IWORK IN A SMALL CAREER FIRE department in southern Westchester County, New York, a 15-minute drive north of the Bronx. Our response area contains numerous larger multiple dwellings that are characteristically found in larger cities. Our daily staffing level is seven to nine members; we rely heavily on automatic-aid agreements to achieve the required staffing for structural fires. We are a small suburban department responding to urban-style buildings. The cities that surround us will dispatch an assignment consisting of 30 to 60 members, depending on the municipality, for a fire in a multiple dwelling. Even using automatic-aid units, around 20 members will be dispatched for a working fire. Because of the difference in staffing, the larger departments operate in "parallel," with engine companies stretching while truck companies are searching. This is not possible for us because of the reduced staffing; the challenge is exacerbated when we respond to a multiple dwelling. For success, our operations must occur in "series," where the incident commander (IC) selects the most effective tactic for the fire and directs the members to complete the tasks that support it. All available members are assigned to assist with the tactic that the IC selects. Because of reduced staffing, we recognize that placing the first hoseline in operation will almost always have the greatest impact on the fire. Hence, most of our operations center around assigning the initial-arriving members to stretch the first hoseline (photo 1).
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