Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
ORANGE COUNTY, 1~RTH CAROLINA <br />- nature, configuration, hazards, and internal protection of the properties <br />involved <br />- types of fireground tactics and evolutions employed as standard procedure, <br />type of apparatus used, and results expected to be obtained at the fire scene <br />hi jurisdictions with tactical hazards, high hazard occupancies, high incident <br />frequencies, geographical restrictions, or other pertinent factors, asldentifled by the <br />authorityhacdngjurisdiction, these companies shall be staffed with a minimum of <br />five or six on-duty personnel. <br />The explanatory text which accompanies NFPA 1710 provides insight <br />regarding the basis for the response objectives of "... four minutes or less for the <br />arrival of the first arriving engine company at a fire suppression incident and/or <br />eight minutes or less for the deployment of a full first alarm assignment at a fire <br />suppression incident." <br />The explanatory text states that: "An early aggressive and offensive primary <br />interior attack on a working fire, where feasible, is usually the most effective strategy <br />to reduce loss of lives and property damage. At approximately 10 minutes into the <br />fire sequence, the hypothetical room of origin flashes over. Extension outside the <br />room begins at this point. Consequently, given that the progression of a structural <br />fire to the point of flashover (i.e., the very rapid spreading of the fire due to the <br />super heating of room contents and other combustibles) generally occurs in less than <br />10 minutes, two of the most important elements in limiting fire spread are the quick <br />arrival of sufficient numbers of personnel and equipment to attack and extinguish <br />the fire as close to the point of its origin as possible." (AnnexA, Section A.5.2.1.2.1) <br />Applying NFPA 1710 to the specific conditions in Orange County results in the <br />identification of a number of challenges. The Chapel Fire Department appears to <br />meet the NFPA 1710 measures. The Carrboro Fire-Rescue Department, using <br />automatic aid and mutual aid resources, meets NFPA 1710. <br />NFPA Standard 1710 calls for 14 or 15 responders for working single-family <br />dwelling fires, which can be accomplished by a combination of on-duty personnel, <br />call-back of personnel, and mutual aid. Higher staffing levels are necessary for large <br />commercial structures, multiple residences, larger single-family residences, and high- <br />rise structures. <br />ILI1l1A CONSULTING GROUP, 1NC. .3.3 <br />