Everyone is a Hall of Fame, Monday Morning Quarterback. Everyone can sit on the sidelines and ask "why". I personally see this a lot in the fire service. Departments will ask each other why they do things different ways, respectfully (I hope).
Recently, I have heard a lot of "why's" regarding a department's box system and which units are do to a call. The biggest question I get asked from outside my department is why we have the number of units responding to a building fire. The typical response for a dwelling fire is four (4) engines, two (2) aerials, one (1) rescue, and one (1) RIT/FAST team.
Ask "why" there are eight (8) units responding to one call. The two responses I give are simple: 1. resources and 2. man power. Keep in mind that my department and surrounding departments are mainly all volunteer with the exception of a couple companies.
1. Resources: GET THEM MOVING! The average response time in the volunteer fire service is roughly four minutes from dispatch until the unit hits the road. It may take another 5 minutes for the resource to reach the scene (in an urban, suburban environment). Some departments do not call for a RIT/FAST team until a working fire is confirmed. In the ten minutes between a fire is confirmed and the response of the RIT/FAST team, a lot can happen. This is when the initial fire attack begins. Conditions can worsen very quickly. Hydrates may not have pressure, or there may be a lack of hydrants. Getting these initial resources moving may be the difference between a successful extinguishment and the total lose of a house. With four engines there is at least 3000 gallons of water on the road in the first minutes of an incident. Two ladders provide enough ladders to safely ladder and ventilate the building. A rescue truck response brings man power and special equipment in case of collapse. Some call it unnecessary and overkill. You never want to be caught with your bunker pants down when there's a fire. Speaking of bunker gear on the ground, some of these trucks will not have full crews.
2. Man Power: fighting a fire is a very tiring and cumbersome task. Ladders must be thrown, hoselines advanced, buildings searched, utilities secured, and a water source obtained. All of this needs to be completed nearly simultaneously. Many tasks with little man power means you're in trouble. In the volunteer service, the crew is going to vary day to day and what time of day. Day time calls are notorious for low staffing because many members work during the day and outside the district. A "good" crew might consist of a driver, officer, and two firefighters on the first out piece. Some companies may only have one firefighter in the back. Night time, the piece may be packed with every seat taken. Summer there is the added benefit of college students home who may be around during the day. Man power becomes part of the resources. Not all of the apparatus called will have a crew. Some might even have just a driver and officer. Realistically out of the eight apparatus called on the initial dispatch 6 will be able to respond with a crew of three (excluding driver). Officers fall into their responsibilities upon order of arrival. One will be in command, another will be safety, another will a division commander inside the structure. This means crews of non-officer firefighters may be 12 firefighters to stretch a line, throw ladders, ventilate, and search. Firefighters will be used up on the initial attack quickly.
Why are there so many fire trucks responding to one call? Simple. Because that is what is needed to safely extinguish the fire and provide safety. Don't be afraid to ask for what you need. Need an additional ladder and engine for a crew. Ask dispatch. You may want two crews but you'll get one crew between the two apparatus and it was one crew you needed. In the words of The Rolling Stones "You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometime you find
You get what you need "
Call in the resources you think you'll need early on during the incident. Doing this might insure that everyone comes Out of the Smoke.
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