Change In The Fire Service
“Who you gonna call? Ghost Busters” (Brillstein & Reitman, 1984). In 1984, a very popular comedy movie “Ghostbusters” hit the big screen and this one quote from the movie seemed to stick in everyone’s head. The question that seems to be posed when there is a crisis or emergency situation today would be “Who you gonna call? The fire department”. In today’s society fire departments have become the “catch-all” for every kind of emergency. Don’t you agree? Fire is still a big part of the fire service, “in 2015, every twenty-three seconds a fire department was responding to a fire” (NFPA (Ed.). , 2015). However, the fire service has evolved from just “putting the wet stuff on the red stuff” mentality to a profession
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You may ask what is fire based EMS? It is exactly what is sounds like. It is emergency medical care that is managed by the fire department. Today, most all fire departments run first response medical calls along with a local ambulance service. In fact, “97 percent of U.S. fire departments provide some level of EMS” (Dean, A., & Messoline, M. , 2011, p.32). In an effort to improve response times and patient care, many fire departments are establishing fire based EMS systems. Is this type of service for every fire department? That depends on the community and the services it provides. There are pros and cons to establishing a fire based EMS system and they should be weighed carefully prior to starting this type of operation. One challenge that fire departments who are running a fire based EMS system face is managing the increased call volume with less than optimal staffing. To address these challenges, fire department managers today must be creative in their management techniques to provide the best service possible without taxing their …show more content…
When these materials burn, they give off hazardous and toxic chemicals, including carbon monoxides (CO), hydrogen sulfides (H2S), and hydrogen cyanides (HCN). The smoke from these materials puts first responders who are not wearing a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) at risk for long-term health illness from chronic conditions or cumulative exposures or immediate death. The public also is at risk, making smoke inhalation the leading cause of death during structure fires (McCreedie, J.,
At 2215 hrs, on November 28, 1942, Fire Alarm Headquarters from Box 1514, situated at Stuart and Carver streets, received an alarm. When the responding apparatus arrived they found a small car fire at the corner of Stuart Street and Broadway. After the fire was extinguished the firefighters were about to return to quarters when their attention was called to smoke emanating from the Cocoanut Grove Nightclub a few doors away. Upon their arrival at the entrance of the Broadway lounge on Broadway they encountered numerous people leaving the premises admidst the cries of “fire”. The chief in charge immediately ordered that a third alarm be sounded from Alarm Box 1521 which the alarm was received by fire alarm headquarters at 2223 hrs. A civilian sent an alarm that was received at 2220 by fire alarm headquarters. As soon as the chief in charge realized that the immediate problem was one of rescue he ordered that a fourth alarm (received at 2224) and a fifth alarm (received at 1102) be sent. The apparatus responding was comprised of 25 engine companies, 5 ladder companies, 1 water tower company, 1 rescue company and various other apparatus. 18 hose steams for cooling purposes and three ladders were utilized (located at Piedmont, Broadway, and Shawmut for venting operations).
Fire safety education is a crucial aspect of fire prevention. The general public needs to know how big of a threat fire is to them and how they can do things in their everyday lives to improve their safety, as well as preventing the threat of fire to begin with. The commission also realized that it was critically important that people know how to properly act once a fire has started. It is important that people have the knowledge to act quickly, safely, and effectively. When people don’t understand fire they can react in many negative ways such as panicking, not evacuating effectively, or by trying to fight a fire that they are not going to be able to extinguish. All these human reactions can decrease safety and end with tragic results. In the commission’s report they approximate that nearly 70 percent of all building fires were due to people acting carelessly because they did not understand the fire dangers that were present. The commission cited studies like one conducted in southeast Missouri. In the southeast Missouri community, a huge emphasis was put into public fire safety education because the fire death rate of the community was much higher than the national average. After increasing fire safety education in the community it was no surprise that the rate of deaths and injuries decreased
Firefighters are more than friends. You can't fight fires with friends. To fight fires you need a brotherhood. The men and women of the fire service across the globe consider each other family, this is one of the grand traditions of the fire department. Firefighters are constantly looking out for one another, thinking about the things they do and how it may affect the other’s lives and safety. Life safety is of the highest priority in the business of fire rescue. To achieve a safety standard there are many tasks that fire personnel are expected to carry out, for both a personal and a team related purpose. One of these tasks is the daily inspection of the fire apparatus upon arrival to the fire station. This task is with most certainty the most essential process that fire personnel are responsible for in order to get through the shift safely and efficiently.
Hazards pose risk to everyone. Our acceptance of the risks associated with hazards dictates where and how we live. As humans, we accept a certain amount of risk when choosing to live our daily lives. From time to time, a hazard becomes an emergent situation. Tornadoes in the Midwest, hurricanes along the Gulf Coast or earthquakes in California are all hazards that residents in those regions accept and live with. This paper will examine one hazard that caused a disaster requiring a response from emergency management personnel. Specifically, the hazard more closely examined here is an earthquake. With the recent twenty year anniversary covered by many media outlets, the January 17, 1994, Northridge, California earthquake to date is the most expensive earthquake in American history.
Varone, J. C. (2012). Legal considerations for fire & emergency services (2nd ed.). Clifton Park, NY: Delmar.
As emergency providers we are viewed as a trusted and valuable source of information particularly when it comes to protecting the public. Through the years the America Fire Service has recognized the need to build and maintain effective emergency response capabilities. The new norm for the fire service has many common similarities with financial restraints that affect staffing levels, response times, equipment needs, growing pressures from political groups, and various demographic considerations, yet the expectations to provide a high quality service are still present. While response readiness is absolutely necessary, it is no longer viewed as sufficient. Many fire organizations have continued to be reactive in today’s emergency response requests. They may understand how to mitigate a call of service, but with the expectations of our customers, it is now time for these fire service organizations to become even more proactive in community needs. This has been demonstrated not only by individuals but by organizations, communities, and even countries, as they have recognized, citizens are demanding more.
As an employee of The New York City Fire Department, it is our duty to know its mission state and what its internal core analysis consists off. “As first responders to fires, public safety and medical emergencies, disasters and terrorist acts, the FDNY protects the lives and property of New York City residents and visitors. The Department advances public safety through its fire prevention, investigation and education programs. The timely delivery of these services enables the FDNY to make significant contributions to the safety of New York City and homeland security efforts. The New York City Fire Department’s internal core analysis consists of: Service: the department continues its unwavering call to protect and serve. Bravery: courage is the foundation of each character. Bravery is the ability to overcome fear through fortitude, instinct, compassion for others and training. Safety: our citizens must be reasonably free from danger, especially deliberate, harmful acts. With the best equipment and training, the department can reduce the risk to the public and its members at fires, emergencies and medical incidents. Honor: the enormous commitment necessary to perform the department’s tasks requires excellence of character. They inspire each other through pride in the unit, which is a belief that every action reflects on all the members of the unit, both past and present. Dedication: a commitment to the objectives to their mission is an essential part of their code of conduct. The faithful observance of duty, calls for the FDNY to fulfill their obligations professionally and honestly. Preparedness: by combining all of the components of their core values, the FDNY will maintain its constant state of readiness to meet all threats and c...
Carbon monoxide is a major component in smoke from fires. It can cause a loss of mental acuity, acute nausea and severe headaches (Reinhardt 33). Death can occur at extreme levels of this intoxication and it can even cause shortness of breath and dizziness (Reinhardt 35). It may not seem like it is that bad, but one must consider that these things add up and can really affect their health and well-being. The carbon monoxide levels tend to shoot up when the wind speed goes up during daily exposure (U.S. Department of Agriculture 3). It also depends on what kind of duties you have as a firefighter; because those with the highest level of carbon monoxide in their system were a part of the direct attack and those with the least were the fire starters (U.S. Department of Agriculture 3). Carbon monoxide is a powerful poison that can kill you and it is absolut...
Every year communities struggle each year around the nation with issues of life safety. In 2012, the nation’s fire departments responded to 31,854,000 responses that resulted in the deaths 0f 2,855 civilians and injuring 16,500 causing an estimated $12,427 million dollars in damage. (United States Fire Administration, 2014) These incidents put at risk 345,950 career and 783,300 volunteer firefighters that resulted in the deaths of 81 individuals (U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 2013) and nearly 70,000 reported injuries. ( Karter & Molis, 2013) These numbers represent incidents that are determined to be in the line of duty but do not take into consideration the long-term health risk issues that may develop. Evidence shows that he hazards associated with Fire and Emergency Services are consistent across the board whether paid or volunteer and jeopardize the lives and health of each individual, placing administrative and physical control measures reduces this risk to firefighter within an organization. While it is impossible to eliminate the hazards firefighters face, it is important to identify these hazards as the first step in reducing the potential for loss of life and wellbeing both physically and mentally.
In January 2005, a fire in a Bronx apartment building caused six firefighters to jump from the fourth floor in attempt to escape the fire, which left four injured and two dead. Their lives were put at risk due to mistakes and unfamiliarity with equipment. Due lack of knowledge on hydraulics and sufficient water
You are a firefighter and upon arrival at the scene of a working fire you have a lot of decisions to make. One of the most key decisions a chief officer, or firefighter following standard operating procedures has to make in the early stages of a building fire is whether to ventilate or not? The strategy of venting fire buildings must be approached from many angles. In the United States it has long been accepted that there are three criteria for making that decision. Vent for life, safety or the fire with that in mind firefighters must make themselves aware of the effects of ventilating structure before making the that decision.
The fire service revolves around the science of fire behavior. The fire service must understand the science behind fire to successfully attack and defeat the aspects of fire behavior, the products of combustion and prevent loss of life and property, Modern technology both hurts and helps how the fire will behave in a variety of scenarios, previous fire science research and education were based on vertical ventilation and a coordinated fire attack. However, a new study conducted in 2012 by the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Underwriters Laboratory (UL) produced science applied research on both analytical data and reconstructed visual comparisons on fire behavior proving old fire suppression methods are dangerous
This research topic is originated from my experience in working in the fire service since nineteen ninety seven. In the last sixteen years I have moved up the ranks from probationary fire fighter to fire lieutenant. I am currently hold the rank of fire lieutenant. This topic is very important to me because one day at work I can be the Incident Commander on a incident, to the o...
Every Firefighter skills book that I have read starts out with a chapter entitled “The Orientation and History of the Fire Service.” As I have begun my pursuit of a career in the Fire Service, I have learned much more about the history of the Fire Service than I ever intended to initially. As the famous Spanish/American philosopher, George Santayana, once said, “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” I believe this quote is of momentous importance because as we grow as a society, we need to keep in mind our previous mistakes, so we as a whole can try to prevent repeating history by working towards a solution before it even becomes a problem. This is extremely prevalent in the Fire Service today, which has
The Fire and Rescue Service employ a number of styles of communication to suit diverse audiences and for different purposes. The organization communicates with its members of staff differently depending on the circumstances and the message which is being conveyed. With such a large organization approximately 2200 members of staff effective communication is essential. Effective communication plays a vital role in the delivery of all Fire and Rescue Services.