I believe in the fire service. I believe it is not only a noble calling, but a worthwhile one. So deep seated is this belief that I want to share what firefighters actually do with anyone who will listen. Yeah, I know, “They put water on the fire, right?” Yup, we do. But, I’m not going to blow smoke and say every shift on the engine is just like the TV show Chicago Fire. That’s just Hollywood. I do find it humorous that most people I encounter today are under the impression that modern firefighters are still doing the same job as firefighters did in the 50’s. Undoubtedly, that is our heritage. We hail from an era when most firefighters had few other duties than to put the wet stuff on the red stuff. What changed? We landed on the moon for starters. For better or worse, nearly every aspect of American life has been transformed by technology. While life today loosely resembles that of 1950, to say it is the same would be more than a stretch. From my grandmother’s time to mine is even more staggering. She rode with her dad in a horse and buggy to pick up the newspaper so she could read about the sinking of the Titanic. Today, I can sit in my underwear and see live news feeds from all over the world. As American life has drastically evolved, the fire service has tried it’s best to rise to the occasion to meet the new challenges. Every municipality is different, but here is just a peek at what your local department is capable of: • The largest volume of our calls comes from life threatening medical emergencies. We are first-responders. I’ve heard it said at least a few dozen times, “We don’t need a fire truck! We need an ambulance!” Fire stations in Decatur are strategically located, and odds are, we are only just a couple of minutes away from any given situation. Our trucks are staffed with highly trained paramedics who deliver advanced life support directly to your doorstep. Medicine and procedures that were once only available in the ER, now belong to one of the few professional services that still make house calls. • Heavy Rescue 52, made up entirely of Decatur Firefighters, is one of the FEMA Urban Search and Rescue teams. Our members are trained and equipped to mitigate almost any rescue scenario imaginable: collapsed structures, trench cave-ins, water rescue, extrication from automobiles or machinery, confined spaces, high angle rope rescue, and just about anything else. We are available right here at home. We also deploy regionally to all manner of natural disasters including tornadoes, hurricanes, and flooding. Our training and equipment has been provided at no additional cost to the local taxpayer through federal funding. • Fresh on our minds is the potential for a hazardous materials release into the environment. Guess who is the first called? Your local fire department. Our Haz-Mat team covers multiple counties and is ready to moderate chemical releases and prevent potential threats to public safety. • Yes, we still put out fires, rescue those in danger, and protect property. However, fire behavior has changed drastically over the last half century. Construction that used to be made up primarily of wood and cotton is now built with hydrocarbon rich materials that produce large quantities of heat and toxic gases. The time from ignition to flashover, which is the involvement of all flammable materials, has dropped from the 20-minute range to as little as 2-4 minutes in some instances. “They don’t build ‘em like they used to,” rings true with modern lightweight trusses as well, which are prone to collapse with little or no warning when exposed to heat and flames. The frequency of structure fires may have decreased, but the risk level of each incident has risen dramatically. With the increased demand for emergency response, the challenges and evolving needs of our communities has raised the responsibility of the fire department to be ready for an infinite variety of calls. Oh yeah, we occasionally will still get a cat out of a tree…. (Stay tuned for part 2: A day in the life.)
Posted on: Wed, 07 Jan 2015 06:28:28 +0000
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