Review of the Fire and Emergency Services Act warns of turf wars between the agencies CATASTROPHE: The frightening Cherryville fire in the Adelaide Hills in May this year ... a reminder of what can go wrong without coordination among agencies. A DAMNING review of South Australia's emergency services bureaucracy has been released on the eve of the bushfire season. The review warns of turf wars between the agencies and "inertia" in decision-making. It also says that in some situations, "the closest, fastest and most appropriate response to emergency situations may still not be guaranteed." The Review of the Fire and Emergency Services Act says the number of volunteer firefighters will dwindle over the next decade. It calls for a radical overhaul of the SA Fire and Emergency Services Commission, proposing one chief executive with ultimate responsibility instead of the current system. UNDER FIRE: Waterbomber fighting the Cherryville fire. TELL US: How can we improve our emergency response and management system? The Government says previous attempts to improve the bureaucracy that manages the response to emergencies have been stymied. It also says South Australians should rest assured they have "top notch" emergency services despite them being "burdened with all of this administration." SAFECOM has a nine-member Board that includes the three emergency service organisation (ESO) chiefs from the Metropolitan Fire Service, State Emergency Service and Country Fire Service. READ MORE: Hills fire prompts policy review A "one chief" model, potentially with a rotating power of veto between the three agencies, would help "ensure optimal resource allocation and the minimisation of turf wars between the ESOs." The situation must be addressed to "ensure the people of SA have access to the best available emergency services for the significant public and community investment involved," it says. The bushfire season begins this weekend in some areas. READ MORE: Vigil urged in battle against firebugs The main recommendation of the report, released yesterday, is: "That the MFS, CFS and SES be incorporated into a departmental structure under the direction of a Chief Executive based on interstate developments over the past two decades, which establishes this arrangement as the benchmark for the governance of Emergency Services in Australia." "The MFS, CFS and SES would operate as separate units under the ultimate direction of the CEO," it says. Emergency Services Minister Michael O'Brien said he hoped "common sense would prevail" when they try to improve the system. "One of the issues has been that you have a review and it comes down with very precise recommendations that get into the Legislative Council and every man and his dog piles into it and what was a straightforward proposition ends up as a dog's dinner," he said, adding there was "great merit" in the idea of an overall chief executive. We will put it out for public consultation and won't act on it until the election's out of the way (next March) and the incoming government can determine what they want to do with the recommendations and the input from the community. The report also says there can be boundary issues with the ESOs and that ideally the response to an emergency "should come from the nearest, quickest and most appropriate ESO unit," but describes a situation in Mt Gambier where that might not happen because the SES would be called instead of the MFS. "Issues can arise where the capacity of volunteer units to deploy rapidly to an emergency such as a person trapped in a motor vehicle following a crash may be less than that of a full-time rescue service available for an immediate response," it says. One of the accepted recommendations includes giving greater attention to the recruitment and retention of volunteers. The report found "many concerns" about a likely significant decline in volunteers due to the ageing population, fears about legal liability and increased paperwork. It also found that in "challenging economic times," employers are reluctant to let staff go to fight fires or go to other emergencies. Former police minister Paul Holloway was appointed for the review. Mr O'Brien appointed former Police Minister Paul Holloway to undertake the review, which is required by legislation. Mr Holloway said the issues were more about bureaucracy and decision making, and wouldn't affect services on the ground, but that the "one chief" idea would mean less duplication and therefore more frontline resources. "It doesn't really affect what happens if there's a fire or emergency... but if you had a more authoritative structure you would get better resource outcomes," he said. The problems aren't on the ground, it's about getting the best value for money.