safe environment for our cadets.