First Alarm Assignment

[Steeda83]

Box Alarms/House Alarms/Street Boxes, Etc
3 Engines
1 Ladder
1 Rescue(ems)
1 Chief

if a code red(structure fire) is called
an additional ladder is added for the F.A.S.T(R.I.T) co.

[Steeda83]

Providence, RI (capital city also the largest in the state)


Box Alarm
A box alarm is an alarm for help received from either a street box alarm pulled by a person witnessing an emergency or from a master box alarm often found in high occupancy residential and commercial buildings, schools, dormitories, hospitals, churches. A box alarm assignment may be increased or reduced at the discretion of the dispatcher or responding chief depending on additional information available, such as a caller stating that construction workers accidentally set off a smoke detector with dust, which in turn transmitted a master box alarm to the BOC. On the other hand, the response may be increased accordingly if a fire-related condition is found or called in.

Street Box Alarm - 1 Engine (and 1 Ladder after 11pm)
Master Box Alarm - 3 Engines, 2 Ladders, 1 Chief officer

Still Box
A still box is an alarm of fire, smoke, or other fire-related condition in a building received by telephone. Upon trasmission of a code red, additional companies are usually dispatched. An additional Ladder company will be dispatched as a F.A.S.T. company (Firefighter Assist and Search Team) to assemble equipment at the scene and be ready to intervene rapidly if a firefighter transmits a mayday message or otherwise requires urgent assistance. A Rescue company will also be dispatched to a confirmed fire if not already sent. An Engine company will be sent as the command company to assist the incident commander. And another Engine company will be sent as the safety company(officer of the engine assumes job of safety officer and can either use the engine crew to assist with safety or designate them to help with another function)

A chief officer may request additional fire companies in the form of an additional alarm assignment (ie- 2nd alarm, 3rd alarm, 4th alarm, etc.) if more personnel and apparatus are needed. Alternatively a chief may request that any combination of companies be special signaled to the scene in addition to companies already responding.

If only 1 call received - 3 Engines, 2 Ladders, Special Hazards 1(heavy rescue), 1 Chief officer
If 2+ calls received - 3 Engines, 2 Ladders, Special Hazards 1(heavy rescue), 1 Chief officer, 1 Rescue(ems)
2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th alarms - 2 Engines and 1 Ladder for each additional alarm assignment

Still Alarm
A still alarm is any alarm of an emergency which is not a box alarm or still box alarm. There are some standard responses, but a still alarm response is determined by the dispatcher depending on the needs and nature of that specific call.

1 Rescue: medical emergencies requiring basic medical care
1 Rescue + 1 Engine or Ladder: medical emergencies requiring advanced medical care and/or forcible entry, vehicle accidents
1 Engine: car fires, grass fires, downed power lines, water (flooding) emergencies
1 Engine + 1 Ladder: commercial alarms monitored by private companies such as ADT
1 Engine + Special Hazards 1: vehicles leaking fuel or other fluids, small fuel or oil spills, lockouts from running or occupied vehicles
1 Ladder + Special Hazards 1: carbon monoxide detector alarms
1 Ladder: forcible entry needs (ie-keys locked in building/apartment)
1 Engine, 1 Ladder, Special Hazards 1, 1 Rescue, Chief officer: elevator emergencies, industrial accidents, vehicle accidents involving a rollover, (leaking) gas emergencies
1 Engine, 1 Ladder, Special Hazards 1, 1 Rescue, Chief officer, Dive Team members: water rescues, ice rescues

Codes
The officer in charge of the first arriving fire company is responsible for giving an initial situation report to Fire Alarm, and relaying whether or not additional resources are needed. The codes used by the Providence Fire Department are:

Code Red

Confirmed structure fire. Unless otherwise specified, a Code Red report automatically triggers the dispatch of additional companies (see Still Box). If companies responding to a Box Alarm or Still Alarm find a fire-related condition, you might hear the officer ask Fire Alarm to "fill in the box" which means to dispatch additional companies to make the response equal to a Still Box response.

Code Yellow

The situation can be handled by the companies specified by the reporting officer. For example, if the first engine of a Box Alarm assignment encounters a condition other than fire, the officer might report a Code Yellow for the first engine and first ladder, and possibly the responding chief.

Code Blue

False alarm.

Code "C"

Without the use of emergency lights and sirens; on a non-emergency basis. An officer already at the scene of an emergency can request a company or companies not already on the scene to continue their response Code "C".

Code 99

Cardiac Arrest, CPR in progress.

[Chauffeur6]

4 Engines
1 Truck
1 Tower Ladder
1 Rescue
1 Squad

FAST unit from a M/A dept (type of apparatus can vary by dept, generally a Rescue)

[ecfr1978]

I work for a combo dept. I work on the only career engine in town at night. We have three other career companies during the day, but are on our own at night. The type of structure doesn't matter, we send the jurisidicational dept. and two mutual aid dept. (they may send an engine or a ladder). The only difference is, if its a commerical structure fire one of the companies will be a ladder; but its still basically 3 trucks. Most of the time for a house fire we have 3 engines and the career Batt Chief, for a commerical fire its two engines, a ladder and the Batt Chief. No minimum #of F/F, its not uncommon for us (the career engine) to lay our own supply line, force entry, attack the fire, vent, and perform the primary seach with 1 Batt chief(command) one driver(Pump operator), one Lt(company officer) and two FF(nozzleman and irons man). Luckily we have only had one close call, luck can't last forever. We average 150-175 working fires a year.

[mikeyboy411]

This is what we roll at my Departments........

Paid-Call Department:
5 Engines from our Department
2 Staffed Engines, the rest Paid-Call
1 Squad or Patrol
1 Medic Ambulance
1 BC or whoever is the Duty Chief
Cover units and specialty units as requested

2 Engines from C.D.F.

Depending on where the fire is possibly a full response from the U.S.F.S. or from LACoFD.


Career Department:
2 Engines
1 Truck
1 BC or Duty Chief
1 Ambulance
1 Safety Officer (usually our Training Chief)
1 Investigator (either C.I.D. or our Prevention Bureau)
M.P.s and D.O.D. Police

In some areas of our first due, this is the same however 1 Water Tender is added to the initial assignment.

Upon confirmation of a "working fire" we automatically start a second alarm.

[LIEU4LIFE]

Northern NJ Department, initial response to a OMD fire.

4 Engines (officer and 3-5 ff's)
2 Trucks (officer and 3-5 ff's)
2 Chief's
1 Mask Service Unit
1 FAST Truck (Ladder Co.)

[firefighterbeau]

first alarm in rural area

2 engines
1 rescue
2 tankers
2 brush trucks
Mutual and/or automatic aid from nearest dept

first alarm in city

2 engines
1 rescue
1 tanker
2 brush trucks
command/personnel vehicle
Mutual and/or automatic aid from nearest dept
reserve engine and additional tanker for personnel to bring

[ndvfdff33]

We roll our hall....1 Pumper,2 Tankers,1 Suburban, Utility with portable pump depending on location and depending on situation on arrival mutual aid from neighbouring depts...We have a second pumper but it remains at the hall incase of another call

[cofirecpt]

In Breckenridge, Colorado on the initial first alarm...

2 Engines
1 Truck
1 R.I.T. (Typically an Engine)
1 BC
1 Ambulance

15 to 17 personnel depending on staffing levels for the shift.

[rcskcs]

Any dept's out there allow their truck or rescue captains to assume command of a fire incident?
Situation: 3 person engine is first on scene and the Captain passes command and goes to work. Next in is a truck or rescue, does your dept allow that truck or rescue captain to take command?

[DeputyMarshal]

@ rcskcs: We don't normally have an officer on the truck (short staffing) but, if an officer outranking the IC arrives on scene he has the option to take command of the incident or, if the IC isn't an officer, the obligation to do so. (Pretty much the standard ICS model.)

Why do you ask?

[explr985]

Any alarm to a MFD in the city UNDER 4 Stories gets:

2-Engines w/ 1-1-2 (Can drop to 1-1-1)
1-Truck w/ 1-1-3 (Can drop to 1-1-2)
1-Batt. Chief

OVER 4 Stories gets:

3- Engines
2-Trucks
1-Heavy Rescue
1-Batt. Chief


*Working Fires will get a extra chief, EMS for stand-by, and Red Cross for R&R
*Extra alarms will be 2 Engines and 1 Truck unless special called

[rcskcs]

We have a dispute at work as to whether it is acceptable for a Ladder truck Captain or Rescue Captain to take command of a residential structure fire. I wanted to see what other dept's do in that situation.

[DeputyMarshal]

We have a dispute at work as to whether it is acceptable for a Ladder truck Captain or Rescue Captain to take command of a residential structure fire. I wanted to see what other dept's do in that situation.

Why not? What is the alternative?

(If they aren't expected to perform as officers, maybe they shouldn't be officers... )

[SteveDude]

No fuss...

2 or 3 Pumps (depending on location) 4 or 5 Ff's per Pump.
Possibly an aerial.

On receipt of Multiple calls
2 more Pumps and a Chief.

[DeputyChiefGonzo]

Any dept's out there allow their truck or rescue captains to assume command of a fire incident?
Situation: 3 person engine is first on scene and the Captain passes command and goes to work. Next in is a truck or rescue, does your dept allow that truck or rescue captain to take command?

Yes. The commander of the 1st due rig can't command from inside of the building.

I had a fire in a 12 unit garden style condo complex where I passed command to the Lt. on the second due engine company, as all the companies that were dispatched on the still alarm were committed to fighting the fire.

[Oregonfireman]

Portland fire Bureau,
MFD, 4 engines, 2 trucks, 2 BC's, all apparatus staffed with 4, we also respond a 5th engine for 2nd rit on confirmed fires, then an investigator and air unit.

[Steeda83]

Any dept's out there allow their truck or rescue captains to assume command of a fire incident?
Situation: 3 person engine is first on scene and the Captain passes command and goes to work. Next in is a truck or rescue, does your dept allow that truck or rescue captain to take command?

yep, it's completely acceptable(by rescue you mean heavy rescue?..just making sure since in my state rescues are ambulances and heavy rescues are most likely called special hazards or special services or squads)

[brechmos]

This is our little volunteer department in our sleepy little town. Any "fire incident" which is basically anything besides a HazMat, MVA, EMS, or other type of rescue:

First Alarm
1st due Engine w/ minimum of a driver only (1000gal) to the scene
Tanker w/ minimum of a driver only (3000gal) to the scene
Heavy Rescue w/ crew of at least 4 to the scene
2nd due engine with crew of at least 4 to a water source or the scene
EMS Truck (Optional)
Utility Truck (Optional)

I like that... "Engine w/ minimum of a driver only". Good you have that minimum! :-)

[ChicagoFF]

In Breckenridge, Colorado on the initial first alarm...

Breckenridge, huh. Lucky bastard! Do you think you can get me a job there?