For First Time, Additional Apparatus Automatically Dispatched to NC House Fire
When Wake County firefighters respond into unincorporated areas and ones without hydrants, additional tankers and engines are automatically dispatched.
On Monday night, a single fire department wasn't dispatched to handle a house fire where a couple perished. Additional units were dispatched to help thanks to a new policy passed last summer, WRAL reported.
"Multiple Raleigh stations were dispatched, along with tanker trucks from the county and an engine company from Wake New Hope," said Darrell Alford, Wake County Director of Fire and Emergency Services.
The rapid response was needed, as the closest hydrant in the neighborhood was 400 feet away, he explained.
George and Diana Rizk died in the fire, which remains under investigation.
County officials have approved zoning permits in areas where there are no hydrants, Alford said adding that his office reviews roads to make sure they are wide enough for engines to pass in opposite directions.
