Nighttime Crews Improve Response (Long Island, NY)

[x635 4,066]

Interesting.

Nighttime Crews Improve Response in N.Y.

Posted: 05-07-2009

STACEY ALTHERR

Newsday, Melville, N.Y.

A Deer Park kitchen fire was put out before it spread Wednesday after a speedy response from the local fire department, which now staffs its firehouse overnight, officials said.

The Deer Park Fire Department requires volunteers to sleep at the firehouse once a week. That means a full six-person crew is at the firehouse each night and can respond to calls faster than if they were home. Longtime volunteers do not have to stay over. A fire official said a full crew is on duty 95 percent of the nights.

http://cms.firehouse.com/content/article/a...46&id=63727

[FFPCogs 863]

I have long been an advocate of duty crews at volunteer firehouses. In this case it would appear that the validity of the concept was borne out by the decrease in response time to this particular incident. I have for many years put forth the idea of initiating guaranteed minimum volunteer staffing, with mixed results. This article to me is just another point tipping the scale to the positive aspects of the concept.

While response times are of primary importance another factor (especially in these times of decreased volunteerism due to time constaints) is that duty crews allow members to schedule their lives around the times when they are "on duty" while still maintaining a minimum of participation. Here too duty crews help to distribute the participation or "work" equally amonst the membership while giving those who want to be more active the opportunity to remain so.

There are those who believe that duty crews or minimum staffing takes away from or negates the term volunteer because it sets limits on participation. I do not, the same drive that brought someone in the door in the first place is still there, only the amount of time required may be different. At the very least as shown in the article from a public safety standpoint minimally staffed firehouses will always provide the public with a higher degree of safety, especially during the night time hours when they sleep. And with volunteers doing the staffing the cost savings to the community is well worth the effort. I could go on and on extolling the virtues of guaranteed volunteer staffing, but in a nutshell I believe that in 2009 the idea is one whose times has come. Hopefully other departments will follow suit, much to the benefit of their communities.

Cogs

Edited May 10, 2009 by FFPCogs

[FFPCogs 863]

Sure is lonely in here....that's ok I'm used to it....... .

[Bnechis 3,961]

Note: 2003 data from DPFD's web site (last update):

DPFD covers 4.5 sq miles out of 1 station (a 2nd building houses additional equipment) with 120 volunteers (plus daytime paid EMS) they respond to 600 calls/year 70% EMS (420 EMS calls & 180 "fire" calls).

If they still have 120 volunteers asking for 6 to be onduty each night is not asking a lot, if everyone did a shift that would be 1 shift every 20 days or 18 shifts per year. If the shifts are 12 hours long, each member would average 5 fire calls per year.

THis does not sound like a big committment.

[SageVigiles 1,194]

Allingtown Volunteers in West Haven will have nighttime staffing with UNH students next year. Students living in the station.

[Guest]

I'm also think that duty crews with in station requirements are the best solution for stations that can support it with call volume. It is unreasonable to ask a dept that runs, say, 100 calls a year to do this, but if the response is lacking, or you run enough calls, this is definitely how it should be done. Not only does it reduce response times, but when everyone is at the firehouse waiting for a call, I think you're in a more focused attitude than if you're mowing the lawn and your pager goes off. There are plenty of volunteer departments around the DC area that don't have home response at all. If you aren't in the station, you aren't getting on the apparatus. And for all those volunteers who have the war cry that we can do it as good or better than a professional dept, but say that staffing the station like career staff do is too much of a commitment, they might want to rethink their priorities.

[TL2L31 8]

My company has a rotating Duty Driver. He is responsible to get the rig out the door from 11pm until 7am whether he stays at the house or responds from home. We do this because alot of guys live very close to the house. They guys that dont can get the rig out the door fast and dont have to wait for a full crew. Since we have a large volly base, the rest of the men can respond directly to the scene. I personally have driven to a job and by the time I parked and set up the rig, I had a full crew. This system doesnt work for everyone, but it works good for us.

[spin_the_wheel 460]

Many "Volunteer" dept.s have in house stamdbys. Not so much in our areas, Westchester, Rockland, Nassau, Suffolk Ect... I have always said instead of crying for a paid system try this system instead, before you go the paid route. Most dept's I would say have a system now where you need to make a certain % of the calls for a year. If someone works a steady 8-4 job weekdays and is out of the house at 6am and comes home at 6pm he can't afford to blow off a call at 11pm.

Most dept's would agree the bulk of the alarms are during the day. It's very hard to maintain a %, your family and job. So why not change the % a year you need to make to hours. That same guy may be able to give you a 6 or 12 hour shift on the weekend each month, and maybe some hours during the week. Give credit to the hours not the calls. He could hang around the firehouse on a Friday from 7pm till 1 am for a month and not get any alarms in the old % system, and get no credit at all for his time. But this is what he can give you, meanwhile Thursday nights for the same month there were 6 alarms that he was not available for, other people who happen to be off are getting credit. I know it's a crap shoot but if you base it on hours instead of call #'s your getting credit for your time. There are other methods to explore.

[FFPCogs 863]

Now we're cooking with gas...

I definitely think that if a department uses some type of percentage or point system then shifts should be considered completion of one unit of the system. One idea that has been batted around between a few of us at my "house" would be to give points for the shift as well as a point for each call within the shift.

I think that we will see the idea of volunteer "shifts" in some form grow as time goes on. Since all departments suffer from the 80/20 rule and numbers of members has steadily decreased over the years, it will be the only way to ensure coverage without burning out that 20%. To me this is a no brainer and while I fully understand that not everyone sees things as I do, public safety should always come first. What better way to keep volunteers while ensuring the public welfare than having people in place ready to go immediately?

Cogs

Edited May 11, 2009 by FFPCogs

[FFPCogs 863]

I'm also think that duty crews with in station requirements are the best solution for stations that can support it with call volume. It is unreasonable to ask a dept that runs, say, 100 calls a year to do this, but if the response is lacking, or you run enough calls, this is definitely how it should be done. Not only does it reduce response times, but when everyone is at the firehouse waiting for a call, I think you're in a more focused attitude than if you're mowing the lawn and your pager goes off. There are plenty of volunteer departments around the DC area that don't have home response at all. If you aren't in the station, you aren't getting on the apparatus.

Good post. I would put the minimum at 350 calls a year or on average one a day. Yes there would be many quiet "shifts", but the down time could be used for training, not to mention building comraderie and cohesion among the membership. A second family so to speak.

And for all those volunteers who have the war cry that we can do it as good or better than a professional dept, but say that staffing the station like career staff do is too much of a commitment, they might want to rethink their priorities.

Couldn't agree more!!!

To me much of this lack of commitment stems from the societal attitude which now seems to place ME above WE. Some it seems have forgotten that their firehouses are not there for their personal reasons alone, but in fact are there for the public we serve above all else. When we in the fire service forget that and allow this ME first attitude to take root and flourish, everybody loses

Cogs

Edited May 11, 2009 by FFPCogs

[gamewell45 258]

I think this has been a long time in coming; its all part of the volunteer fire service evolving to remain viable in many urban and suburban settings. There's no doubt that it will have a positive effect on response times and perhaps training as well. I know that other volunteer fire departments are seriously considering adopting similar programs that are in place around the country. Either way it will be interesting to see what the volunteer fire service looks like in 10 years from now.

[moggie6 54]

I hope that the crew gets utilized by neighboring fire districts as well. This is NYS so I see the ole this is my sand box routine coming down the line. As an example if 5 fire depts did this and responded to each others calls you would have a better end product on the inital alarm. Immediate response and man power.

[298 0]

Yes this was a good solution to Deer Parks night time response time issues. My question is if you can't get an acceptable from home response at night, how bad is their day time response???

[helicopper 1,050]

I think this has been a long time in coming; its all part of the volunteer fire service evolving to remain viable in many urban and suburban settings. There's no doubt that it will have a positive effect on response times and perhaps training as well. I know that other volunteer fire departments are seriously considering adopting similar programs that are in place around the country. Either way it will be interesting to see what the volunteer fire service looks like in 10 years from now.

Very true! I think the concept is great and there is no down side to "rostering crews" in volunteer agencies. Reduces response times, reduces the numbers of people who have to respond to an initial alarm, and promotes team and crew building.

This may be just the thing that volunteer agencies need to bolster their viability.

[aacofd40 6]

How about expanding/modifying this for the departments that don't run much. Having a "regional" duty night. As an example, Hastings, Dobbs Ferry, Ardsley, and Irvington take 1 night for a duty crew and they get dispatched with the first due village.

[FFPCogs 863]

There is much good information and ideas here. I believe it was/is Port Chester which had the duty engine concept in place for the town. Basically each engine company is assigned as duty engine for a month (I think). They respond to all calls, and the responsibility as duty engine rotates through each house. I don't believe it was a staffed rig though.

Stamford's Big 5 attempted a similar concept some years ago calling it a squad. It was supposed to be staffed by volunteers and respond to all calls in the VFD districts at night, but I do believe problems arose and the idea died away.

With any staffing concept there is one element that must be in place or it will surely fail, and that is the willingness of the memberships to make it happen. Without active participation by as many members as possible in the intial stages (until a mandatory requirement can be phased in), volunteer staffing is doomed to failure. It is good to see that the program has been a success in Deer Park as well as in numerous other jurisdictions around the nation. As with most any "new" idea every success only adds to the validity of the concept and proves that it can and does work. Success also makes it harder and harder for the naysayers to hold off the inevitable. This concept IS the future, and the future is now!!

Cogs

[firefighter36 52]

Something similar is happening in upstate NY. I think we have talked about it before, but here is the link for those who may have missed it.

http://www.endicottfire.com/engine98.html

[EFFD4091-MLSS emt 13]

Def a great idea to help keep the volunteerism goin I.M.O. Not only night but day would/does greatly from this. There has been many posts above that point y this is a good idea. But we are preachin to the choir... you still get those who have the "I am a volunteer you cant make me do that" "attitude"... I wish Vol EMS would do it that way for a rig that they "roster/staff" instead of third dispatch for the rig. The only reason they don't IMO is that "attitude"