"Combo's"

[Co8Yardbird]

Are there any paid fire department's who have gone to what our chief calls "Combo's". He parks an Engine/Truck/Rescue next to a Medic Unit in the station with 3 personnel assigned. Depending on the nature of the call determines which vehicle you take out the door. This has met alot of resistance from the ranks who liked the "rotation" back and forth between fire and ems units. It has also in the busier part of town left no fire coverage except for other companies quite a distance away from that district.

[n8lhf150]

Mifflin Twp does that.

[shenry32]

Right now Kettering Fire/Rescue has an engine-truck either/or system. Shortly we will have 4 guys who will staff a medic, a quint and a heavy rescue in a either/or/or staffing system. The 4 paid guys work a 24/48 with generally only 3 actually working. It seems to work for us...then again we may just be used to it.

[chip855]

We're doing it in Springfield, just started last year. Where are you from?

[Firedan38]

1st Consolidated Fire Dist. in Marion County does it. we run 2 fulltime and a part time crosstrained(at least we try)and depending on if its EMS or Fire we tyake the appropriate apparatus.

Marion Twp. does it for Sta.2, and if manpower is at minimum that is the way Sta.1 responds also, with the engine from the other station backing them up.

[SPFDRum]

St Paul, MN does this, but with 4 people. We have 11 medic rigs that are dual staffed with a minimum of 2 medics. All but 2 are housed with another engine or truck. The 2 that don't have 2 units are supported by a house with an engine and truck. As it stands now, this has been a very sucessful combination. If the medic rig is out, there is another asset in the district to first respond with a defib, trauma bag, O2, airway stuff, and ect. When there is a fire in your district, you get on the engine and go have fun. All firefighters are trained to the the EMT B level. With this system, we are averaging about 26% cardiac survivability.
BUT in the buget crunch times we are in, the administration wants to decommission 3 rigs and make "supermedic" companies. A medic and a truck or engine staffed with 6 people, 2 medic, 4 other. This with out a doubt is the dumbest idea possible, with any ALS call, not only have you taken the medic rig out of service, but when you provide a couple of people off the other rig to assist, you have removed that also, effectively eliminating a first responder for that district.
To top it off, it appears that a card carrying member of the union, who is a district chief, proposed this BS plan. I can understand when the administration sells you out, but when one of our own does it, it's all the worse. -steps down from soap box-

So to answer your question Yardbird, it does work well, if you maintain a first responer in the district.