Name change waste !

On January I the " Fire Brigade " will cease to exist ! It will have a new name - " Fire and Rescue NSW "

Emergency Services minister Steve Whan insists that this is necessary because in this modern day and age the service does much more than just put out fires. It has the added responsibility of carrying out rescue work previously the realm of other services.

A name change carries with it a heavy cost. Everything from the stationery used to the signwriting on fire appliances, the emblems on uniforms to the station buildings will need to be renewed - at a cost of fifteen million dollars !

What will this achieve ? In all probability - very little. The average person will continue to refer to it as " the fire brigade " because old habits die hard.

The biggest concern will be the cost because we live in a state where a lot of urgent things go begging because of a lack of money. It seems that politicians have a habit of changing names because it suits their egos - and in recent years the police force has changed to the police service - and then back again - and the oddly named MWS&DB ( Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board ) became " The Water board " - and now it has changed to " Sydney Water ".

It is an interesting thought to dream of what that fifteen million dollars might have produced had it been spent on something that would have directly helped the citizens of this state.

Like accommodation for the homeless !