multiple dwellings in 1 town

[mdoddsjffhnfc]

If this ever happens, it means:

1: You've got a Fire Bug running around
2: Gas Line Rupture
3: Lighting

Now, you're on location with 1 Dwelling Fire in your local. You start giving your company orders when County Radio comes over and states that you have another working dwelling fire reported by your towns PD. Right now you have 1 local Engine on location with 2 Engines and 1 Ladder on radio from Mutual Aid Companies responding in. You order the ladder to come to your location and send the 2 Engines to the other fire.

But...and if this happens, your in real deep here...County Reports a 3rd dwelling fire in your local with people trapped. As of this time, you only have 1 Engine and 1 Rescue (w/o pump) responding. You radio for mutual aid but all mutual aid companies within a 4 mile area are either busy with there own calls or are on special assignment and are out of service.

Please, post how you would handle this situation.

[dfdex1]

Same way we handled Beaver Park in on April 2 1990 when we had about 47 houses,2 3 story apartment building on fire at once and fed by the mis-connected high pressure gas line and about 15 other houses full of gas and were just waiting for a spark! It went into a 10 alarm fire and we had 32 Engines,8 Ladders,3 Sqauds,3 Cacade units on scene and more waiting in the wings at stageing areas. Keeping mind this was during the day when people werent home to tell us that there was a fire or gas smell and also the fires only came up in houses with some kind of gas appliance.

[drparasite]

start your mutual aid coming in. even if they are 10 miles out they are the nearest available unit. the sooner you have them started, the sooner they get there. you are a paid department, a staff recall might not be a bad thing to do. but you should still start that mutual aid coming.

if you have units on the other 2 structure fires, you can't just tell them to leave the scene with the house burning to fight the other fire, regardless of the situation. once you get the fire knocked down and under control, then you can start sending local apparatus over there. but until that happens, I'd say send the available engine (call it engine 1) and rescue (rescue 1) to that scene, to give an initial size up, and to start operations with the mutual aid companies. assuming staffing is 5 men on the engine and 6 on the rescue, here is what i would do as IC of the 3rd fire:

engine 1 should secure a hydrant, to ensure adaquate water supply. 2 lines are going to be pulled off the engine immediately. 2 2-man crews are going to go in with lines, attempt to put out the fire. 3rd line is going to be pulled, and is going to be kept outside. this line is going to be used by your 2-man RIT team from the rescue. the driver of the rescue is initially going to assist witih securing the hydrant. 3 other FFs on the rescure are going to be your search team. utilizing a thermal-imaging camera, they will be conducting a primary search of the house. like i said, this is a bare bones response.

a 2nd (if not third) engine is needed to be on scene ASAP, as are two trucks. EMS crews are needed as well. this is not an ideal situation, but rather a "use what you got to it's extreme potential." but the sooner you get mutual aid coming, the sooner it gets there. and remember, you can always cancel them if a closer unit become available. in this situation, i would also make sure i had at least an engine and a truck standing by in my station. with 3 structure fires in one town, if a 4th one comes in, I want to be ready for it.

plus, i would want to make sure the other two fires had the neccessary mutual aid too. if the ICs need three engines and two trucks at their location, then dispatch needs to find a way to get them. OEM (office of emergency management) should be called, especially if you are going to be needing multiple resources from multiple agencies.

one last thing you need to keep in mind. depending on the situation, you might need to go to exterior operations only. if you are critically short staffed, and the fire is well involved, it might not be a bad decision to only go to exterior ops. but that is a decision for the IC to make. remember, houses can be rebuilt, and property is insured. injured or firefighters killed in the line of duty are impossible to replace. to paraphrase Chief Brunacci of the Phoenix fire department "It is not OK to die in a structure fire."

but again, a lot of it is determined by what the exact situation is.

[IACOJRev]

Originally posted by dfdex1
Same way we handled Beaver Park in on April 2 1990 when we had about 47 houses,2 3 story apartment building on fire at once and fed by the mis-connected high pressure gas line and about 15 other houses full of gas and were just waiting for a spark! It went into a 10 alarm fire and we had 32 Engines,8 Ladders,3 Sqauds,3 Cacade units on scene and more waiting in the wings at stageing areas. Keeping mind this was during the day when people werent home to tell us that there was a fire or gas smell and also the fires only came up in houses with some kind of gas appliance.

Your post sounds as if you were actually there... this occurred in 1990 - thirteen years ago? So, your department allows 6 year olds to respond to 10 alarm fires?

[WannabeintheFD]

IACOJRev i was thinking the same thing!

[dfdex1]

No,it is in a book about the dept. written in 1998 called "A Hearty Band of Firefighters--The history of the Danvers Fire Dept." also in our training library we have many video's from there. But yes I was there,with my dad cause it was like a 1/8 mile from my house but I dont remember much accpet half the town being there.

[GetALife]

Everybody is just looking to jump down everyones throats here!

-The New Guy

[EoneTiller]

yo getalife the fire service isnt for the thin skinned!

[GetALife]

oh really? thanks!

[mdoddsjffhnfc]

guys, please get back on topic.

[EoneTiller]

i wasnt aiming directly at you i was just saying it in general because there are people that get yelled at and all this and they go home and cry and crap.

Originally posted by mdoddsjffhnfc
guys, please get back on topic.

yes, motherrrrr!

[mdoddsjffhnfc]

Originally posted by EoneTiller

yes, motherrrrr!

Watch your tounge Sonny! you'll get my paddle across your rear section.

[EoneTiller]

Originally posted by mother
Watch your tounge Sonny! you'll get my paddle across your rear section.

no motherrr not the paddle

[Quigger]

This topic went off topic faster then i thought it would. On topic i would call in other towns to help out with both fires.