Lego City Fire Department
Standard Operating Proceedures and Misc.
Standard Operating Proceedures (SOP's)
SOPs are written and organized techniques to how LCFD respondes to emergencies and how personnel conduct themselves and their job at the scene.
Dispatching to Alarms
This newest Version of the Dispatching System dispatches units by which unit is closer, rather than the old way of by station. This has helped us decrease our response time.
All Alarms are dispatched as follows, unless otherwise noted below:
Still Alarm 2 Engine Companies and 1 Ladder Company.
1st Alarm One additional engine company, 1 ladder company, 1 medic, a Battallion
Chief, Light Rescue1 through 6, Air 1, and Rehab 1.
2nd Alarm An additional 3 engine companies, 2 ladder companies, 1 Medic, Command 1, and
Hose 1.
Additional Alarms An additional 3 Engine Companies, 2 Ladder Companies, and 1 Medic.
General Alarms Calls in off-duty personnel. Is dispatched with an 12th Alarm.
Mutual Aid Requests When needed, other city's may be requested to respond to
Lego City at the scene or to fill empty fire stations.
Specialty Units
Below is a listing of the types of heavy rescue apparatus we have in service and the types of emergencies that they responde to.
Light Rescue 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6
Respondes to all personal injury auto accidents (PI's), aircraft emergencies, multi-alarm fires, and when special called by an Incident Commander.
Haz Mat 1 and 2
Respondes to all hazardous materials incidents of when special called by an Incident Commander.
Air 1
Respondes to all multi-alarm fires and when special called by an Incident Commander.
Command 1
Respondes to all multi-alarm fires, natural disasters, or other large scale emergencies, and when special called by an Incident Commander. This unit can also be requested by other agencies, such as the Lego City Police Department, etc.
Rehab 1
Respondes to all multi-alarm fires or other types of large scale emergencies, and when special called by an Incident Commander.
Foam 1
Respondes to all haz mat emergencies and when special called by an Incident Commander.
Hose 1
Respondes to all multi-alarm fires and when special called by an Incident Commander.
Marine Units - Boats
Respondes to all watercraft fires and medicals as well as any other water located emergency. For EMS, they transport to the shore, where care is transfered to a land based Medic unit, unless an air lift, via Aerial 3, is needed.
Heavy Rescue 1 and 2
Respondes to natural disasters or any large scale emergency or when special called by an Incident Commander. All personnel are Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) trained.
Water 1 and 2 - Swift Water Rescue Team (Dive Team)
Respondes to water type emergencies where rescue is needed. This may include rivers, canals, creeks, etc. or smaller waterways.
Crane 1
Respondes to emergencies where rescue is needed. This may include climbers on a cliff or an auto accident over an embankment. This unit may be dispatched or requested by an Incident Commander.
Miscellaneous Department Notes
This section includes notes, SOP's, and other information that may not be contained in other pages.
Frequencies
Ch. Frequency Purpose
1 154.2800 LCFD Dispatch
2 154.9500 St. Croix County Dispatch
3 154.3400 Fireground Alpha
4 154.0100 Fireground Beta
5 158.9400 EMS to Hospital
6 154.2950 Statewide Mutual Aid
7 155.3400 Statewide EMS
8 155.2200 LCFD Paging
9 155.3850 LCFD Non-Emergency Unit to Unit
10 154.1600 LCFD Non-Emergency Unit to Unit
Minimum Training
While most personnel have more than the minimum amount of training, the section below lists out LCFD's minimum training requirements for Firefighting and EMS personnel.
Firefighters
Firefighter I, Firefighter II, Haz Mat Operations, and Paramedic, Advanced Trauma Life Support, Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Pediatric Advanced Life Support.
Paramedics
Paramedic, Advanced Trauma Life Support, Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Pediatric Advanced Life Support, and Haz Mat Awareness.
Work Shifts and Schedules
All personnel work a 24 hour shift, except for the FD HQ's personnel, which is explained below. Fire and EMS personnel work one shift on-duty and two shifts off-duty. This schedule revolves constantly, regardless of holidays or weekends. Personnel are free to trade shifts or trade hours within a shift amoungst themselves with their stations captain's permission.
Dispatchers work a 12 hour shift, 3 days on and 4 days off, then 4 days on and 3 days off. The first week is spent working from 0600 to 1800 while the second week is spent working 1800 to 0600. This two week schedule revolves regardless of holidays or weekends.
Officers or other FD HQ's personnel, except the maintenance and dispatchers, work a 40 hour work week, Monday through Friday. They are given holidays off duty.
Teletypes
Starting in 1997, all stations had installed teletype machines. This provides a written copy of all calls and special messages which are dispatched.
When a fire or medical call for assistance is made, most likely by 911, the Operators (city emloyed) take the call and transfer it to the responsible agency, in this case, the Lego City Fire Department. A fire call goes to a Fire Dispatcher and an ems call goes to an EMS Dispatcher. At that time, it is then dispatched on the 154.2800 - Lego City Fire Department Dispatch Frequency. A tone sounds at the station or stations which contain the apparatus about to be called out. Then all stations hear the actual voice of the dispatcher describing the call. Furthermore, this alarm is printed off on the teletypes at the responding station or stations.
For example, a MVA (motor vehicle accident, or a car accident with injuries) located by Fire Station #7 is called into 911. The operator transfers the call to an EMS Dispatcher. The dispatcher sounds tones at stations 7, 1, and 3. Once the tones are complete, all stations hear the following message:
"Squad 1, Engine 2, Light Rescue 1, Medic 3. At the intersection of 14th St. and Maple Ave. MVA." This message is then reported, this time without any tones.
MDT's (Mobile Data Terminals)
MDTs, or Mobile Data Terminals, are mini computers that personnel can use en route or at the scene of an emergency.
Starting in 1997, all LCFD apparatus, units, and command vehicles had them installed.
These computers serve a vital role in preparing and informing personnel of the details of any emergency. Floor plans, emergency contacts, location of bedrooms, number of residents, etc. can be looked up en route to the scene to provide a better and more accurate size up. This is an invaluable tool in saving the lives of trapped residents, especially children. EMS personnel can obtain medical history and any notes about the scenen while en route. Also, vitals can be sent via modem to the recieving medical facility.
In the example used in the "Teletypes" section, above, responding personnel would be able to tell that a squad on the scene has reported that it involves three vehicles and 5 people. This would save time in that additional units could be requested before the first unit even arrived.
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Copyright © 2000 Eric S. McDonald
This page was last updated on 3-23-02