Master Plan Nashua Fire Rescue, NH
Deployment Methods and Staffing Performance for Incidents
NFPA 1710 addresses apparatus staffing, response time, and the effective firefighting force (also referred to
as the effective response force), which is the minimum number of firefighters to carry out essential fireground
tasks.
Fire Responses
The number and types of tasks needing simultaneous action dictate the minimum number of firefighters
required to combat different types of fires. In the absence of adequate personnel to perform concurrent
action, the commanding officer must prioritize the tasks and complete some in chronological order, rather
than concurrently. These tasks include:
= Command = Water supply
= Scene safety «= Pump operation
» Search and rescue = Ventilation
= Fire attack » Back-up/rapid intervention
The following figure describes initial full alarm assignments for a residential structure fire, open-air shopping
center fire, and an apartment fire. All three of these types of occupancies are common throughout Nashua.
These are generalizations representative of different types of structures and risks. Each department may
handle these types of fires with fewer or more personnel; however, this describes the work functions that
must take place for the handling of a fire.
When a fire escalates beyond what can be handled by the initial assignment, the fire has unusual
characteristics such as a wind-driven fire, or has been accelerated with a highly flammable compound,
additional personnel will be needed. There are also types of scenarios that may not be fires, but mass casualty
incidents, explosions, tornadoes, etc., that may require additional staffing. It is difficult or impossible to staff
for these worse case incidents. These require a strong mutual aid or automatic aid plan for assistance.
NFPA 1710 states that in response zones with high numbers of incidents, geographical restrictions,
geographical isolations, or urban areas the engine and truck staffing should be increased to five, while in
response zones with tactical hazards, high-hazard occupancies, or dense urban areas, the staffing should be
increased to six. The standard defines the term geographical isolation as areas where over 80% of the
response area is outside of a 10-minute response of the next closest fire suppression unit, and geographical
restriction as being where there are predictable response delays.
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ESC) Consulting International 78
