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What do you think the absolute minimum staffing for a city of 40,000 should be? (trucks and man power)
[ 11-22-2001: Message edited by: TheFireDude1 ]
[ 11-22-2001: Message edited by: TheFireDude1 ]
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In Australia...New South Wales in particular....it's not about how you should staff a truck to protect a population.
It's about how do you staff a truck to protect your crew.
In a quick simple explanation in the NSW Fire Brigades we work to a minimum manning of Station officer and 3 on all appliances. If someone goes sick or has leave his spot must be filled.
That manning gives ...someone in charge to supervise ..someone to operate the pump...and 2 guys to watch each other when they do a search and initiate an attack.
this is obviously just a brief overview...let me know if you want any more infoAndy
www.blacktownfirerescue.org -
In theory...3 firefighters and an officer on each rig!
In reality...this rarely happens!
My Department's minimum staffing level is 11 firefighters and 3 officers per shift (the deputy is not included in the staffing, and we can have a firefighter working out of grade as an acting Lieutenant). At this staffing level, we have 3 Engines staffed with 2 firefighters and an officer, 1 Ladder truck staffed with 3 firefighters and a Rescue staffed with two firefighters.
At full staffing for a shift, we have 16 firefighters, the Deputy Chief, a Captain and two Lieutenants covering 3 Engines, 2 Ladders and the Rescue.
Full shifts are a rarity, with vacations, personal days, sick days, jury duty, funeral leave, National Guard and Reserve deployments, specialized schooling/training etc.
FYI..Marlborough is a city of 37,000 located between Boston and Worcester.
[ 11-22-2001: Message edited by: Captain Gonzo ]"The education of a firefighter and the continued education of a firefighter is what makes "real" firefighters. Continuous skill development is the core of progressive firefighting. We learn by doing and doing it again and again, both on the training ground and the fireground."
Lt. Ray McCormack, FDNYComment
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Speaking as a vollie...in our county less than four on an apparatus is considered "undermanned".
In Bucks County, you have two options when you go on radio - you can say "Engine 91 is responding," which just means that the engine is staffed with at least four FFs; "Engine 91 is responding undermanned," which means you have either two or three on the apparatus.
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You can say exactly how many you have - i.e. "Tower 93 is responding with five."
Where I am, we do the first.
So, for a short answer, minimum staffing here is technically an officer and three FFs. But you can go with less if that's all you have, as long as you specify that on radio."Let's roll." - Todd Beamer, one of a group of American soldiers who handed the terrorists their first defeat.
Joe Black
The opinions expressed are mine and mine alone (but you can borrow them
)and may not reflect those of any organization with which I am associated (but then again, they just may not be thinking clearly).Comment
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There isn't enough info to say.
City size, # of firehouses, # of fires in a year, mutual aid available, # of runs, and of course what will the tax base support.
Building size, age, construction types, high hazard occupancies.
Let's see... the list goes on...Comment
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ffguy, average 2000 runs/year, 3 stations, and college campus. not sure of the tax.Comment
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Without knowing what type of structures are in your response district or if you run EMS, It's tough to make a good judgement call.
But with 3 stations, a 3 engine, 1 ladder and 1 tour commander set-up sounds like a viable plan. Man each apparatus with a minimum of 4. (1 officer and 3 FF's) Make a 1st alarm assignment of a 2 engine,1 ladder and 1 IC response with the 3rd engine diapatched as a RIC in the event of a working fire.
As others have stated, this is only in theory. You might not have the tax base and/or the resources to do something along these lines.FTM-PTB-EGH-RFB-KTFComment
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