“Wow, here we
go again” is the opening phrase of letter writer Vince J. Shellock (GNP
Mailbag, 10-18-08) in his version of refuting my proposal to staff
routinely with three firefighters, rather than the current staffing of
four. He went on, “have any of these
individuals (a former police officer or other political activists) faced the
complexities of firefighting”? That is a valid question. My answer is that for
many years I have collaborated with fire chiefs who have commanded fire
departments in such diverse cities as
It obviously bears repeating. The staffing model that
I am proposing was the product of many sessions with two or more of these
retired fire chiefs over the course of years. After auditing the call data of
the
Because Mr. Shellock specifically referenced Fire
Station 24, noting how busy they always were, I reviewed the official activity
records for that station. In calendar year 2006, Engine Company 24 responded to
828 emergency calls. That represents an average of 2.2 calls per 24-hour shift.
The Glendale Fire Department’s dispatch records shows that the average time
engine companies spend on calls is 15 minutes, regardless if they are
responding on a fire or medical call. Multiplying 2.2 by 15 minutes reveals
that Station 24 was busy on calls for about 40 minutes per 24-hour shift. The
reason why they average only 15 minutes per call is that on 89% of the calls
they are backing up the ambulance on a single person medical call. In most of
these incidents, they are not needed and return quickly. And, if they were
needed, three, not four can adequately handle the assists.
Regarding the 11% of emergency calls that are
classified as ‘Fire’, a consulting firm
called Emergency Consulting and Research Center in 1998, reviewed responses to
fire calls, and stated, “The great majority of fires are single-alarm incidents
handled by the first-due company. These incidents are resolved quickly and do
not impact the overall emergency response capability of the fire department”.
Ten years later, fire call volume has decreased by one thousand calls per year,
while medical calls have jumped by several thousands. Of the 1640 fire calls
last year, there were only five actual structure fires, and all five were
contained to a single room. This quick response and effective fire suppression
is a testament to our
The retired fire chiefs that I worked with for years
know that most fire calls are of a minor nature and are easily handled by a
three-person engine company (over 90% of fire alarms are false). They also know
that, even if staffed with four, they cannot enter a structure on fire until
the second engine company has arrived, which is not an issue because it
arrives, on average, in less than one minute after the first engine. And, if
both engine companies are staffed with three firefighters each, there are still
enough personnel to mount an interior attack on the fire.
Mr. Shellock also said, “I sleep better at night
knowing they are fully trained and staffed to meet the needs of our great
community”. I can assure the writer that the residents of cities like
The letter writer ends by saying, “Do reductions in
firefighting staff make sense? No! Not for my tax dollars”. As economic
conditions worsen and begin to impact people locally, a growing number of
citizens and taxpayers are beginning to pay closer attention.
Bruce Philpott
(818)240-8949