In our first article, we discussed several quint considerations such as financial and design criteria. In this article, let’s look at several additional considerations such as staffing and training.
STAFFING AND TRAINING
As we have previously discussed, a quint is comprised of an aerial device, water, hose, ground ladders, and a pump. This equipment gives a quint the flexibility to become an “engine company” or “truck company”, and able to perform multiple specialized fireground operations, depending on the needs of an incident. However, and this is the big however, this concept can be limited by staffing and training as follows:
Staffing
Of all the articles that I have had the opportunity to read, few (if any) have addressed the issue of “quint staffing.” As we have previously discussed, quints have the potential to perform engine and/or truck company operations during fireground scenarios. Unfortunately, virtually all quints in the United States are staffed with three to four personnel, which can often only allow one operation to be performed with safety and accountability as a basic parameter. As an example, consider the following two scenarios:
- A quint is first-in to a fire in a single-family dwelling with a staffing of four. The officer will be occupied with command. The driver will assist with hose deployment and the “pump panel,” and the two firefighters will advance an attack line. Basically, this company has been exclusively utilized to advance a single attack line. But what happened to the flexibility principle of also being able to perform search and rescue, ventilation, ground ladders, back-up line, utilities, and so on? Obviously, these operations will be handled by later arriving companies.
- A quint is third-in to a structure fire in a two-story building with a staffing of three, and is assigned truck company operations. The quint officer quickly determines that ventilation, ground ladders, and utilities have not been addressed. Assuming the driver raises the aerial device to the roof and then the driver and firefighter go to the roof for ventilation operations, this results in the officer having to choose between supervising the ventilation operation, or singularly trying to accomplish utilities and ground ladders, which does not enhance the concept of safety or accountability. Again, what happened to the flexibility principle?
Obviously, these examples illustrate a common problem. If quints are purchased to provide flexibility and are not properly staffed, they quickly become limited in their potential. So, what is proper staffing? If a quint is to utilize its potential at a structure fire, a minimal staffing of six would be a good starting point. This would allow three simultaneous operations to be completed by three teams of two (remember accountability?). Therefore, a staffing of six could perform the advancement of an attack line, ventilation, and search and rescue operations.
As long as we are going to combine several types of apparatus into a quint, why not let the quint perform to its potential? In many cases, the answer is simple. As long as we are having less structure fires and citizens are content to observe a fire engine driving down their streets and routinely performing everyday mundane tasks, a fire chief can reduce staffing (which is over 90% of a fire department budget), combine several types of apparatus into one apparatus, and impress the city manager with dramatic reductions in the fire department budget. As a side note, once staffing is reduced, do you think it will ever be restored?
Training
It is a fact that a quint can be easily limited by its staffing (or lack of staffing). A quint can also be limited by the absence of a properly trained crew and weak leadership. In fact, training is the cornerstone of the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of a quint. But, you are probably thinking, “no problem, I can train my officers and crews.” Really? Want an example? Look at apparatus placement at your next structure fire. Is there a need for improvement? Normally, there is lots of room for improvement. So, the simple solution of training may not be the total answer. Although proper training is possible IF the proper commitment is made and executed, many quint officers and crews do not understand the “quint concept.”
So, what is the “quint concept”? Basically, if a quint has the potential to perform engine and/or truck company operations, a quint officer must determine the correct operation (engine or truck) and operate accordingly. That means a quint may not be an engine first, and truck second. Unfortunately, when the common firefighter responds into a structure fire, what is their first love? Is it first water on the fire, ground ladders, utilities, salvage? Answer……: It’s first water every time and someone else can handle the other stuff! Therefore, an officer must be able to determine the appropriate need(s), prioritize those needs based on available staffing, and have a crew who is willing and able to perform those priorities without wanting to initiate an attack line at every structure fire.
Let’s briefly discuss two more considerations associated with training: officer experience and specialization.
The last place to assign a new or inexperienced fireground officer is to a quint. A quint demands an officer who is able to size-up the many and varied fireground needs, prioritizes those needs, and then is capable of utilizing limited personnel (remember, the staffing on most quints is 3 or 4) to accomplish those priorities in an effective sequence. That takes fireground experience, and experience in engine and truck company operations
Another training consideration is specialization. It is imperative that a quint officer equally train a quint crew in engine and truck company operations (or any other operations the quint is capable of performing). One advantage of separate functional companies (i.e., engine, truck, haz-mat, heavy rescue, etc) is the ability of those companies to specialize in their particular responsibility. If responsibilities are combined, “cross training” becomes essential for company effectiveness. Cross training also means that crews arriving after the initial quint company are capable of using the quint apparatus for another operation. As an example, if a quint is first-in to a structure fire and initiates the initial attack line, the next company (who may not be a quint) should be able to use the quints aerial device and ventilation equipment for a vertical ventilation operation (if that was the next priority).
To summarize training and specialization considerations, allow this author to make the following four predictions:
- The prime reason why quint apparatus are often ineffective as a multi-purpose company is a lack of strong and knowledgeable officers.
- Put an engine company officer on a quint and the possibility of the quint becoming an expensive engine company is high.
- Combine engine and truck company operations into a quint, and you will most likely see your engine company proficiency remain the same, and truck company expertise slowly diminish!
- Combine engine, truck, and paramedic functions into a quint and the lack of compartment space will force you to compromise the amount and type of equipment that can be carried.
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