nothing showing means nothing?

[fireball]

interesting article and pics on traditionstraining.com site:

http://traditionstraining.com/blog/?p=1518&pid=135

the pics say it all:situation can change rapidly on fireground.

[DragonSlayerEMS]

Excllent article, and point!!! Had a department here find that out the hard way yesterday. Complacency will get you killed!! They were dispatched for a smoke detector activiation. Arrived to find a working structure fire then had to play catch up. Anyhow, i am lazy myself, but i always stress complacency, especially on the various calls, like CO with symptoms and all the guys wanna go trompin through the place without packs on..."We dont need a pack for a CO call" ANyhow, always be prepared...ya never know what you will find!!

[jester1965]

There's nothing that makes me cringe more than hearing "on scene, nothing showing, hold everything else up while we investigate". We hear this many times from our neighboring town when they get a call. Once or twice it's gone from a nothing showing to roll my department because there really is a fire working.
I agree with Dragonslayer on the complacency issue. My own department has problems sometimes with guys not packing up (and sometimes not even wearing turnout gear) on the few fire alarm calls we get because 99.9% are usually false alarms.
However, we don't hold back responding units just because nothing's showing like some other departments do. Go big or stay home. It's alot easier to turn people around and call them off than find out too late you need help now.

[Daywalker]

Its always a lot easier to dump the tank when it turns out being nothing, than scrambling to put it on when its something. It's the difference between being the hero or the zero.

I see it in a simple kind of way. If I'm a volunteer and I can't be bothered to put my tank on for this call, why did I even show up? I'm not forced to be here, so why half ass it, might as well stayed home. If I'm a career guy, it's my job, just put the stupid thing on.

I don't like how the article alludes to being behind the 8 ball if you don't drop supply lines coming in. I'm in a dense environment, just because the call came in at 123 A Street, doesn't mean its not the house behind it on B street. Drop your hydrant guy and supply line on the wrong street and you just took 1 of our engines out of the game while they recover.

[DragonSlayerEMS]

Day, very impressive on that hydrant issue!! Good catch there kid!! I couldnt agree more. Thats why you have 2 engines coming in on every alarm, your first in engine makes the rapid assesment and attack if need be while the 2nd is it hitting a hydrant once youve established its needed.