r/Firefighting • u/The_Road_is_Calling NH FF • Nov 25 '24

News Ohio fire department confronted about response to double fatal fire

https://chroniclet.com/news/411559/wakeman-fire-board-meeting-ends-in-shouting-match-over-fatal-fire/
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u/dwil22 Nov 25 '24

What am I missing. A volunteer department got there in 3 minutes and 30 seconds? That seems like a very appropriately timed response.

18

u/timmy6591 Nov 25 '24

Without further information I'd guess it wasn't the response time. It would be that there weren't two "interior certified" firefighters on the initial response, so there was a delay in firefighters entering the building so as not to violate the "two in, two out" rule. If that is indeed the case this is another perfect example of the ineffectiveness of volunteer departments. Not a knock about the people who volunteer, it's just a system that isn't effective. Yes, a fast response time is critical. But just as important is having the required personnel all there on that initial response... and not trickling in after the fact in their private vehicles. Had a very similar incident locally where a child died because one volunteer member got the pumper to the scene with a good response time without anyone else arriving with him.

4

u/BnaditCorps Nov 25 '24

I would argue the issue isn't with volunteer departments the issue is with departments (and the county/state allowing it) having interior and exterior firefighter ratings. If you're going to call someone a firefighter they need to be able to do the entire job. 

I don't have an issue if you have a water tender operator who is not interior certified because that's not their job, however anybody responding on a engine, rescue, or ladder truck should be, by definition, interior qualified because that is their job.

1

u/Double_Blacksmith662 Nov 26 '24

This is the case in my Province (BC), there are interior and exterior departments, and departments declare which service level they provide. Fortunately, we are interior designated. What I struggle with is we have members that should only be doing exterior responding in the position where they should be going inside. This situation could be a win, or a nightmare for us. We show up and I get the C team, and one of them has not shaved, it forces the hand quite uncomfortably.