Gordon Graham
Category: Fire Service
Gordon Graham here with Today’s Tip from Lexipol. Today’s Tip is for my friends in the fire service, and it’s about preparing for mutual aid incidents.
Fire departments everywhere rely on mutual aid agreements to ensure their service is effective and uninterrupted. But without good training and communication, these agreements aren’t worth much more than the paper they’re printed on. What are you doing to ensure things run smoothly when the alarm bell rings?
In the fire service, working together with other departments isn’t just important, it’s essential. The better your relationships with those departments, the more effective your firefighting force will be.
You already know it’s important to be familiar with your community, your equipment, and your procedures. You’ve developed a working knowledge of your streets, buildings, and water supply systems, and you know your department’s policies inside and out.
But how well do you know your neighbors’ streets, their equipment, and their procedures? What can you do to improve that knowledge?
Imagine showing up as a water supply engine only to discover you don’t have the right adapters to connect to the neighboring department’s hoses. Or being unable to contact their personnel because your radios are incompatible. To prevent situations like this, you could set up an informal meet-and-greet session to go over apparatus and equipment. In addition to show and tell, this helps you get to know them on a personal level. After all, the first time you meet your new friends shouldn’t be at an emergency scene.
If possible, take time to drive around neighboring districts and become familiar with street names, hydrant locations, and construction types. This will pay dividends when it’s time to go to work.
You can also obtain a copy of their policy manual — and send them a copy of yours. This serves to get everyone on the same page and can help weed out problems before they happen.
In the fire service, working together with other departments isn’t just important, it’s essential. The better your relationships with those departments, the more effective your firefighting force will be.
And that’s Today’s Tip from Lexipol. Until next time, Gordon Graham signing off.
