seat assignments

[Elwood]

I am looking at new SOG's for my department. We are needing examples of Seat Assigned job duties. Please respond with any links or examples of Engine and Truck company examples. All volunteer with 3-5 per each engine and truck.

Elwood Ervin
Fire Marshal
City of Celina, TN FD

Elwood@twlakes.net

[PosseTK]

Funny you should mention this......



http://cms.firehouse.com/content/art...Id=14&id=51566

[doughesson]

Driver behind the wheel,officer in the shotgun seat and other responders where they can grab a seat for the ride is how most volunteer departments do it.Sometimes,the officer drives when the regular driver/engineer can't make it due to work.You want to have someone experienced enough to talk on the radio so he can worry about driving and make the assignments to the crew while the "talker"handles radio traffic.
Some go as far to say"If you sit here,you grab the line out the door,here-you grab the irons...."like the paid departments who have crews working longer than the call.

[Bones42]

We have assinged tasks, but not by "seats".

Feel free to browse them...

Engine Company Operations

Truck Company Operations

[Halligan84]

http://blackwoodfire.org/downloads.htm

Take a look on our downloads page, there is a powerpoint that explains the "hows" and the "whys"

[ecfr1978]

http://cms.firehouse.com/content/ar...nId=14&id=51566

This link talks about the assignments we have. The author is the "A" watch Bat Chief for the department I work for. The Bat. Chief he refers to (Isakson) is my bat chief on "C" watch. Each person knows what there assignment is before we reach the scene no mattter what type of call. Everyone gets off the truck with correct tools and we go right work. There other shifts that use "the fire is on my side, I get the nozzle" type of seat assisgnments and things just don't go as smoothly. Just adapt the assignments to your dept. and manpower.

[mcaldwell]

Some good links there that explain it pretty well.

We run 5-man commercial cabs, with seat assignments. From the Driver's seat clockwise around the cab:

Engine

1 - Front Left: Driver
2 - Front Right: Officer/Senior Man
3 - Right Rear: Hydrant (so he get's off curbside)
4 - Center Rear: Hoseline Backup
5 - Left Rear: Nozzleman

Ladder

1 - Front Left: Driver/Operator
2 - Front Right: Officer/Senior Man
3 - Right Rear: Hydrant/FDC Connection
4 - Center Rear: SAR #2
5 - Left Rear: SAR #1

Engine is normally first due, so that officer takes command, and may get bumped to safety if Chief Arrives. Second unit's officer is flexible. Can help operator run aerial or pump on ladder, or form a 2nd or 3rd hose team/RIT/SAR as necessary by pairing up with the FDC man when he is done.

[MEAN15]

Truck: 7 man crew
Irons, hook & can, ov/roof, ov/roof, exterior, driver, officer

Assignments are not assigned to a particular seat. Guys choose an job and hang a nametag next to that job on the assignment/accountability board.

[LaFireEducator]

Combo department.
3 paid firefighters M-F 8-5. 2 paid firefighters Sat. and Sun. 8-5. 1 paid firefighter 5PM-8AM. Evenings we generally have 3-4 volunteers riding out. Daytime ride-out personnel varies.

We do not have seat assignments or assigned tasks on the apparatus. Senior firefighter or officer on the truck will assign tasks based on the assignment given to him by command, situation found if first due (and no command officer on scene), experience of the firefighters on board and thier training.

We have a very diverse district and the type of structure and situation (such as is fire extending into brush/wildland) very much determines what needs to be done first and how. A rigid assignment system, more than likely would not work very effectivly in our district, even if all of our personnel were trained to the same level.

[PAfirefighter1]

Engine-

1 - Front Left: Driver
2 - Front Right: Officer
3 - Right Rear: Firefighter/EMT
4 - Center Rear: Firefighter/EMT
5 - Left Rear: Firefighter

*Each firefighter on the rig has a different assignment for each shift. Doesnt matter where the nozzle or hydrant guy sits.

Ladder-

1 - Front Left: Driver/Operator
2 - Front Right: Officer/Operator
3 - Right Rear: Firefighter/EMT
4 - Center Rear: Firefighter/EMT
5 - Center Rear: Firefighter/FR
6 - Left Rear: Firefighter/FR

*We run a four(4) man crew in the back, the driver flies the ladder and officer helps and or takes command. Therefore we dont have to have the officer go in. Doesnt matter where each person sits, assinments change daily---sar,fly the bucket/ladder, overhaul and maybe even engine opps. Each crew member has to be a firefighter 1 and at least FR up to Medic

[ChiefKN]

Each seat has a chart of that seat's responsibilities and standard tool assignment.

The chart has a couple of categories, without looking it's:

Alarm invest
MVA
Structure
.... think there was another one. LOL, I should know, but it's been a while since I rode an engine.

First due looks like this:
Chaffeur
Officer
Nozzle
Nozzle B/U
FE/Tools

For structure fires:
Officer and FE/Tools are generally one team, will perform forcible entry and will do searches or help with hose.

Nozzle and Nozzle b/u are another team and work the line to the fire.

The nozzleman swaps a nozzle for a can for the alarm invest (and most times we have him stow it).

[Dave1983]

3 - Right Rear: Hydrant (so he get's off curbside)

What happens when the hydrant is on the other side of the street?

[LeatherHed4Life]

Each seat has a chart of that seat's responsibilities and standard tool assignment.

The chart has a couple of categories, without looking it's:

Alarm invest
MVA
Structure
.... think there was another one. LOL, I should know, but it's been a while since I rode an engine.

First due looks like this:
Chaffeur
Officer
Nozzle
Nozzle B/U
FE/Tools

For structure fires:
Officer and FE/Tools are generally one team, will perform forcible entry and will do searches or help with hose.

Nozzle and Nozzle b/u are another team and work the line to the fire.

The nozzleman swaps a nozzle for a can for the alarm invest (and most times we have him stow it).

I assume FE stands for "Forcible Entry". I find it ironic that it could also stand for "Irons" on the periodic table.

[ChiefKN]

I assume FE stands for "Forcible Entry". I find it ironic that it could also stand for "Irons" on the periodic table.

LOL, just made that connection! Good catch bruddah.

Yep, forcible entry. The truck does not beat the engine to the fires, so we have F/E assignments on the first due.

[ChiefKN]

This is an example of one of the riding positions, looked at the sticker posted in cab.

Module Left Seat
TOOL PERSON

Structure Fire
Rabbit Tool, Irons,
Radio, Hand Light

Vehicle Fire
Force Entry Tool,
Rescue Saw

Alarm Investigation
Radio, Pike Pole
Hand Light

MVA
Broom, Shovel &
Speedy Dry

[Catch22]

We used to have assignments, but the chiefs gave up on it because the guys took it upon themselves to adjust the assignments. When it was done right, it worked out well. when it didn't, it was a nightmare.

If I remember right, this is how ours were:

First in:
Driver-pump
Captain-attack
Firefighter-attack
Firefighter-RIT

Second in:
Driver-assist with connections
Captain-command (if BC not on scene) or accountability
Firefighter-Fill in RIT
Firefighter-water supply, then control utilities

Subsequent apparatus filled in as necessary. Usually assigned to ventilation, search, etc.

We're a smaller city department, five stations with 2 engines, 3 quints, all with 4-man staffing. Four apparatus respond to all structure fires.

[ChiefKN]

We used to have assignments, but the chiefs gave up on it because the guys took it upon themselves to adjust the assignments. When it was done right, it worked out well. when it didn't, it was a nightmare.

It's really a fallback in the vacuum of having no orders given.

I can tell you that our first out is out the doors pretty quick, so there are times they arrive on the bumper of the first due chief. Until the chief can size up and give orders it gives the crew an initial order to get them started.

In the case of MVAs and alarm invests it saves the moaning about doing this or that and the oh, you wanted me? to bring in the TIC?

[RescueMan32]

Our department, a combination dept., uses assigned seats. Its the only way we can know what we are going to be doing without having to reinvent the wheel every time we get in a truck.

Its a great idea: Generally, we have 4 different assignments for each seat. Seat 1 - driver
Seat 2 - Officer (brings TIC, IC, Size up)
Seat 3 - Fire (nob man); Truck work (Search/Extinguishment/ Can and hook); Rescue (tools)
Seat 4- Fire (2nd on line); Truck work (forcible entry/set of irons); Rescue (Cribbing/stablization)
Seat 5- Fire (bank up on line); Truck work (set of irons)

Etc.

[FFENGINE51]

I have a Lt that refuses to let anyone drive the truck but him. There are several persons that can do the job. He just wants to drive all the time. What can I do to get this person to see the light and move over and ride right seat like he supposed to.