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What Exactly Is A 'Routine' Fire?
I would like to pose this question to the nation because if you have an answer I believe you may have a problem. When we start believing that we can truly dominate a fire scene and manage what ever is delt to us we end up joining the secret list. If you run many fires or just a few each needs to be treated as the challenge that it is not "routine."
What is you opinion on this?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by 55 TRUCK on
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I agree with you Philly.But, no matter how you eplain it the majority won't grasp it.
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Permalink Reply by John Crabbe on
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I don't think it is the fact that the majority won't grasp it, but more so the fact that perhaps the term is outdated, or at least, not applicaple ACROSS the fire service.
Take the fact that both you and WP are in big cities, your response is going to be different than a volunteer or even a small city. Chances are you are sending more rigs and personnel for the same size of fire that we may encounter on a first alarm basis. Now given the same size of fire and then increase the time differential, you can have a whole different animal on your hands. Just because you perform the same routine as you would for any other fire, does that make the fire itself really any more routine? To me, I think that is the point here.
Now as I mentioned previously, even if we had the same fire 100 times over and did the exact same thing, do we need to describe it as a routine fire? I don't know about you, but every fire I've ben to there was always something different, something to talk about, something to share, even if you think the fire response wen absolutely perfect.
I'm just not one to downplay a fire. Doesn't matter how many times I rolled on one and even if I do everything according to protocol, there is something different. I also don't hold to the fact of the media, or a FF/officer/PIO explaining to the public that it was a routine fire. That is juvenile. Instead it is easier to say what the fire was, what was damaged, and how it was mitigated. Perhaps the more people hear the actual truths to fire, then the less we may see injuries or deaths, and perhaps even fires.
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Permalink Reply by Reg Mathis on
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The only routine fire I've seen is a false alarm.
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Permalink Reply by Brian Mackie on
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By definition, Routine, as a course of normative, standardized actions or procedures that are followed regularly, often repetitiously ... FIRE is.. the stuff that will bite you in the ass and make it hurt for a very long time if you don't have a safe and effective ROUTINE for dealing with it.
Hense the term ROUTINE FIRE. A silly term actually..and routinely upsetting or confusing many people who have routinely attempted to answer this routine question, only to find that others will routinely counter the explanations of the others who have routinely taken the time to be included in this routinely anal topic.
I always thought to keep it simple. I am all in favor of being simple.. I am a simpleton. (routinely)
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Permalink Reply by capcityff on
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Definitely agree. I see how things are usually less routine with smaller departments or volly houses but some on here don't realize that there's a difference between their department and ones like ours. However, this site seems to be mostly volunteers so that's why we see it a lot. I just wish some were more open to other ideas and they didn't go crazy every time a big city guy says something different. They think that because they do things according to the book they are always right.
A guy posted on firehouse.com recently saying the guys in departments around his area think that his department(St Louis City) is crazy and reckless. However he said that that's because his department learned from 150+ years of experience and theirs learned from an IFSTA book.
We always follow a routine while going into fires. Sure there's plenty of times where things don't go to plan, but for an average room off, I go in the same way. That's what makes us so good at our job. We fight the fire in the same aggressive way every time that we are able to. If something isn't right then we adjust.
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Permalink Reply by Jack/dt on
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If you see 2 fires a year, it's a spectacle.
If you see 20 fires a year, it's interesting.
If you see 200 fires a year, it's routine.
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Permalink Reply by Paul Secker on
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I was hoping this discussion didn't digress into a dialogue over who is a better firefighter, a career guy or a volunteer. I'm a lieutenant on a one volunteer department and a firefighter /EMT in a larger volunteer volunteer department. I never considered myself less capable than a career guy. Fire doesn't discriminate. It burns equally ferociously for career firefighters and volunteers.
As for the debate over routine fires, it comes down to a misuse of the word. There are simple fires and very extensive operations. We've all seen both and know the difference. We'd probably agree that a car fire is relatively "routine", but that doesn't mean brothers can't get hurt or things can turn south quickly. I've seen shock absorbing bumpers become deadly projectiles at "routine" car fires.
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That wasn't the point that we were making. No one said we were "better". However things are different and some don't realize that. Things are more routine for us because we can run more efficiently. Not because we are "better", but because we are allowed to do more with our staffing and quicker response times. We have 5 engines, 2 trucks and a rescue squad on scene within about 5 minutes of dispatch. It just allows us to do things OUR way before the fire gets out of control and causes more problems. When its a small department with poor staffing and much longer response times due to responding from home, the results will be different. Wasn't a knock on volunteers at all.
The other point I was getting at was that it seems like a lot of volunteers on here don't agree if we don't do things by the book like them. I'm sorry, but I trust the 200 years of experience here in DC more than a stupid book written by some random guys. There's plenty of guys on my department that worked when they were still going to 5 fires/tour. I trust them and know they know what they are doing.
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Permalink Reply by Art "ChiefReason" Goodrich on
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So, why not just have Dispatch tell us that "there is a report of a routine fire at..." instead of them subjecting us to long drawn out description of something that is so routine to us.
Where disagreement comes in to its use to describe a call is for the very reason that some of you state.
You routinely train on the tasks that allow you to be combat ready.
Let's put it this way: if you are ever on a "routine" call and it gets FUBAR, you might want to put a gag order into effect, because as soon as the department jamoke says "well, we THOUGHT we had a ROUTINE fire", it will leave many asking questions.
I agree in principle: they are routine, until they are not!
TCSS.
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Permalink Reply by WestPhilly on
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John,
You already answered your own question with your initial comment on this thread. That back bedroom job you described is routine. We have that type of "bread and butter" job everyday in Philadelphia.
If your job is to talk to the media as a PIO then, by all means, play it for all it's worth. But I know it's routine, you know it's routine, and anyone who fights fire on a routine basis knows it's routine.
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Our dispatchers don't do long drawn out. Here Control dispatches short and sweet. Why because they have other jobs they need to get other houses going on. No time for long drawn out detailes.
The only time it comes close is when it's a box. Then it's only becasue there reading off all the pieces on that box. Even though all the houses no what boxes there on and are already rolling befor the dispatchers gets to them.
Just routine when your on the Job.
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Permalink Reply by Roy Walker on
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The truth is I don't care what you call it, just so long as the awareness is there and we don't make LODD funerals routine. That is my only point.
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