Hi Bill,
Now you have me wondering, why are some members in orange? I assume they are driver/operators and if so do they stay with an assigned apparatus forever or rotate amongst themselves? Do the other firefighters have a chance to drive/operate? Do they need to be certified on the various pieces? Thanks for the pix, I find them strangely reassuring.
Gepetto
Hi Gepetto
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I was wondering when someone was going to inquire about this situation. This is how I assign personnel as required. The 2 personnel that are in solid orange upper jackets with solid white Philadelphia style helmets with each piece of apparatus are the driver/operators, & apparatus O.I.C.'s. They are assigned to their apparatus permanently unless promoted to a higher officers position or ask for a transfer which will be granted on basis of purpose.
The apparatus driver/operator is responsible for everything concerning the performance of the vehicle. Their rank maybe that of a corporal. They check the operation, & fluids of all systems at the beginning of each shift. They are to keep up with the hours their vehicle is worked for scheduled maintenance cycles, & make that information available to the vehicle fleet supervisor who in turn schedules all maintenance appointments based on this information. They are to know all systems bypass functions to know how to work a disabled apparatus on scene if an on board system should fail. They also assist the firefighters when equipment is checked at the beginning of each shift, like starting the chain saws, checking equipment fuel levels, & making sure everything is operational at all times. On scenes they operate the pump on engines, spot light generators, Tower Ladder or Ladder Truck controls, special apparatus equipment like brush firefighting units portable pumps, etc. on their assigned apparatus. On special units such as water supply tankers T1, T2, & small brush firefighting units B5, B6 the job description varies due to being 2 man crews, & the vehicles special operational needs.
The apparatus O.I.C. is responsible for assigned personnel completing their duties. Their rank maybe that of a sargent. The apparatus O.I.C. is also responsible for command on a scene, & have received incident command training to handle most situations. They will turn command over to a higher officer once they arrive on scene if it is an upper command type incident, & update the higher command officer on actions taken so far. At the same time they are also responsible for accounting for all personnel assigned to their apparatus. PCFD uses a name tag system that tells officers where any certain firefighter is sent, & for which assignment. They are to know exactly where all of their personnel are at all times via radio. The next function they are responsible for is assignment of equipment such as; hose sections, couplings, saws, tools, etc., being used on scene from their apparatus to be sure it gets properly returned to get their unit back into service without delays, & be available for the next call.
Both of these personnel maybe required to wear SCBA or BA systems on scene to perform their job descriptions.
The firefighters in grey turnout gear with yellow, & white stripes, N5A black leather helmets, & SCBA systems are the firefighters that respond to the in city fire rescue, medical first responder calls, & fight building structure fires. These firefighter figures have been given an additional white stripe at the bottom of their bunker pants for safety reasons by me. They are responsible for checking operation of all equipment on their assigned apparatus at the beginning of every shift. They are to be certified EMT's, EMT-I's, or Paramedics for first response regarding medical call's. They are to be certified interior structure firefighters. All personnel are to take in station training classes everyday, perform station, & apparatus clean up duties, inspect Playmobil City buildings for codes, & preplan buildings interior construction for the department's building response manual, & conduct scenarios for future responses. They also review previous alarm calls to evaluate what problems were encountered, & what steps need to be taken to prevent simular problems in the future. All personnel are evaluated every 6 months by their station commanding officer on their job performance. PCFD does not tolerate slackers, but on a positive note there have not been any personnel job loses due to this reason
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HAZ MAT personnel with protective suits & breathing apparatus..
Male & (female in center) officers of the brush & forest firefighting units. Their rank maybe that of a first lieutenant.
Brush & forest firefighting personnel. Notice high Kevlar boot tops to protect against snake bites. Nearly all of the personnel in these units have this type of boot for that reason. Center firefighter has the optional timber cutter's helmet with full face visor.
Special rescue team officers/departmental instructors. These officers take command of special rescue procedures such as jump mattress rescues, rappelling operations, etc. Their rank maybe that of a first lieutenant. They are also responsible for instructing all of PCFD Districts 1 & 2 inner departmental daily training classes.
District 1 Chief's; Chief Lawrence, Assistant Chief Smith, Deputy Chief Jones
WSRRT unit dive tenders.
WSRRT unit divers.
Fire battling ship crew.
Arson unit investigators. Their rank maybe that of a captain with special police/CSI privledges.
BTW, if a crew says for example; "E111 or TL124 etc., to headquarters we have emergency radio traffic", that signals for all units to hold off talking on the radio so this crew can tell what kind of situation has come up, & what they are going to need to help them. Headquarters will say; all units stop channel 1,2, or 3 radio traffic....go ahead E111 or TL124 etc.,....at which point the crew in distress will say what the situation is, & all hands will assist in helping them.
