[Scan-DC] [OT] Four-Alarm Fire in Baltimore Last Night

[cohenner at gmail.com]

This is going to be a long post, so excuse me in advance....

An alarm level is a pre-determined number of units dispatched to a fire. In Baltimore, the initial dispatch is called a Box Alarm, which corresponds to a specific response area (for instance, a dispatch that is called as a 2-XX box is a downtown response area). A box alarm consists of:

3 engines
2 trucks
2 Battalion Chiefs
1 medic
Safety officer
Rescue one (only certain box areas)
Marine units (only certain box areas)

Upon arrival at the scene, if there is a fire, command will call for a Working Fire Box. This is not an increase in the alarm level, but it does require AirCascade to respond to the scene.

If conditions are severe, and cannot be handled with the amount of equipment on the scene, command will call for a second alarm. A second alarm calls for:
3 additional engines
2 additional trucks
Rescue One (if not already dispatched)
Likely, a gaggle of chiefs
PIO
Canteen Unit (Car 414)

If conditions cannot be contained with the above equipment, command will request a 3rd alarm.... Etc, etc.

Basically, command decides, based on the situation, how much manpower is needed to control the event. It is even possible to add additional engines or trucks above the current alarm level without raising the alarm level, which could mean you have more equipment on the scene for a one alarm fire than had you called for a second alarm...

David

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

-----Original Message-----
From: "Andrew Clegg" <w4jecom at w4je.com>

Date: Sun, 23 Mar 2008 20:55:30 
To:<scan-dc at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: RE: [Scan-DC] [OT] Four-Alarm Fire in Baltimore Last Night


Can someone help me understand the meaning of "alarm" in the context of an
"n-alarm" fire? Does a "four-alarm fire" mean that there were four separate
dispatch calls made, each adding equipment to the fire-fighting effort? Or
does four-alarm mean that four different stations responded to the fire? Or
does it mean something else?

Tnx,
Andy

-----Original Message-----
From: scan-dc-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:scan-dc-bounces at mailman.qth.net]On Behalf Of b_thom at juno.com
Sent: Saturday, March 22, 2008 11:24 AM
To: scan-dc at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [Scan-DC] [OT] Four-Alarm Fire in Baltimore Last Night


http://www.abc2news.com/Default.aspx

Big link that will get broken, so I'll beat them to it.

http://www.abc2news.com/
news/local/story.aspx?content_id=fd2fb350-6ccd-487c-8c59-a6f1a052507c
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