From the Co-President's Desk
..continued from page 4
- can feed two such hoses while a current standard pumper (engine) can feed six hoses; however, both apparati require a pump operator standing by the pump controls, leaving only one crew person on the mini-pumper or three on the engine to handle hoses. The smaller hoses look like another attempt to stretch the expensive fire fighter force. The personnel costs for a four-person staffing level for a year appear to be about four times the purchase cost of the engine they crew.
- Fires and fire deaths have been declining in Austin, possibly due to smoke detectors and the newness of housing stock resulting from the long boom.
- A majority of runs by the Fire Department are made as first responder to medical emergencies since the target response time for an ambulance is eight minutes vs. the current three minutes for a fire truck.
- Finally, the only other area slated to be served primarily by a two person squad on a mini-pumper is the area just west of Lamar served by Station 4 on Blanco Street. Two other mini-pumpers may be placed in larger stations replacing one large pumper in a two or three truck complement.
| -- | Gary Penn HPNA Co-President garypenn@swbell.net |
