Service Calls- Your Definition.

[ttjjss]

I was wondering how each of your departments classifys service calls?
In the past we have only considered calls such as the one the other day where it ended up being an elderly lady needing help getting up out of the bathtub,. the call was 10-22ed because the first two guys in handled it.
We often burn brush piles and/or old houses at citizens request. Even though it may take a few weeks to prepare the site, could we call it a service call and write it up as such since we have 2 or 3 trucks and numerous personel on the scene for anywhere from 1 to 4 hours?
I have already been writing up these controlled burns as classes and having everyone sign the roster anyway.
Another possibility is lockouts, we usually dont roll any of our rigs but someone responds with the lockout kit in their POV or a few of us have our own kit that we use.
What are some of the runs that you do that may be considered service calls?
Thanks in advance guys,
STAY SAFE !!!!
Capt Tyler Sitzer
Weiner Vol Fire & Rescue Dept, Weiner ARK

[Gx7E10]

We have been called to people having problems with their smoke alarms, figuring out tbe batteries need replacing.

[AFD368]

Service Calls?

I think that any of the brush piles or abandon buildings that you burn should be written up as training. They are usually prescheduled, and it gives you the opportunity to have members work the pump, or tanker operations, etc. This is what we do with situations like this.

[DeputyChiefGonzo]

Service calls:
Cellar pumping

House and automotive lockouts

Anything that does not qualify as a fire/rescue/EMS run, but must be documented!

[E229Lt]

We lump them together as emergencies

[ullrichk]

Help I've fallen. . . we code as a medical incident. Usually assist invalid unless something else fits better.

We consider almost any non-emergency and non-threatening calls as service calls if they require an on-duty company to make an unscheduled response.

Smell of gas or smoke are coded as emergencies. Cats in trees - well, you get the picture.

[SFDchief]

What ever NFIRS considers "service calls" is what we consider them to be. Currently service calls are:

"Persons in Distress", including lockouts and ring removals.
"Smoke or odor removals", non fire related
"Animal Problem or rescue"
"Public service assistance", including police assists, invalid assists (not injured), defective elevator without occupants.
"Unauthorized burning"
"Cover assignment, standby, move up"

[WTFD10]

Originally posted by SFDchief
What ever NFIRS considers "service calls" is what we consider them to be. Currently service calls are:

"Persons in Distress", including lockouts and ring removals.
"Smoke or odor removals", non fire related
"Animal Problem or rescue"
"Public service assistance", including police assists, invalid assists (not injured), defective elevator without occupants.
"Unauthorized burning"
"Cover assignment, standby, move up"

That's interesting that NFIRS considers some of these as "Service Calls." We classify "Unauthorized Burning" as an "Outdoor Fire" and a station standby is considered "Mutual Aid Given" and is classified as a "Fire" call since the standby is usually related to a multiple alarm fire.

We consider things such as water removal to be fire-related "Service Calls."

Lift assists, ring removal, etc. are in the EMS category of "In Service Assist."

Our PD handles all lockout calls unless there is a person locked in the vehicle on a very hot day. They still open the vehicle but could also call us for an evaluation of the "victim."

As for the original question, other than trying to pad your run stats, I see no reason to call the controlled burns you do as anything other than a training drill. As SFDchief said, if NFIRS calls a lockout a service call, then call it a service call.

[SFDchief]

Originally posted by WTFD10



Lift assists, ring removal, etc. are in the EMS category of "In Service Assist."

Our PD handles all lockout calls unless there is a person locked in the vehicle on a very hot day. They still open the vehicle but could also call us for an evaluation of the "victim."

I'm not criticizing anyone for their terms. I will say that starting last year, New York State switched exculsively to NFIRS 5.0 reporting. In turn that is what we now use.

Under NFIRS there is no "In Service Assist" under EMS. EMS and Rescue are under one section. There are sub-sections of "Medical Assist", "EMS", "Lock-in", "Search", "Extrication-rescue", "Water and Ice Related Rescue", "Electrical Rescue", "Rescue or EMS Standby" and "Rescue-EMS call, other". The EMS section as a whole is exactly that, you are providing EMS services. For a lift assist with out injuries, many municipalities will not tie up an ambulance but send an engine company and help the person up. There fore EMS is not being provided and no PCR needed.

As far as "lock out" vs. "lock-in", we generally do not provide lock out services (service call), we will respond to "lock-ins" (EMS-Rescue call) as you are physically rescuing someone.

For anyone interested there is a NFIRS 5.0 quick referance guide avalible for download in PDF form on the USAF website. http://www.nfirs.fema.gov/download/qrg072002.pdf

[firenresq77]

Originally posted by WTFD10


That's interesting that NFIRS considers some of these as "Service Calls." We classify "Unauthorized Burning" as an "Outdoor Fire" and a station standby is considered "Mutual Aid Given" and is classified as a "Fire" call since the standby is usually related to a multiple alarm fire.

We consider things such as water removal to be fire-related "Service Calls."

Lift assists, ring removal, etc. are in the EMS category of "In Service Assist."

Our PD handles all lockout calls unless there is a person locked in the vehicle on a very hot day. They still open the vehicle but could also call us for an evaluation of the "victim."

As for the original question, other than trying to pad your run stats, I see no reason to call the controlled burns you do as anything other than a training drill. As SFDchief said, if NFIRS calls a lockout a service call, then call it a service call.

Hey Moe, there is a type code for the fill-ins for the NFIRS 5.0. I believe it is one of the last ones in the list. Then when you enter the report, under the Mutual Aid section you just enter in the department you filled in for.

[WTFD10]

Believe me Chief, I didn't take it as criticism. I was speaking strictly as to what my department and/or the CAD our county uses classifies these calls as, not how we enter them in NFIRS.

It's interesting how calls are classified in different areas of the country. Kind of like the squad vs. ambulance vs. rescue terminology.

Thanks for the tip Brian. Luckily since I am just a lowly "black-hat" I don't have to enter NFIRS info

[firenresq77]

Luckily since I am just a lowly "black-hat" I don't have to enter NFIRS info

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on who you are) we all have to do it now. Whoever is the officer in charge (or is told to write the report) has to enter the report into Firehouse Software so we can submit them to NFIRS. It's actually not bad at all. When we first switched to the NFIRS 5, I made up our report from the State's form and got everything together for the switch. Kind of a pain in the butt at first, but pretty easy after you do a few.