By Michael M. Dugan
Firefighters from the Hackensack (NJ) Fire Department encountered a difficult fire that became more difficult when a mutual-aid firefighter went down at the fire. Any fire at which a member operating on the fireground goes down can have a disastrous and long-lasting impact on the fire company and the entire department.
The fire in Hackensack was reported in a 2 1⁄2-story private dwelling; on arrival of the first-in engine company, the fire had made significant headway on the rear of the dwelling. The first-in unit struck a second alarm, bringing additional units from Hackensack and mutual aid from Teaneck to the scene. The call for additional units by the first-arriving units was a good call. If you need or might need the additional resources, it is prudent to start them responding to the fire scene immediately. It is safer to have them responding or on scene than it is to try to play catch-up and not have the available resources. If your rapid intervention company (RIC) is a mutual-aid company, it should start in on indications of a working fire such as numerous phone calls or police on the scene reporting a fire.
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