More on Evacuation

I just had the opportunity to read Alan Tresemer's article, “Exit Strategy”, in the December 2007 issue of FIRE CHIEF. As the fire chief in Fallbrook, Calif. — where we recently evacuated the entire community (of more than 50,000) during the recent Southern California wildland fires — I wanted to pass along a few additional thoughts.

Alan Tresemer does an excellent job of introducing a topic that I can probably guarantee that most fire chiefs have not spent a lot of time thinking about. While evacuating a couple of exposures near a structure fire or a street or two near a wildland fire may be routine, very few of us have the opportunity to participate in, much less order, large-scale evacuations. As mentioned, based on my own experience, I believe that what the author presented is good. I would add two additional important points.

First, understand the legal authority for evacuation in your locality. I have been involved in emergency services in five different states across the country and it is different in each one. For example, in California the sheriff is empowered with all legal authority to accomplish evacuation. That is not the case everywhere. In some states, you can force people to leave their homes, in others all you can do is ask them to leave. Understanding the legal foundation will be essential in creating a good, sound standard operating procedure, as advocated by the author.

Second, you aren't finished when you create an evacuation SOP that gets everyone out of the hazard area. In order to be truly complete the plan you should also specifically address re-entry or re-population of the evacuated area. We learned a lot of lessons about evacuation in the 2003 wildfires that were successfully implemented in 2007. This time, most complaints and lessons were not related to getting people out, they were related to returning people home. Again, legal authority is an issue. Also, there potentially are a lot of agencies involved in determining when it is safe and feasible for folks to return. Your plan should include who needs to provide input into the re-entry decision and specify who has the final decision-making authority.

Again, great job! Now that I've done [an evacuation] once, I hope I don't have to do it again!
— Chief Bill Metcalf
North County (Calif.)
Fire Protection District
IAFC Treasurer

No Sprinklers, No Awards

I own and operate ISO Slayer, a company dedicated to assisting communities in their efforts to improve their ISO ratings.

I read with interest your articles on fire station designs. I noticed that several of these stations are not equipped with fire sprinklers. In today's world it just does not make sense why we would consider a fire station without a fire sprinkler system as an award-winning design. In my personal opinion, any fire station that is constructed today, or undergoes a major addition or remodel, should not be considered at all for any award of this level if they are not equipped with fire sprinklers.

It is high time that we in the fire service mandate these important life-safety features in our own buildings in order to mandate them in private buildings. We simply cannot ignore this fact any longer.
— David Doudy

No Room to Talk

With over 38 years in the fire service, and being a union member while serving on a paid department, I am appalled with the story by International Association of Fire Fighter's [General President Harold] Schaitberger in the February 2008 issue of FIRE CHIEF.

I am thankful the federal government (largely thanks to ex-Congressman Curt Weldon) that a program was developed funding billions over the past six-plus years. By the way, this was not a result of 9/11; this was in place prior to 9/11. The president is looking for places to balance the budget, and although not to the best the fire services' interests, proposed cuts in these important programs, allowed us to do what our founding fathers organized. That was to go to the legislative branch to air our views and needs, which was indeed successful. That's the way it ought to work.

If Shaitberger wants to win something real important for the union, then the union needs to stop the anti-volunteerism campaigns, and attempt again for federal legislation that will provide for collective bargaining agreements. The new proposal needs to be without the added baggage that has even prompted union members to contact their federal delegates and demand a “no” vote on that bill, which is degrading to the fire service in general.

Chief Ronny Coleman's story “It's Time to Set Aside Differences for Good” in that same issue would be a good read for Schaitberger and his staff that proposed their particular legislation, which is doomed to fail as written. The failure will come from within the union as much (or more) as from outside sources. It is obvious Schaitberger has no time for President Bush, but he needs to know lots of union rank-and-file folks have no use for this latest attempt by [him] and his staff on this collective bargaining agreement legislation.
— Chief Darrell Graf
Fire Academy of North Dakota