Initial Water Supply - First or Second Due?

From one of our Fire and EMS blogs, First Due Questions with an initial water supply discussion

“You are responding to a confirmed working fire, do you lay in always or let your second due engine bring you water?"

"Is your decision based on your staffing?”

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Permalink Reply by 1ahi8vnog74zn on March 28, 2014 at 7:17pm

This depends on Two things:

1) Trapped occupants

2) How close behind the second engine is.

My Dept philosophy is: Trapped occupants means water supply comes second. How close the second engine is may not be the best thing to take into consideration, but, we use it. Our city will often ask second due to pull supply lines.

The other side of the coin on the closeness of the second Engine is what if the second Engine is involved in a TA? Then, your in trouble.

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Permalink Reply by Jeff Betz on April 2, 2014 at 9:34pm

We are a fully hydrant area, and we accomplish it with our first due. We have limited staffing, and our 2nd due is too long coming in to help and many times we would be dry before they could lay in for us. I think timing and staffing makes the decision pretty easy, at least for us.