Agenda 10/14/2003 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

two firefighters out with the apparatus. A second person is necessary to ensure safe navigation, as a 100' truck is extremely long. Additionally, a truck with a platform extending over the front cab could hit street signs, utility poles, or other street-side obstacles. For a ladder truck to be effective, it must be on the initial response. There are two reasons for this logic. First, for rescue to be effective, it must be successful within 4-6 minutes, as cardiac arrest victims have reduced chances of survivability with every second lost. Second, during fire operations, access to the scene is nearly impossible once the road is blocked with fire hoses and other emergency vehicles. A ladder truck only has a maximum reach. A ladder truck will not be effective if the scene is blocked and the truck has to set up too far from the scene. Ladder trucks carry other equipment including various lengths of ground ladders, fire attack hose, water supply hose, breathing apparatus, specialized rescue equipment, fire appliances, and basic hand tools. Quint: Quints are the new generation of fire apparatus. These trucks are designed as a combination pumper and ladder track. They include a fire pump, a shorter length ladder as compared to a traditional ladder truck, fire attack lines, water supply hose, fire appliances, breathing apparatus, and basic hand tools. A Quint is like responding a pumper and a ladder truck with only one response. A Quint accommodates leaner staffing levels. Specifically, due to this piece of equipment being a combination truck, departments with minimal staffing levels optimize ladder operations and pump operations. 2. Identify the number of pieces of apparatus needed by the department. Martinsville Fire & EMS has three shifts of 8 firefighters each. When all full-time staff is present, 6 firefighters are assigned to Station 1 while 2 firefighters are at Station 2 (Southside). When more than one full-time firefighter is off due to sickness or vacation, a part-time firefighter is called in so that the minimum staffing is 7 firefighters. When the minimum staffing is 7, there are 5 firefighters assigned to Station I while two firefighters are at Station 2. When a call is received that may be a fire within a City building, all firefighters respond. In Martinsville, a minimum of 7 firefighters respond to these calls. In neighboring jurisdictions such as Danville, Salem, and Roanoke, 13-17 personnel respond to the same types of calls. Since there are two fire stations, it is obvious that at least two fire engines are needed. This is so because as previously stated, ftre doubles in size every minute. Time is of the essence, and the sooner a fire engine arrives at a fire and initiates fire attack, the better the odds of a successful call. Furthermore, the Insurance Services Office (ISO) assesses fire districts every 15 years. This assessment determines fire insurance premiums for 15 years. Within such, based upon the size 5