It was one of those mornings: working overtime on an engine and just backing in from our third medical run of the day. We were just going back into service from restocking our supplies and decontaminating some of the medical equipment when the alarm tones went off. The housewatch immediately announced over the intercom: “Third due, fire in a private dwelling,” and the building’s address, as everyone hustled to the apparatus.
为单位重新sponded in, dispatch began notifying them that it was starting to receive numerous calls reporting a fire. Being unfamiliar with my unit’s response area and the street layout, I made sure that I kept a good eye on the streets and the response. I also asked the chauffeur, “Which way will we be running into the other responding units?” He responded, “They’ll all be coming up from the opposite direction, Boss.” That was good to hearone less thing to be overly concerned about, since I was unfamiliar with this area of the city. However, it’s important to remember that, although a unit’s normal response pattern may be from one direction, it could be out of quarters and responding in from a different direction.
Arriving on the scene, the first-due engine company reported over the radio that it had “a three-story detached frame, fire on the top floor.” On our arrival, we positioned at a hydrant, and the chauffeur checked it to make sure it was serviceable. Suddenly, the radio blurted out that there was fire in the two apartments on the top floor. The chief quickly ordered us to stretch a second line to the top floor and enter the other apartment.
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