Off topic

If you guys actually had water flowing within 4 1/2 minutes of the initial dispatch with no full time personnel, you guys are pretty incredible.

I must ask though:
1) Was the fire next door?
2) Did you guys have "in station" volunteers?

I work with a 700+ career department and must say that even if we had a fire in a business next door to the station, with a minimum staffing of 8 we would be hard pressed to get water flowing in 4 1/2 minutes, even if were not in the rack. I say this because of the following factors:

1) If an interior attack was possible, a COMPLETE walk-around MUST be accomplishied to identify any unsafe or unseen conditions. Depending on building size this usually takes about 2 minutes.
2) If an interior attack is not feasible a master stream attack can be accomplished quickly with deluge gun, but a positive water supply MUST be established.

Even if up, and next door, we would not be out the door within a minute. More like 1 1/2 - 2 minutes with gearing up because gearing in the truck is against SOP/OSHA/NFPA.

If you guys had water flowing within 4 1/2 minutes of arrival that is more believable.

Either way...you guys were definately humping and doing a dam* good job!!!

Not busting chops, just wondering.

 

Fair question for sure. I live one block from the fire house, the fire was at a large convenience store probably three blocks from the fire house. One block this side of the store on the main highway is the closest fire hydrant. I noticed the glow in the sky about the same time that the tones went off. Jumped in the pickup, to the firehouse, and got the truck started. As I fired up the Mack a Leutienant showed up. We went together, he dropped the hose and hooked up, I went to the scene split and clamped the hose hit the horn and charged the pump. About that time several more showed up and pulled the boosters. The larger hose followed. I would have thought about 9 or ten minutes, but the owner tried to claim that we provided poor service and the records were pulled from Central, it made the news. One of the days when it all clicked. Also this was 3 1/2 hose dropped, the fire was just before we equipped with 5 inch.

We had four departments there and did lose the building, but contained the fire to the building. My job for several years was pump operator, usually first out and the one that showed up first to help was the most experienced. It just clicked well that night. It was a very large poorly constructd two story structure where they had bulit upstairs in a steep hip roof that had air channels running the length of the building with no fire stops. The fire started at the only entrance to the upstairs and the downstairs entrance was a steele door, barred from the inside. Was a fairly hopless situation. A lot of locked vehicles to move as well as propane tanks. An above ground 1000 gallon diesel tank, pump islands, etc. We had some FF inside but they could not get to the upstairs entrance and finally had to back out. Only windows were on the ends.

Arson is hard to prove, there was a full Fire Marshall investigation. We did get some noterity when the times were published. About dawn the water board made us cut down on the water use as the main tank was getting low. A cold and wet night, nothing like 30 degrees and the deluge guns creating a rain storm.

 

Thumbs up brother for a job well done...