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The worst fire company in America
Reading Firedaily.com they had an article about Grants Pass Oregon. There are 2 "fire departments" in the county. I use quotations because calling them Fire Departments might be an insult to fire departments.
Its not about the condition of the engines, maybe late 60 early 70 vintage, or PPE a mesh mash of construction helmets, safety vest and leather gloves. Its about the actual firefighting ability. The video shows a house fire. Doesn't show how long it took to get there but there is fire from the D side with smoke throughout. they pull two lines (1 1/2) and within several minutes there is an explosion. While the video doesn't have smell-o-vision I beleive there were several messing pants. Lots of running around and an air horn blowing for maybe 2-3 minutes. I don't know if this was for evacuation or for dinner. I guess the driver beleives in the old axiom the larger the fire the louder the engine should sound (as told to me when I joined in 1978)
I'm on the record as hating Keyboard Incident Commanders because we don't know the full story. But DAMN, no leadership, poor equipment and to top it off its a private department that is contracted with various towns and home owners. This video shows one departement so I might be wrong about the other department in Grants Pass but this is the scariest video I ever saw....and that includes my first wedding video.
http://firedaily.com/2012/01/video-worst-fire-department-in-the-uni...
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Just Plain Craig Moyer on
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I want to clarify my statements. They are directed to Grant Pass RURAL fire department and not RURAL METRO fire company. Rural Metro has up to date equipment and training and has its act together while Rural is a family run business. Yes, family run fire department. I guess Oregon or the county has very little oversight.I guess that explains the young man and women who look like brother and sister running back and forth and cringings in fear as the citizens house burns down.
I apologize to Rural Metro for any false statements in the orginal post.
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Permalink Reply by Jack/dt on
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I think the biggest danger in this video is there will be so many "fire departments" out there that will see it and loudly proclaim that they are (so much) better than Grants Pass Rural "Fire Department", not realizing that their 'better' is only a difference of degree and not of kind.
Fortunately, they had a safety vest...
They at least understand duck and squat...does their engine have a rotor?
Anybody else curious to know what the (chief? ass't chief? random bossy woman with partial PPE) had to say to the Chief from RMFR? 'We got a call for smoke in the area...'
Clearly the most valuable part of the property...the VW Bug. And that's a piece of shit.
At what level of improvement would you need to see in your department to think, "Hey, this would be a great video of our department to post online".
Nothing says frugal and financially conservative than magnetic door signs.
I think it's a given that this "department" lacks 'interior firefighters.' Either that or they were waiting for them to get dropped off on their way home on the school bus.
'What do you mean the fire's not out...we're out of water!'
'Me fail firefighting...that's unpossible!'
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Permalink Reply by Don Catenacci on
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What's the mission of the fire department? Protect life and property. It is that simple. It isn't about competing for contracts, it isn't about sending help home because they made you look bad while you sit there, out of water, and burn the house completely down. Not that it mattered at that point.
Why, other than cost would anyone contract with these guys? Rual Metro could use this video as a reason for not contracting with Grants Pass Rural FD. I know I certainly would use it for that purpose.
It takes more than rickety old trucks, hard hats and safety vests to make a fire department...maybe they will figure that out some day.
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Permalink Reply by Aric Stewart on
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After watching that and almost having an heart attack from lack of structured command or the lack of their training or just the shear fact of Mental Retardation here is my assessment. This is a small private department that prolly has no funding other than the contracts that they collect. So all that money goes to keeping what trucks they do have running. Next training they prolly watched a few firefighting films and thought hey we can do this look they make it easy so training is probably from that. Gear well remember those contracts probably one or two sets that they were able to buy. As far as the sending the mutual aid department home before the fire was out well that is just down right Retarded and only a dumbass would do that and well i thought i was watching Gomer Pyles family fighting fire.
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Permalink Reply by Marc Hansen on
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WOW there is so much to be said but my brain just cant get its self around this!
I'm always amazed how so many firefighters pull an 1 3/4" preconnect on big fires but Im pretty sure there was at least one line in operation there that was a forestry line...WTF
Hopefully this will come out as being a promotional video for Rural Metro ( I know its not but at least it would explain a lot)
The absolute worst part is my daughter took one look at this video and thought it was from a dept in my neck of the woods
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Permalink Reply by John Crabbe on
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3 things come to mind for me....
1. What is up with the taxpayers of said areas that cheaper, contracted, services is a better solution than a taxpayer based FD?
2. What is up with the elected officials of said area to believe a contracted service is a better option than a taxpayer based system?
3. This just goes to show the benefits of having a taxpayer based system.
Now the other dept may have their stuff more(ish) together, but when even competing for "contracts" it shows how lower costs can have an adverse impact. I'm not talking about just the property owners, but from the contractors as well. It is blatantly obvious that FF safety is a second thought at best and speaks volumes when the one who seems to have the most PPE is the chief, who should be in a command position anyway.
The one thing that can be said for Obion County, TN is at least when a subscription is paid they get an actual fire dept, not some piece meal private entity where safety is debatable and response questionable.
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Not for nothing but...is sitting directly beneath the house service (west side, RMRF) really a good idea?
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Permalink Reply by perry firefighter cert on
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I dident know this was an Issue In grants pass however I can say I understand what your saying about the madness you witnessed Just last year our engine went on a fire for burn out support not to our awarness the wind picked up and shifted the fire away from us toward residental homes befor we could change our tactic to prevent flames from jumping line 5 trucks with men in half fire gear no mask no gloves no head protection or boots drove up like out of a movie with hoses make shift waters tanks made from the water tanks on side of your grandfathers house from back in the day cut off our engine ran over our hose line I figured it was a hanging attempt not sure what to think but these guys sound like Grant pass if not close to it I can also say bless them because they might be volunteer fire crew which could have alot to do with it all I think lol
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Permalink Reply by Russ on
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Holy you know what! As a fellow KIC i gotta agree with you on this one Craig. This redefines cluster #$%&. After watching it twice, was the engine venting air or was that a propane cylinder venting inside the structure? Either way that fire was LAUGHING at the 1-1/2 being used. Now i understand that you have to "use what ya got" but i saw no intruption in water delivery and that was a duce and a half hose fire for sure. AND after you get somewhat of a knockdown, how do you "dismiss" your mutual aid if the fire is not out? If nobody got seriously hurt on this fire, god was watching. the chick with the long hair not knowing what accountability is?-recipe for doom.This looked like a bunch of untrained folks living out their firefighter wannabe dream
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Permalink Reply by Todd on
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Honestly, go to just about any poor rural area and you are going to see the same thing. I know without a doubt I can go 30 minutes from here in Lexington and see the same thing because I have already done it.
Old apparatus held together with bailing wire and duct tape, mismatched, outdated and non-existent turnout gear, and a lack of formal command.....the curse of the almost unfunded fire service.
Until society as a whole gets serious about fire service funding we are going to continue to see videos like this.
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Permalink Reply by Oldman on
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Most of the personnel on that scene (until Rural Metro showed up) were under the age of 18, including some on the hose. And if memory serves, the "bossy" female is the Asst. Chief and the mother of a couple of the kids on that scene.
Can ya hear the banjos playing in the background?
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Permalink Reply by Scott Kolich on
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@perry not all volunteer firefighters lack training and command structure. but man was that bad. as for the equipment and the ppe. they really need to update or just switch to a real volunteer fire department with the taxpayer's interests in mind. losing a house like that was just....hard to watch. sending the mutual aid home before the fire is out? that is terrible command. i want to know where these folks got their training from
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