Why does the Fire engine and the Rescue unit respond together on calls?
The BCFD has six firefighters on a crew, two on the engine and two on each of the two rescue units. The majority of our calls take the manpower of more than two crew members. For instance, on a structure fire, we might need two firefighters to go into the burning structure to look for victims and two more firefighters dedicated to putting out the fire with a hose line. The remaining two personnel – the captain and engineer – are needed to stay outside to direct and pump water from the engine into the structure. On an emergency medical call, such as a cardiac arrest, we perform several jobs at once – chest compressions for CPR, rescue breathes, placement of a breathing tube into the lungs, starting an IV to administer cardiac medications, control the heart monitor and administer shocks, if needed, and finally, prepare the backboard and gurney for transporting the patient to the hospital.
Related Questions
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- Why does the Fire engine and the Rescue unit respond together on calls?
