Reduced Call Responses

[Squad1LT]

I am helping develop a new Driver's Response Policy and was wondering what other departments do for responding to alarms. We are thinking about the following:

Code 3: emergency
Code 2: non-emergency. no lights, not exceeding speed limit, etc...



CO call: Code 2
Smell of Gas: Code 2 with Officer discretion to respond Code 3
based on caller information.
Supervisory Alarm: Still company Code 3, second company Code 2
First alarm (fires): Code 3
EMS-battery: Code 2 unless scene is secured
Car wreck with injuries: Still company Code 3, others code 2

[nmfire]

Whats the logic behind an emergency response for a supervisory alarm?

[Squad1LT]

Supervisor alarms get an emergency response because although most alarms are do to food on the stove or malfunctions every so often it is the real deal. So I think you would at least want the first company to respond hot to investigate if it is a fire or not.

[nmfire]

A supervisory alarm? Who is connecting/programming smoke and fire detection devices to a supervisory alarm circuit?

[ChiefKN]

Might want to consider a CO Call as an emergency if there are persons reported to be ill.

[MemphisE34a]

Regarding the fire alarm and the car wreck:

I am of the theory that if you are sending someone to these, your department is deeming it an emergency or at least potentially an emergency or you would not be sending anyone. Therefore send the entire assignment hot until proven otherwise.

I understand the logic of a hot and cold response, I just wouldn't mix the two. Deem it either an emergency or not and send everyone the same way.

[TexasBaptist]

The way our city works is:

ALL Fire calls are Code 3.

ALL EMS calls are Code 3.

[BoxAlarm187]

The way our city works is:

ALL Fire calls are Code 3.

ALL EMS calls are Code 3.

Even fractures, headaches, and diaper rashes?

[edge1317]

Even fractures, headaches, and diaper rashes?

How do you know that fracture hasn't severed an artery? The headache a brain bleed? The diaper rash in fact an allergic reaction in need of epi?

[BoxAlarm187]

How do you know that fracture hasn't severed an artery? The headache a brain bleed? The diaper rash in fact an allergic reaction in need of epi?

Effective EMD is a place to start.

If that's the case, why don't we send a hazmat assignment to every MVA, because the "could" be leaking fuel?

Sorry, I just don't buy the need to respond emergent to every call, fire OR EMS.

[edge1317]

Effective EMD is a place to start.

If that's the case, why don't we send a hazmat assignment to every MVA, because the "could" be leaking fuel?

Sorry, I just don't buy the need to respond emergent to every call, fire OR EMS.

Fair enough on the count of EMD. We don't have EMD here (that I know of).

But, there is no use for hazmat assignment for leaking fuel where I am we're equipped to handle these things, I don't know if that's common elsewhere.

I feel whenever we get toned out it is an emergency, therefore we should respond emergency. However, that works for you and thats great and brings a little more safety to responding. I don't feel it would work for us at the moment.

[nmfire]

There are lots of things that a fire department can be sent to that are not an emergency. But we are going simply because we are the only ones equipped to handle it. A CO alarm with no symptoms is perfect example. The furnace man doesn't have multi-gas meters and PPV fans, we do. But there is no emergency situation if nobody has symptoms.

That CO alarm with no symptoms is the only fire call type that is SOP non-emergency response and is dispatched as a non-emergency response. All other calls are defaulted to emergency until the common sense and discretion of an officer on the air says "continue non-emergency". Credible reports of an alarm being accidental for example would probably result in an officer downgrading the response.

[DrewOnFire]

Hey Loo,

We run a Hot, Warm, Cold response system. Hot- everyone code 3, Warm- First in unit is code 3, rest are code 1, and Cold- everyone code 1.

Seems to work pretty well, we have an SOP and response matrix that details it. Of course everything is up to officer discretion about how he wants to handle the call.

I'll attach or send you the SOP in file format tomorrow when I'm at work.

[DrewOnFire]

Here is our three tier response SOP.

Hope it helps as a version of what someone has in writting. Good luck with what you choose to do.

2401 - Three Tier Response Policy.doc

[rfdmn09]

The dept I was on in Ct (I left in 01) was a cpmbination dept. We responded how dispatch told us on medicals. A headache we may not have been toned out for the FD. It very likely would have been an "ambulance only" call. The ambulance service was run by service which had "duty crews" during the day and at night would page for volunteers. If the ambulance was delayed we may get toned for a "cold response". Chest pains would be FD, ambulance, and medic on a "hot response". Fire alarms, crashes, and such normally were "Hot" unless we received consecutive trips. Gas spills, bomb threats, and investigations were toned out per duty cpatains orders.

The dept I belong to in Mn goes "Hot" to all medicals, crashes, co alarms, and on fire alarms our 1st out (quint) goes "Hot". The rest either remain in quarters or respond "Cold" until an update is received. We are a small dept with 350 responses per year. We protect a city of about 3500 and have 2 contracts; one strictly rural and the other is a combination of rural and suburban. We have 4 traffic lights to deal with and all 4 have opticoms which definately makes it safer for the public as well as apparatus responding.

Good luck with your SOP/G's!!

[fyrmnk]

I am helping develop a new Driver's Response Policy and was wondering what other departments do for responding to alarms. We are thinking about the following:

Code 3: emergency
Code 2: non-emergency. no lights, not exceeding speed limit, etc...



CO call: Code 2
Smell of Gas: Code 2 with Officer discretion to respond Code 3
based on caller information.
Supervisory Alarm: Still company Code 3, second company Code 2
First alarm (fires): Code 3
EMS-battery: Code 2 unless scene is secured
Car wreck with injuries: Still company Code 3, others code 2

We're backwards (of course), but we use Code 1 for emergency and Code 3 for non-emergency (just had to be opposite then the LEOs for some reason). Code 2 for us is closest unit emergency, other(s) non-emergency.

Anyway, EMD is used by our dispatch and they advise a code type for the call on medicals. On fire calls, department policy and officer discretion is used for the response type but here are some of our common ones:

Regular alarms (structure fires): All units emergency
Modified responses (for us any call that requires between a still and a full alarm assignment, units assigned vary by call type): All units emergency
Still alarms (single unit): Based on call type

CO- no one ill: Still/Non-emergency
CO- with ill- Modified
Gas odor or leak inside- Modified
Gas leak outside- Still/Emergency
Gas odor investigation outside- Still/Non-emergency
Special operations (hazmat and rescue) calls- Modified
Automatic alarm- Still/Non-emergency (soon to change on some target hazards)
Automatic water flow- Still/Emergency
Extrication- Modified
Investigations- Still/Most non-emergency, company officer discretion

Regardless of our response mode, we still run our opticom on all runs.

It boils down to whatever works for your particular jurisdiction, distance to travel, manpower, etc. in my opinion.