Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Who Is On Your Truck Company?


Post courtesy of Firefighter Amos Akers, Loudoun County Tower Ladder 619

Most of us can agree that the aerial device doesn’t make a truck company. It’s the crew that makes the truck company.

On the fireground, truck companies are expected to perform multiple, coordinated tasks simultaneously in order to support engine company operations. John Norman, retired FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief, used the acronym LOVERS U to describe the basics of truck/tower company operations in his book “The Fire Officers Handbook of Tactics”.

This acronym spells out the basics of what “Truck Work” is all about:

   L adders
   O verhaul
      V entilation
                               E ntry (of the forcible type)
 R escue
S earch

          U tility control

Here in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, truck companies, like rescues, are referred to as “Special Services” units. Meaning, units have special responsibilities not only on working fires, but also at heavy technical rescues, and other special operations assignments.

Being a "Special Services" unit, a truck company is not the place where just any firefighter can be assigned, or “rotated” into. There should be a set of minimum requirements in order for someone to be on the truck/tower ladder. Unfortunately, in the “Kinder and Gentler” fire service, not a lot of people understand this.

If your department has a truck company, how are members assigned to it?

Do you place a firefighter, 1 year out of the academy with no previous fire experience, and who’s never been in a fire, as your Forcible Entry position on the Interior Team?

Do you assign a firefighter as the Outside Vent Man (OVM) spot knowing for a fact that they cannot carry and/or raise a ground ladder by themselves?

Do you assign the newly promoted Apparatus Technician who’s never driven anything bigger than an ambulance as the driver operator of your truck?

As I stated before, the truck company is required to perform multiple, coordinated tasks simultaneously on the fireground. Many times this requires the truck crew to split, and to operate on their own, without the direct supervision of their OIC. This is the work that your experienced, highly skilled, and well trained firefighters should be performing.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great post Keith! Excellent points made regarding staffing Trucks/Tower Ladders with the appropriate personnel given the tasks expected of them.

- N. Camfiord

Larry Jenkins said...

This was a pet peeve of mine. Your most experienced big strong firefighters should be assigned to the truck. Sorry, if I offend anyone but this is the truth. Our superiors are afraid to hurt someones feeling or may be scared to be politically incorrect. BS, this is a dangerous job and we will continue to hurt or kill firefighters if they don't change. They work alone on the outside and have to think on the inside. With an engine company you always have the OIC next to you, not so with trucks and rescues.
This portion of the job is not for everybody. I have been embarrassed by some of the crews I have seen.
This also goes for the rescue company. If I pissed you off by these remarks, sorry. You asked and this is how I feel.

Tie Burtlow Tower 30 said...

Truck company guys need to know the job inside and out, but there is one thing you really need to be a truckie, courage to go past the fire and rescue you someone, until you have done that portion of the job your still a wanna be truckie, you can say all you want about size and experience, but the person I want going in after my loved ones is a person who has the courage to do the job and not just talk about what they might do on there next big fire anybody can talk the talk, but walk the walk my brothers when it is time to do it Thanks

Anonymous said...

And obviously they shouldn't be a medic, because we don't let them ride trucks.