I’d accept these for sure if it didn’t take resources away from firefighting: for example, if the city ADDED a specialized “engine” that was equipped with 2-4 drones and these guys were deployed to any fire that was 3 story or higher in ADDITION to all typical units.
Great. Always nice to have more tools in the tool belt, I just don’t see this replacing a normal compliment.
I don't think these are meant to replace anything but to simply be an additional tool.
I fully agree.
I mean I see no reason why these couldn't be added to all trucks.
I suppose they could be, but it would require your municipality to grow your response by one unit per apartment/highrise fire, otherwise you’d end up with one of your expected units piloting drones instead of being utilized as manpower.
but it would require your municipality to grow your response by one unit per apartment/highrise fire, otherwise you’d end up with one of your expected units piloting drones instead of being utilized as manpower.
Sorry it may be because I'm tired but I'm not sure I fully grasp what you mean.
If I’m first due and incident command, my engine guys are pump and confinement, then I have 3 more 4 person units to play with:
1 will be attack
1 will have to be RIT
1 for search or a second attack team.
If you decide to task one unit to “drones”, you will lose a manpower unit. Do you understand now? I’m not saying it can’t be done, I’m saying you need an additional team to be deployed or else you will be taking resources away from firefighting ops.
It'd probably be like an USAR truck, you simply wouldn't dispatch them unless you actually needed that vehicle.
Wouldn't make sense for smaller fires like 2-3 story residential units where only a few units show up but large high rise fires typically result in a proportionally larger response too, meaning more manpower to spare.
Either you add a new unit, with new personnel to man your new drone unit, or you take people/resources away from what is already established in order to run the drones
But wouldn't you just use this when you would have needed to up on the ladder with a hose anyway or something similar ? The drone could just in a box on top of the truck and you just open it, attach the hose and it's ready to go.
In the set up you describe, you are removing a conventional unit in order to run the drones which is what the guy was saying would be dumb, presumably because he doesn’t feel the drones should replace anything conventional, but possibly could be a good addition. But only if it’s an addition
I wouldn't necessarily say it's removing a conventional unit just altering how a specific task is done. It only takes one person to operate each drone, everything else on the truck can be the same.
It's the exact same thing in my eyes but I'm not a firefighter so I'm not gonna act like I know what I'm talking about
Every single person on an apparatus is working at a fire. If you take any of them away from their normal job to run the drone, you are making the unit not operate effectively as it normally would. Imagine a team of guys at a factory pulling levers to make the factory work, and can’t leave their stations without the factory shutting down. You are suggesting one of these guys should be given another lever to pull somewhere else in the factory
But if there's a situation where you'd be sending someone up a ladder with a hose anyway or operating the boom thing which has a hose attached what's the difference? It's the same job no ?
You just use it when it's practical and needed. The person operating it is still fighting the fire the same as if they had a hose directly in their hands ?
probably just one of those things I won't understand because I haven't done it.
The part youre missing is that when you have that person change their job, instead of doing their usual job, they now operate the drone. That messes up the 7 other guys who needed that one extra guy in order to complete their task.
You sometimes need 2 entire companies (8 men) to operate one handline inside of a highrise. If you pull one or two guys out of there to run drones, now your handline isnt advancing.
And this is an example from my department who has 4 guys per company. Most departments have 3, which means that guy being taken out to run drones makes it even harder to advance the line than in my case.
I understand what you mean but I meant in the situation where you'd be using the hose that's attached to the ladder or someone on the ladder with a hose anyway. Someone would be operating that regardless and so you wouldn't really be taking someone away from a different job because it's the same job ?
I might be confusing myself so I'm just going to accept I'm wrong lol
The person you initially responded to, as well as my own opinion is that the drone is not better enough than anything else to justify replacing it. But it could be a good addition, as long as you aren’t taking something we believe to be better away to do it
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u/FruitOrchards 13d ago
Of course, it's not going to take people's jobs but it'll definitely save lives and take some risk away from firefighters.
I only see this is a good thing all round