September 23, 1998
Tiffin fire and rescue to train in teams
By Jefferson Wolfe
Staff Writer
Now that the Tiffin Fire and Rescue Division has all its fire/EMS personnel in place, they will begin working on training in teams.
Tiffin Fire Chief William Ennis said each shift will be breaking into teams so that when they get to the scene of a fire, everyone will have a specific job and know exactly what to do.
''This isn't anything we haven't done for years,'' Ennis said. But the department is developing standard operating guidelines to formalize each role at the scene of a fire.
Ennis compared fighting a fire to a football game, except in reverse.
''We do the two-minute drill first, then we go into the play-calling,'' he said.
Now, the fire department is training on a housefire procedure and there will be two more guidelines, one for large-area structures and another for buildings with sprinkler systems. Ennis said sometimes a pumper is needed in such a building to maintain water pressure in the sprinklers.
Firefighters are training on the house fire operations in several places. He said they have used facilities at the Seneca County Fairgrounds and the old Sears building.
Ennis said the recent fire/EMS merger will provide more staffing at the scene of a fire.
''The National Fire Protection Association recommends a minimum of 11 firefighters to a single-family dwelling to properly handle a fire,'' Ennis said.
With the merger, 10 fire/EMS personnel would go to the scene and one chief officer, either Ennis or Deputy Chief Ed Schwab.
''We will add more personnel if the fire is bigger,'' Ennis said.
Before the merger, six firefighters and one chief officer would have initially responded, he said.
Ennis said the department's personnel should remain stable, with no planned retirements for about two years.
''The biggest thing now is settling down into place and getting used to working together,'' Ennis said.