Laserfiche WebLink
Fire Department, 65% of the time, does not have Firefighter G since the shift <br />is working below the necessary (7) firefighters. <br /> <br /> Benchmarking was done to compare Martinsville Fire Department to <br />other fire departments. Surveyed included Lynchburg, Danville, Salem, and <br />Roanoke Fire departments. A matrix of the survey follows in this section. <br />In summary, Martinsville Fire Department responds fewer personnel to its <br />fires than do any of the other departments that were surveyed. Roanoke <br />responds to scenes with a minimum of (9) firefighters as compared to <br />Martinsville's (6). Roanoke responds the fewest firefighters from those <br />surveyed, after Martinsville. <br /> <br /> Martinsville Fire Volunteers do respond and assist, but their <br />attendance is sporadic and not known in advance since the volunteers work <br />and are not at the station and immediately ready for response. The first 10 <br />minutes of a fire scene are the most vital due to searches, rescues, and <br />suppression requiring immediate attention. Fires and trapped victims cannot <br />wait on mutual aid response! <br /> <br /> In summary, the department needs to hire one additional frrefighter <br />per shift. At current staffing levels, the City is not complying with OSHA <br />mandates or NFPA Standards. By adding one additional firefighter to each <br />shift, regulations will be adhered to, and there will be greater chances of <br />victims being located in a more expedient manner. <br /> <br /> <br />