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Typical Residential Fire

By Rookie Firefighter on November 16, 2018

First of all, there is no typical residential fire. Each and every house fire is different depending on contents in the home, building materials, weather conditions, etc. But, the job itself is pretty consistent and it would be helpful if the general public understood more about what our job entails.

Timeline
~example only~

Dispatched to residential fire at 01:00
First unit on scene at 01:08
Fire suppression taking place
Notified dispatch fire out at 01:42
*Overhaul taking place
Overhaul completed at 02:21
Drain hoses, clean up & store equipment
Back in service at 03:00
Average time on scene is 2 hrs

Back at the station 03:10

  • Decontaminate SCBA packs and tools used
  • Refill air bottles
  • Replace all wet or dirty hoses
  • Wash all dirty hoses and place on drying rack
  • Restock truck
  • Decontaminate turnout gear (aka bunker gear)
  • Shower
  • Finish paperwork

The above isn’t in any particular order, many hands make some of these tasks go faster.

Able to finally return home 04:30
Average time from start to finish is 3.5 hrs

This time is assuming no one was injured and the fire was in 1 or 2 rooms of a single story home. The larger the fire, the more water it takes, the more hours fire fighters will be on scene.

-Rookie ?

*overhaul = pulling off siding/ceiling, etc. checking for hidden hot spots. Home is typically ventilated of smoke at this time as well.

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This is a journal of my thoughts and experiences starting on Day 1 as a volunteer firefighter. Follow along as I go through training, begin going on calls, and learn all the ins and outs of being a firefighter. All opinions are my own and not that of my volunteer fire department or fellow firefighters.

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