In today’s world of budgeting constraints, gone are the days of responding to a fire with excessive personnel. Though firefighting is still a labor-intensive job, today it is done with much concern about the number and size of firefighter crews used.
The fire service, as well as private enterprise, has invested large amounts of time and money in developing new equipment and tactics that will improve safety and efficiency on the fireground. An unfortunate side effect to this is that departments now are struggling with fewer firefighters on-scene. At the turn of the century, the response to a fire could have involved 50 to 100 firefighters in working pumps and bucket brigades. With the invention of steam pumps came an immediate reduction in the need for fire service personnel. Ever since, government officials have searched for advantages that will reduce large personnel pools.
The expense of maintaining an efficient and effective fire service has proven more and more burdensome for municipalities. Because of the growing need for funds in many other areas, some government officials have looked to the fire service as an easy area in which to justify a reduction of services. The fire service has developed a reputation for performing to an acceptable level regardless of the limitations imposed on it. With improved equipment, strategies, tactics, and codes, the frequency of fires has greatly decreased.
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