So far I have received positive feedback from this blog. I hope you all are finding it educational and informational. As many have e-mailed and commented, the department is much more complex then what meets the eye. This week we are going to look at the types of staffed apparatus we have and the type of incidents it responds to.
However, in an effort to keep this blog brief each week I will start this week with the staffed apparatus. The next blog will focus on the non-staffed apparatus, volunteer apparatus and the additional resources we have.
The department primarily has engine companies (this is what many of you refer to as fire engine or fire tuck). We also have rescue trucks and we have two Quints. The Quints are interesting pieces of apparatus as they are both a ladder truck and an engine company. They are versatile pieces of apparatus that offers two types of job functions in one.
Before we get started below I will lump calls into two broad categories, fire calls and emergency medical services (EMS) related calls. Fire related calls include all calls that are not EMS related i.e. public service calls, fire alarms, any call with any type of fire, motor vehicle accidents, mutual aid responses, gas and other hazardous materials etc.
As I recently mentioned within a future blog I will share the call volume for the past four years. That post will analyze the calls not just by the total number but it will be broken out into specific call types. This will help each of you truly understand what types of calls we do each year and not just a total number of calls.
Staffed Apparatus
Car 4 – Car 4 responds from fire headquarters and is a Ford pickup truck with a utility cap that is staffed by the Battalion Chief. The Battalion Chief is the shift supervisor who coordinates all operational activity and all calls within the entire town during his or her shift. The vehicle they drive has radio equipment to talk to countless other fire and emergency services locally and throughout the state including all of our mutual aid partners. This vehicle is also equipped with direct radio communications with the TWEED airport tower and their operations staff. This vehicle also contains many specialty maps and information on the town’s infrastructure. Additionally, it contains portable radio equipment, specialty air monitoring equipment and the Battalion Chiefs personal protective equipment or gear.
Engine 1 - Engine 1 responds from fire headquarters on Main Street and is identified officially as a QUINT. E1 responds to all fires within the town and has a primary response district for all fire related calls from Grannis Street to Short Beach Rd. QUINTs are a versatile piece of apparatus as they perform two types of job functions. They are both an engine company and a ladder company. (In a future blog we will look at specific tactics of the different companies) Engine 1 has both a pump that contains 250 gallons of water, supply hose to go from the fire hydrant to the fire truck, attack hose (that goes from the fire apparatus to the fire), compliment of ground ladders, Hurst tool commonly referred to as the jaws of life, power saws, ventilation fans, numerous other hand tools and specialty items. Engine 1 also carries an air monitoring device for gas related emergencies and responds to all structure fire calls within East Haven.
Engine 4 – Engine 4 is an engine company housed station #4 on George Street. Engine 4’s primary response district is from Short Beach Road to Long Island Sound and from the New Haven and Branford town lines. Engine 4 is a engine company that contains 750 gallons of water, 1,600 feet of supply hose (the most supply hose of any vehicle in East Haven) to go from the fire hydrant to the fire engine, attack hose (that goes from the fire apparatus to the fire), ground ladders, hurt tool (jaws of life) emergency medical equipment, and numerous hand tools and equipment needed to do the variety of tasks on a daily basis including fires, emergency medical calls, water emergencies, rescues or water related emergencies within and around Long Island sound, and all “fire related calls” within their district. Engine 4 also carries an air monitoring device for gas related emergencies and responds to all structure fire calls within East Haven
Truck 3 – Truck 3 is a ladder company stationed on RT 80 (Foxon Road) at station 3 and is also a Quint type of apparatus. Its primary response district is from The North Haven line to Grannis Street and between the New Haven and North Branford town lines. This truck has a 100’ ladder and a pump that contains 500 gallons of water, supply hose to go from the fire hydrant to the fire truck, attack hose that goes from the fire truck to the fire, compliment of ground ladders, hurt tool (jaws of life) power saws, ventilation fans, numerous other hand tools and specialty items that are needed for the crew to complete the many various tasks of ladder companies. Truck 3 also carries an air monitoring device for gas related emergencies and responds to all fire related calls within their district and all structure fire calls within East Haven.
Rescue 1 – Rescue 1 is an Advanced Life Support (ALS) vehicle that is staffed with one Firefighter EMT and One Firefighter Paramedic. Rescue 1’s response district is from Grannis Street to Short Beach Road and from the New Haven Line to the Branford Line. Rescue 1 responds to all EMS calls within this district and many fire related type of calls. Including motor vehicle accidents, structure fires and car fire in this district. Rescue 1 also responds to ALS medical calls, water rescues and motor vehicle accidents with Engine 4. This vehicle carries all the necessary equipment to meet the requirements by the State of CT Department of Emergency Medical Services to be considered a Paramedic level response unit. In addition, this vehicle also carries firefighting related equipment for their duties and responsibilities during fire related calls. They also respond to all structure fire calls within East Haven and to ALS calls in the other districts when Squad 5 is already on a call.
Squad 5 – Squad 5 is an Advanced Life Support (ALS) vehicle that is staffed with one Firefighter EMT and One Firefighter Paramedic. Squad 5’s response district is from Grannis Street to the North Haven line and from the New Haven line to the North Branford line. Squad 5 responds to all EMS calls within this district and many fire related type of calls. Including motor vehicle accidents, structure fires and car fires in this district. This vehicle carries all the necessary equipment to meet the requirements by the State of CT Department of Emergency Medical Services to be considered a Paramedic level response unit. In addition, this vehicle also carries firefighting related equipment for their duties and responsibilities during fire related calls. Squad 5 will respond to ALS calls in the other districts when Rescue 1 is already on a call. Squad 5 also responds to all structure fire calls within East Haven.
The above mentioned apparatus is what the career firefighters of East Haven staff 24 hours a day 7 days a week. I also mentioned additional resources for task specific responses. I will outline those recources in the next post along with apparatus staffed by the volunteer companies.
History of fire apparatus- Until the mid-19th century most fire engines were maneuvered by men, but the introduction of horse-drawn fire engines considerably improved the response time to incidents. The first self-propelled steam engine was built in New York in 1841. Motorized fire engines did not become commonplace until the early 20th century.
As always please remember to always pull to the right when emergency vehicles are approaching. Lastly for those contemplating opening your back year pools in the next few weeks. Please never leave children un-attended and make sure all gates are locked and secured whenever the pool is not being utilized.
