“Alarm to all stations, stand by
for daily radio check” might not carry the weight of “Ladies and Gentlemen,
start your engines”, but the statement has a similar effect at Brentwood Fire
and Rescue. Every morning at 7:00 AM a Brentwood Dispatcher comes over the
radio to notify all the stations that they are about to receive the tones for morning
radio check. After the tones go off the dispatcher will call each unit over the
radio, and every fire apparatus responds to verify that they are able to both
send and receive transmissions. This is the official start to a day at
Brentwood Fire and Rescue and the beginning of the morning checkoff.
Once radio check is complete, the
day’s activities begin with an exchange between the offgoing and oncoming
crews. This is known as the passdown, and covers a variety of topics including
any calls from the previous shift, tools and equipment used, problems with the
station or apparatus and anything else that is deemed important.
During this time turnout gear and
personal equipment are added and removed from the fire truck as appropriate.
Everyone checks their airpacks to ensure they have a full supply of air and
that the pack is functioning properly. Turnout gear is checked over to make
sure it is ready for the next emergency. Compartments are opened and equipment
is inspected.
The driver, or Engineer, of the
fire apparatus will walk around the vehicle inspecting spare air bottles,
tires, and the contents of each compartment. The idea here is to identify any
issues that may exist before they become a problem. There is a set checklist
that must be completed every day, but there are also additional checks that are
performed based on the day of the week.
As part of the morning checkoff,
each apparatus is pulled out in front of the fire station. The driver will
verify that the onboard computer is working, check fuel, oil and transmission
levels and test the fire engine’s pump to ensure everything will function if it
is called upon in an emergency. Even though there are gauges to monitor the
level of water and firefighting foam in the tanks, the driver will visually
inspect these tanks as part of the process. Firefighters could be put at risk
if the gauge was wrong and the engine ran out of water unexpectedly.
While the truck is outside, the
driver will again walk around. This time they are inspecting every light on the
truck to verify that it is working. If any bulbs need replacing, this is the
time to take care of it. Now is also the time that the driver gets to live out
every child’s dream and blow the horn and sound the siren to make sure they are
in proper working order.
While the Engineer is ultimately
responsible for ensuring the truck is ready to respond, the firefighter will
pitch in and help out. This can include checking off the medical equipment.
Every shift the medical equipment is inspected to make sure anything used on a
previous call has been replaced. Once a month any equipment that needs
calibration is tested to ensure it is working properly. Medications that are
nearing their expiration dates are removed and replaced. When you need it is
not the time to find out that a medication has expired or the last oxygen mask
was used the day before.
Every day at Brentwood Fire and
Rescue may start in a similar manner, but once calls start coming in things can
become anything but routine. By adhering to a set method for inspecting the
apparatus and its equipment, firefighters can ensure the fire engine won’t let
them down when they need it most.
