How about this for an Engine Company

[mark440]

http://www.firehouse.com/hotshots/ap...erzeelbel.html

Personnel is the engineer and 12 firefighters fully geared! How would you like to roll onto a working job and put a knock on it with 12 firefighters on the first due engine company?

*Mark

[FFPug163]

Nice crew capacity, but really ugly

[nozzleman2]

Not bad 12 fully geared Firefighters,some company are lucky to get 6


FTM-PTB-EGH-RBb
LEATHER fOREVER

[mark440]

My engine company is 3. Our department runs 3-3 man engines and 1-2 man engine.

*Mark

[ffemt19]

Personnel is the engineer and 12 firefighters fully geared! How would you like to roll onto a working job and put a knock on it with 12 firefighters on the first due engine company?

I'm a Belgian firefighter and would like to tell something about firefighting over here in Belgium and most departments in Europe.

Different to the USA we aren't allowed to go to a fire without a engine fully manned with firefighters in full gear. This means a minimum of five (5) firefighters (one engineer and four firefighters)in the cab. Most departments even get out with six (6).
Also different is that most departments in Belgium are bigger than the standard USA departments, we also surve more than one city in our first due area. My department survices 4 cities. We have 70 firefighters, 14 career and 56 paid on call (per hour). And about 20 vehicles fire and EMS. The engine quoted in MARK440's post is a retired engine and they don't make them that way. Now all cabs for firetrucks are fitted four not more than 5 or 6 firefighters.

We go to a house fire with only one department, when we have bigger fires (industrial) we call in extra help from surrounding departments.The first engine leaves with 5 firefighters, the second also with 5 firefighters, Our arial with 2 and our rescue also with 5. And if necessarry one, two or tree tanker trucks with 2 each. And the fire chief. Now we still have one engine to respond to an other fire and the tankers that didn't go to the previos fire.

[CJMinick390]

ffemt19,

We would love to have your staffing over here. Unfortunately, our governmental entities make it nearly impossible to have adequate staffing in a lot of areas.

[Drewbo]

I ran with a company that had a 10 man cab (1 engineer, 1 officer, 8 seats in the back) E-One. Talk about cramped, when we were full there was no way to manuver to put on SCBA, fix equipment etc... Guess it did not help much that we were a bunch of healthy sized individuals. A 12 man cab... are they sitting on eachothers laps??? That would be cramped!!!

[sconfire]

European FF'ing is a bit different in their response style. I recently traveled to Britian on an exchange program and rode with several Brigades. So when I talk in this post it is of British experience. However, I have several email friends on the net in Germany, Netherlands, Croatia and Russia... and this tends to be the industry norm (to an extent) they all have thir verying factors... but all in all they are pretty much the same. NOTE: There are some different factors when it comes to retained crews (volunteers) I am mostly speaking of the paid staff.

Different to the USA we aren't allowed to go to a fire without a engine fully manned with firefighters in full gear. This means a minimum of five (5) firefighters (one engineer and four firefighters)in the cab. Most departments even get out with six (6).

Most of British firefighters are multi-role trained. One day they may be driving an engine, the next day they may be the firefighter on the ladder. I have verying opinions about this, but all in all it seems to work very well for them.

Also different is that most departments in Belgium are bigger than the standard USA departments, we also surve more than one city in our first due area. My department survices 4 cities. We have 70 firefighters, 14 career and 56 paid on call (per hour). And about 20 vehicles fire and EMS.

My question is... what is a standard USA department? Not trying to start any trouble here, but my department (North Charleston City) in South Carolina has 215 personnel on 3 shifts. This is around 70 paid on duty daily with no volunteers. We are not big but we are not small. I think that on average the US department would be bigger because we have more. What I have found in my travels is that the British departments (with the exception of London and a few of the bigger cities) cover a WHOLE LOT MORE real estate. Their resonse area are much bigger. Just as he stated above "My department survices 4 cities. We have 70 firefighters, 14 career and 56 paid on call (per hour). And about 20 vehicles fire and EMS".

I am not trying to say we do it better, just saying that I think our departments are bigger on average than most departments because of the countries size.

The engine quoted in MARK440's post is a retired engine and they don't make them that way. Now all cabs for firetrucks are fitted four not more than 5 or 6 firefighters.

The trucks we rode on in Britian were built for 2 to 6 firefighters.

This is one of Wiltshire Fire Brigades Rescue Tenders. This is actually an older one.


They are the new Rescue Tenders replacing the ones above. I had the priviledge of visiting Dennis Coaches, the company that made these trucks, and saw two of them being built. VERY NICELY DONE I MUST SAY!


These are the Engines that WFB uses


These is on of the Platform Trucks that WFB uses.

We go to a house fire with only one department, when we have bigger fires (industrial) we call in extra help from surrounding departments.The first engine leaves with 5 firefighters, the second also with 5 firefighters, Our arial with 2 and our rescue also with 5. And if necessarry one, two or tree tanker trucks with 2 each. And the fire chief. Now we still have one engine to respond to an other fire and the tankers that didn't go to the previos fire.

A lot of departments call for mutual aid. This especially true for the border stations. One thing is for sure, we all do the same job. How we get it done is a matter for the locals. I think that we all want to get home safe to our children and wives.

I have the utmost respect for my "across the pond" brethern! In fact I am traveling back there again in February 2003. We have quite a few of the ATP crowd here. Lets here from Kiwi how they do it and the ones from Britian I hope can relate to what I have said.

Stay safe everyone!
Grant Mishoe, Captain
North Charleston Fire Department
North Charleston South Carolina

[sconfire]

^^^bumping to the top^^^

in hopes that Kiwi will see.

SCONFIRE