CAUTIONS REGARDING PRODUCTIVITY ENHANCEMENTS
Departments considering alternative staffing levels and apparatus assignments such as Springfield’s multiple-role program first must consider impacts on firefighter safety. Standard operating procedures and training must reflect adherence to accepted standards. Incident commanders and safety officers must assure strict compliance by monitoring each incident and making adjustments accordingly. With the current national focus on the proposal to include minimum staffing levels for fire companies in NFPA 1500, attention to proper administration is particularly important.
For example, in Springfield’s twoperson engine/ambulance crew, when responding as an engine company, personnel are not permitted to make an interior attack until a second apparatus arrives with two or more qualified firefighters to staff a four-person company. Since all ambulance personnel are fully qualified firefighters and ambulances carry full turnout and SCBA equipment, the nearest ambulance also may provide additional staff prior to the arrival of the next nearest engine.
Because of the close proximity of additional help (via an enhanced mutual-aid agreement from the nearby city of Eugene), safe staffing levels are assured. In addition, Springfield is able to maintain an ISC) grade 3 because of its ability to rapidly provide additional backup for its only two-person engine company.
Also, exercise caution in developing productivity-enhancing programs that result in increases in runrelated workload. A department must track die workload by apparatus and time of day. If a particular crew has been busy all day and has not had adequate meal or rest time, members may be sent to a less busy district or be covered by another apparatus for a period of time to avoid fatigue. If a particular apparatus runs so frequently in the evening that its crew gets no meaningful sleep period, it is unwise to let these crew members handle an overtime shift the next day unless they receive coverage to allow them more sleep.
If all else fails, excessive run load for a particular apparatus on a given shift may be managed by relieving the crew of duty and sending members home. Provision must be made to pay them for the full shift so they don’t feel penalized for something outside of their control and to avoid labor problems from developing
