What are some of the problems in the Fire Service?

        Over the years, the firefighting profession has benefited from things such as community support and funding.  In recent years, however; there have also been problems.  These problems were discussed by multiple Fire Chiefs during the Firehouse World convention in San Diego.  Firefighters in today’s world are seen by some as a drain on community finances due to their salaries and pensions.  As John Tripp, Deputy Chief of the Los Angeles City Fire Department, says: “‘People don’t have fires like they used to....Therefore, there’s a perception that we don’t need as many firefighters as we used to’” (Ballum).  Most people don’t realize that firefighters do much more than put out fires.  Public Safety Education and Emergency Medical Services are just a few examples of the other services firefighters provide to communities.  One of the other problems departments face are the abundance of minor calls they are dispatched to.  False alarms and minor medical calls are just a few examples of these calls.  It is a drain on resources and can even delay response times to other, more serious, calls as well as puts the personnel at risk for injury for virtually nothing.  The Los Angeles City Fire Department remedies this problem by running truck that are equipped to provide medical aid, while leaving patient transportation to private EMS companies.  Another problem I touched on in my last section was the threat of cancer in the Fire Service due to smoke inhalation.  All of these things just go to show that while some aspects of firefighting are improving, there are still others at are getting worse.  

What hazards have Firefighter had to face in the past? Are there any new hazards they have to train for in today's world?

It is well known that firefighting is a dangerous profession, and many firefighters die in the line of duty each year.  According to an NFPA article (National Fire Protection Association), there were a total of 68 firefighter line of duty deaths (LODD).  While the number is below average, it is still a very noticeable amount.  In the early days of the job, deaths were commonplace due to the primitive tactics used by the volunteers and townspeople.  Causes of death ranged from burning to death and smoke inhalation, to getting crushed by falling walls or falling from a great height.  Even though fire technology and protective equipment have improved since then, the job has not become any safer.

In the past, firefighters faced problems that were deadly, but relatively simple.  Nowadays, problems other than fire plague rescue workers.  Firefighters now have to train to respond to things such as terrorist attacks, riots, and other occurrences.  There are also existing hazards that have evolved to become even more dangerous.  An example of this is the new kind of smoke firefighters are facing.  Smoke has always been a hazard for rescuers in the past.  It takes away oxygen and makes the air unbreathable.  Now with the new chemicals being used to make household furniture and appliances, chemicals such as Carbon Monoxide and Hydrogen Cyanide are now mixed in the smoke.  Both chemical can cause severe damage to the body and, over time, even kill a person.  A more in-depth list of chemicals fond in smoke can be found here.  It just goes to show that even though safety has advanced throughout the years, the hazards of the job are still there.

Research So Far (10/21/2016)

The beginning phase of my report has been going back and researching the history of firefighting in the United States.  I learned the first recorded fire on U.S. soil was in May 1608 at the Jamestown settlement when their storehouse burned to the ground, taking much needed winter supplies with it.  Back in those days, citizens were only able to use buckets of water to combat the flames.  Most of the time, they were unable to save the burning building and had to turn their attention to the surrounding buildings and keep them from catching fire as well. 

As time progressed, it became mandatory in many towns that people have buckets set aside for the sole purpose of fighting fires.  Whenever a fire was spotted, the cry "Throw out your buckets!" would go out and everyone who was physically able to would go form a line from the nearest water source to the fire.  These were called "fire lines" and were made to help get water to the scene as quick as possible.  The men would fill the buckets and pass them forward, while the women would pass the empty buckets back.  While primitive, it was effective in many cases and set the precedent for future firefighting operations. 


An example of a bucket that would be used in a Fire Line


An example of a "fire line" or "bucket brigade"

Topic Overview and Resources So Far

Growing up, we all were told that Firefighting is one of the most dangerous professions in today's world.  It is also one of the oldest and most admired (by children mainly).  The goal of this paper is to give a little background history of firefighting and then show how advances in everyday technology are influencing the field. 





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