Why do so many fire trucks respond to a simple incident?
Fire Department units are dispatched according to information received by the 9-1-1 operator. The Lincoln Parish Fire District #1 thinks pessimistically when they respond to citizens in need of help. In other words, the firefighters are prepared to deal with the worst that could happen. They are fast, well-trained and pleasant in their response. The fire department’s philosophy is to get our firefighters and equipment there as soon as possible. An ambulance may be dispatched as well in preparation for the worse case scenario. Once the first units are on the scene and have sized up the situation, additional responding firefighters and fire trucks may be turned around if they are not needed. We would always rather have too much equipment and manpower than not enough. There may be three or more fire department vehicles on the scene for what appears to be a “simple” incident. However, in emergency services we have learned that if we assume something is “simple,” we can be horribly mistaken
