By: Chief Mike Kull

In a perfect world, every time our Fire Brigade receives a call for service, we will have all the manpower we need and all of the necessary equipment available at a moment’s notice.  Of course, we don’t live in a perfect world and no matter where you are serving as a firefighter, there will be times that you will not have all of the resources you may need to properly respond.  So, what do we do to prepare for those times when we don’t have everything we THINK we NEED?

            The first step is for us to do an HONEST review of our available resources and manpower from our own fire station.  What is the lowest number of firefighters we have available to respond?  What equipment do we have that will be available and in good working order order for EVERY call?  This is where we start our preparation and training.  If we can only expect to have two firefighters available to respond to a call for service, we can make that work!  As we train at our stations, we train with only two firefighters performing tasks that we will be expected to do at an emergency.  We continue training and practicing as a two-person team until EVERYONE can complete all tasks with only two people.  Now, if we respond to an incident and we have more than two firefighters available, it will make the tasks go quicker and easier.  While we are practicing and training, we will be sure to use the equipment that we will have available and in good working order for every call.  We will be sure to properly MAINTAIN that equipment so that it is always available and in good working order.  If we then have other equipment available to us at an incident it will, again, make our jobs quicker and easier.

            Once we have become very good at working with low manpower and minimum equipment, our next step is to become familiar with other resources.  Is there another Fire Station or Brigade near-by that can bring more firefighters or other equipment?  If so, it is important to take the time to visit with those other firefighters and to practice and train with them as well. They may not always be available when you call them for help, but you will be familiar with them and their equipment if they do arrive to help.

            Now that we have become well trained with our own firefighters and our own equipment as well as with the available resources from nearby firefighters, we must look for other places to find the resources we need.  Are there police officers at the incident that can help us control the crowd or traffic nearby?  Are there members of the COMMUNITY that can assist us with tasks that do not put them in danger?  Is there a nearby business that may have tools or equipment that could be useful?  Are there hand tools that are not designed for firefighting that we may be able to use?  Can we build our own tools out of resources available nearby?

            All of this takes place BEFORE we are called to service.  It is important to identify the types of emergencies that we will be called to.  Then we must try to learn what equipment and resources we will need to help out at that emergency. We can PRE-PLAN what we will need so that we can practice those skills with our limited manpower and equipment and learn how to be successful. 

            In order to become a Fire Brigade that can perform well with limited resources we must practice and train often within our own Fire Stations and also those nearby.  We must utilize resources available in our community and we must find ways to use tools and equipment that are available to us to perform our jobs as firefighters. We must know the types of emergencies we will be called to and what resources we will need.  As we practice and train with very limited resources we become very good at our jobs and we can perform even better as more resources are found or arrive to help.

 About the Author:

Chief Mike Kull is a Fire Chief in rural Pennsylvania and successfully deals with limited resources on every call. He has been serving his local community for 25 years. Chief Kull serves as Fire Chief and Administrator of his local volunteer fire department as well as serving as a local elected official and has served in various government roles for his entire career. He is also a Forest Fire Warden with the PA Bureau of Forestry and serves on his church council.