Analysis of Special Service Unit staffing and deployment Essays

Analysis of Special Service Unit staffing and deployment Essays Analysis of Special Service Unit staffing and deployment Essay Analysis of Special Service Unit staffing and deployment Essay Particular Service Unit Staffing and Deployment Abstraction The City of Alexandria, Virginia is located South of Washington D.C. , and is bordered by Arlington County Virginia to the North, Fairfax County Virginia to the South and West and the Potomac River and Prince George’s County Maryland to the E. The City of Alexandria Fire Department presently deploys from nine fire Stationss within 15.4 square stat mis and serves a population of 148, 892. ( census.gov ) The City of Alexandria operates nine fire stations ( a ten percent is under building ) . The Alexandria Fire Department works within the Fire Departments of Northern Virginia Standard Operating Procedures. In these operating processs, fire deployments require engine companies, ladder companies, deliverance companies, medic units and bid vehicles. In 2013, the eight engine companies, six medic units, three ladder trucks, heavy deliverance and haz-mat unit ran a sum of 32,190 calls for service. ( Gore, 2014 ) For the intents of warranting the statistics and hypothesis of this paper, in the first six months of 2014, the three ladder trucks ran a sum of 2357 calls for service with Truck 204 running 784, Truck 208 running 887 and Tower Ladder 203 running a sum of 486. The Rescue Company ran a sum of 310 calls for service. The intent of this paper is to warrant the demobilisation of Tower 203 and re-deploy the forces from that company to staff the Alexandria Rescue Squad, and cut down the sum of common adjutant Rescue Company response into the City. History of the Rescue Company The first Fire Department in the Country to develop a Rescue Company was the Fire Department of New York. Rescue 1 was placed in service on March 6, 1915, after General Order 10, dated January 18, 1915 by Fire Commissioner Adamson announced the pending formation of a squad, equipped with take a breathing setup and trained to manage unusual conditions such as smoky metro fires. ( Hashagen, 1989 ) Rescue Company 1 was formed after two serious incidents in New York City: the first being a fire at the Equitable Building where firemans worked madly to let go of the president of the Mercantile Safe Deposit Company and another adult male that were trapped behind two-inch steel bars that were protecting the bank windows. This deliverance required one hr and 15 proceedingss for firemans to cut through the bars with hack saw. The 2nd incident which prompted the F.D.N.Y. to develop Rescue 1 occurred on January 8, 1915, when a auto of a metro train caught fire between 50Thursdayand 59ThursdayStr eets. Approximately seven hundred people were either partly or wholly overcome by dense fume and exhausts, with two hundred necessitating to be hospitalized. The deliverance work by firemans was delayed due to the inability of firemans to run for any length of clip in the fume filled atmosphere of the metro. Although other fire sections across the state had squads , which were used as either extra work force or first assistance crews, F.D.N.Y. Rescue 1 was the first heavy rescue company in the United States. History of the Rescue Company in Alexandria The construct of a Rescue Company was non something new in the Alexandria Fire Department. The original squads were utilized for particular assignments such as first assistance, scene lighting and extra work force. The squad did non supply any heavy deliverance capablenesss. In 1987, Captain Terrance Kisner of Engine Company 54 developed a proposal of get downing a heavy deliverance company in the City. Prior to that clip, any vehicle unsnarling calls that were received in the City were handled by either Engine 54, that was located near the George Washington memorial Parkway, Engine 57, which had entree to the inner and outer cringle of the Capital Beltway, between the Fairfax County line and the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and Engine 58, which had entree to Interstate 395 between the Fairfax County Line and Arlington County. Captain Kisner’s proposal suggested that a deliverance company be developed to non merely manage vehicle unsnarling, but include the subjects of rope deliveran ce, trench and confined infinite deliverance and structural prostration. Several members of the Department enrolled in the Virginia Department of Fire Programs, Technical Rescue Training Program to have the necessary preparation and accomplishments development to be able to work as members of the squad. In 1988, Deputy Fire Chief Jack Roach approved the proposal to develop both a Technical Rescue Team and a company with multiple deliverance subjects. It was decided to non buy a separate heavy deliverance vehicle in 1988, but to put equipment on an engine company, and giving the company the appellation of Rescue Engine 56, seeing that the company would be re-located from Station 54 on First Street in Alexandria, to Station 56, located on Seminary Road. This fire station provided speedy entree to Interstate 395, Interstate 495 and the full City. Rescue Engine 56, so Rescue Engine 206, when the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments changed the wireless enumeration system respo nded to many deliverance calls within the City bounds, along with supplying common adjutant response to the Pentagon on September 11, 2001 and the Laplata, Maryland twister in 2002. After the Attack on the Pentagon in 2001, the United States Government, and the Department of Homeland Security began to pay out grant money through the Urban Area Security Initiative ( Office, 2004 ) Through this grant plan, the City of Alexandria purchased two vehicles ; a Tower Ladder that was placed at Station 203, located at 2801 Cameron Mills Road and a heavy deliverance vehicle, that would be housed at Station 206, on Seminary Road. This purchase was approved by the Alexandria City Council at the petition of so Fire Chief Thomas Hawkins. At the clip of the purchase, Alexandria Fire Administration did non do programs to add extra staffing, but alternatively, decided to utilize the Rescue as a individual pull, name type determined which unit should travel on the call. A Similar Dilemma In 1993 Edward Plaugher was appointed as the Fire Chief in Arlington County, Virginia, after the surrender of Fire Chief Thomas Hawkins. Chief Plaugher retired from Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department and was familiar with the construct of Rescue Companies. Fairfax County was the one of the legal powers that maintained staffed Rescue Companies in the Northern Virginia country. At that clip, Arlington County maintained staffing for 10 engine companies and four ladder truck companies. Extrication equipment was carried on the ladder trucks and there was non a designated deliverance company. ( Insley, 2014 ) Chief Plaugher saw a demand to increase particular service bringing to the citizens of Arlington County. It was decided by the fire disposal in Arlington County to add two Rescue Squads to their fleet. The initial Rescue companies were assigned to Station 104on the north side of the county and Rescue 109 to the south side of the county. ( Gray, 2006 ) The Rescue’s went i nto service in January 1997, and were used in a single pull position. At that clip, both Station 104 and 109 housed a ladder truck and a deliverance that was staffed by a individual crew, with the call type finding which setup to take to the incident. Both Stationss besides had an engine company assigned. Later that twelvemonth, Engine 104 and Engine 109 along with Truck 104 and Truck 109 were placed into modesty position and quints were purchased, altering the setup constellation to eight engine companies, two five companies, two deliverance companies and two ladder/tower companies. The five companies were staffed with six forces and when dispatched on fire calls, were used chiefly as engine companies ; nevertheless, the driver/operator of the deliverance company would work in concurrence with the five company if there was a demand to utilize the aerial ladder. ( Barksdale, 2014 ) After utilizing this theoretical account for several old ages, the fives were placed out of service. Arlington County Fire Administration under the way of Fire Chief James Schwartz went back to running nine engine companies, three ladder/tower companies, and two deliverance companies. Station 104 is the lone fire station in the County that does non hold an engine assigned. Station 104 now houses a deliverance and ladder truck. Engine company responsibilities are conducted through a common response understanding with Fort Meyer. ( Insley, 2014 ) Alexandria Rescue 206 During the building of Rescue 206 in 2002, Fire Chief Thomas Hawkins did non bespeak extra forces from City decision makers, to let for full clip staffing of the Rescue. It was decided to run the Rescue as a single pull from Firehouse 206. Between 2002 and the present, the Northern Virginia Fire Chief’s ( NOVA Chief’s ) came to the determination that all of the legal powers that work under the Northern Virginia Mutual Aid Agreement, should hold Standard Operating Procedure , that all of the take parting legal powers should run under. The NOVA Chief’s developed a group of forces from all of the legal powers to develop these manuals. Standard Operating Procedures have been developed for High Rise Operations, Garden Apartments, Single Family Dwellings, Strip Mall Shopping Centers and Townhomes, and Rapid Intervention Team Operations. ( Group ) These Standard Operating Procedures have specific assignments for the first through 4th due engine companies, the first and 2nd due ladder/tower companies, foremost and 2nd due Battalion Chiefs and the Rescue Companies. Rescue 206 is dispatched on several zone boxes within the City of Alexandria, but merely when the staffing is in the fire station and Engine 206 is note on the tally card. The Rescue assignments are filled by common assistance deliverance companies from Fairfax County and Arlington County. Fairfax County does non even acknowledge Rescue 206, seeing that it is non for good staffed. ( Fair, 2014 ) Rescue 206 is systematically dispatched on vehicle accidents within the first due district of Engine 206, along with vehicle accidents on Interstate 395. Dispatch processs have been late updated to include two deliverance companies on vehicle unsnarlings within the City. Rescue 206 is besides dispatched on all proficient deliverance calls within the City. Listed below are the unit call burden comparings for the Rescue Companies that respond into the City of Alexandria. ( Department, 2014 ) This will include ; Rescue 206, Rescue 104 and Rescue 109 from Arlington County, Rescue 411, Rescue 426, and Rescue 418 all from Fairfax County. This study includes financial twelvemonth 2013 and 2014. Rescue 206 Staffing Plan Proposal The Alexandria Fire Department has gone through the term of office of four Fire Chief’s that did non do staffing Rescue 206 a precedence. Knowing that for the financial budget twelvemonth 2015, the City of Alexandria eliminated 10 full clip places within the fire section. This staffing was to staff firehouse 210, which is presently under building. With the possibility of having 12 extra full clip employee places, in add-on to the 10 needed to staff the new fire station, excess staffing to staff the deliverance squad could be a tongueless point. However, the deliverance could be staffed on a lasting footing by de-commissioning Tower 203. Justification for De-Commissioning Tower 203 Listed below are grounds to de-commission Tower 203, and travel the forces to staff Rescue 206: Firehouse 203 is slated to be remodeled in financial twelvemonth 2016. The programs are to pulverize the fire station, change the footmark of the fire station and travel the tower ladder from the fire station after completion and puting a medic unit in its topographic point. The current tower ladder that is assigned to Firehouse 203, ( 2003 American LaFrance ) has been out of service for about six months, and the crew is presently staffing the City’s merely reserve ladder truck. A new tower ladder has been purchased, and has non been placed in service, and will non be until the company members receive developing on the operation of the new tower. Besides, the design of the new tower ladder does non let it to suit in Firehouse 203 due to its overall tallness and length. With the re-building of Firehouse 203, the current program is to relocate the new tower ladder to Firehouse 209, located at 2800 Main Line Boulevard. This would take a particular service unit from the north terminal of the City and doing delayed response times into that service country. With the resettlement of the tower ladder to Firehouse 209, the Jefferson Davis Highway corridor of the City, there would be an over copiousness of ladder trucks/tower ladders in a 2.5 mile line of Alexandria/Arlington. This resettlement would go forth the northwest corner dependent upon a common assistance ladder truck from Fairfax County to cover that district, conveying a longer response clip. With the Replacement for Tower 203 already being purchased, relocate the new tower ladder to Station 208 and put the tractor drawn forward pass that is presently in service into modesty position, to let the Department to hold a quality ladder truck in the modesty fleet. Benefits of Staffing Rescue 206 As stated earlier, Rescue 206 is staffed by the four individual crew of Engine 206, and is dispatched when on vehicle unsnarlings and a minimum sum of structural fire calls in the City. In the event of a proficient deliverance incident in the City, the current Technical Rescue Team despatch matrix is to despatch Rescue 206 and Truck 208. Listed below are several justifications on staffing Rescue 206 with full clip employees. The logical thinking below would ask the resettlement of Rescue 206, to Firehouse 203: Remove the staffing from Tower 203, and reassign this staffing to Firehouse 208 to staff Truck 208. This would let in maintain an experient truck crew in the fire station. Transfer the staffing from Engine 203 to staff Engine 206. Transfer the staffing from Truck 208 to Engine 203, doing an exclusion to the Department pattern of puting a captain in charge of an engine company, and using the lieutenant from Truck 208 to oversee the engine crew. This would function several intents. The crew of Engine 203 would now be the auxiliary crew for Rescue 206. All Technical Rescue Team forces would be in the same fire station to ease particular service preparation. This program would besides let for easy movable staffing when members or officers of the Rescue Company would be on leave. This program will besides let for sequence planning in the Tech Rescue Team, in the event of the Tech Rescue Captain being promoted to a higher rank, retire, or having another assignment. Puting the full clip staffed Rescue Company in Station 203 would supply a particular service unit in the northern subdivision of the City. The undertakings assigned to the Rescue Company and the Ladder/Tower Company are similar on construction fires. ( i.e. , hunt, deliverance, airing, public-service corporation suspension ) The lone actions different would be the loss of the aerial ladder. The ladder trucks/tower ladders that would supply service to the first due response country of Tower 203 would be handled by Alexandria Truck 204, Arlington County Truck 105 or Fairfax County Truck 410. Permanent staffing of Rescue 206 would supply the citizens of Alexandria deliverance capablenesss for vehicle entrapment with a faster response clip, alternatively of trusting on a deliverance company from Fairfax or Arlington County. Alexandria would be able to supply like service to common assistance spouses by holding a full clip staffed rescue company. ( capablenesss to carry through a deliverance response as listed in the NOVA Standard Operating Procedures ) Let for more Technical Rescue Team preparation by holding all Tech Rescue Team members assigned to the same fire station, heightening service bringings. A caution to this program as listed above is that the program would besides be practical go forthing the Rescue at Firehouse 206, seeing that the response to the district left unfastened by Tower 203 could be covered by Rescue 206, with merely a minimum hold due to a slightly larger response distance. Access from Seminary Road allows quicker entree to the major metropolis running paths than reacting out of the vicinity of Firehouse 203. By traveling the Rescue to Firehouse 203, it provides the capableness of keeping a composure in the response country of Firehouse 203 for removing/de-commissioning the tower ladder company. See maps below: * Note that the larger figure of calls for service occur in the response district of Firehouse 206. ( Cross, 2009 ) Plants Cited: Barksdale, B. ( 2014, July 8 ) . Assistant Fire Chief. ( D. Bogozi, Interviewer ) census.gov.( n.d. ) . Retrieved from United State Census Bureau: www.census.gov Cross, M. ( 2009 ) . Battalion Chief.Rescue 206 Response Maps. Alexandria, Virginia, United States. Department, C. O. ( 2014 ) .Unit Call Load Comparison.Alexandria. Fair, G. L. ( 2014, July 11 ) . Fire Captain/DEC Liason. ( D. Bogozi, Interviewer ) Gore, S. ( 2014, March ) .The Responder.Retrieved from www.alexandriava.gov: www.alexandriava.gov/uploaded/Files/fire/info/TheResponderSpring2014 Gray, R. ( 2006 ) . Rescue 104 and Rescue 109.Arlington Fire Journal, 6. Group, N. V. ( n.d. ) .Northern Virginia Regional Commission. Retrieved from www.nvrc.org: www.novaregion.org Hashagen, P. ( 1989 ) .FIRE RESCUE The History of F.D.N.Y. Rescue Company 1.Staten Island, New York: Fire Apparatus Journal Publications. Insley, D. ( 2014, July 7 ) . Deputy Fire Chief, Support Services. ( D. Bogozi, Interviewer ) Office, G. A. ( 2004 ) .Management of First Responders Grants in the National Capital Region Reflects the Need for Coordinated Planning and Performance Goals.Washington, District of Columbia: United States Government.