Fire Service

2 Pages 623 Words

Same Purpose, Different Duties

The Fire Department, whether large or small, meets the needs for the community in which they are serving. Although all Firefighters put their lives on the line everyday some duties will vary from Sacramento to Wilton.
The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District consists of four-hundred and seventy-five full-time firefighters as well as half that number in volunteer and student cadets According to Captain Pat Ellis of the Sacramento Metro Fire Department. This department has special equipment for dealing with city wide disasters such as motor vehicle accidents, burning homes, as well as large city steel and concrete buildings.
The Sacramento area is a very busy metropolitan city and has thousands of travelers a day on its various highways. Traffic accidents are all too common on these highways which can mean a very busy day for firefighters. Directing traffic, and keeping an eye on the other firefighters as well as setting up flares in accordance with state guidelines, can put you with in inches of a speeding vehicle.
As well as dealing with vehicle accident, there are also the residential houses that pose a threat to firefighters. Most homes now are built with all the upgraded electrical wiring for computers and appliances. When a house like this catches fire, flames are not the only thing they have to worry about. The wiring often will emit a toxic gas that is unnoticeable to the sense of smell but is very deadly.

Special oxygen masks help to be able to breathe in these conditions, and sensors attached to the firefighter’s jacket will alert them to a high level of toxic gases.
Finally they also have to deal with commercial building made of concrete and steel. The dangers that surround these are varied from city to city, but they all have one thing in common. The floor plans are always different. Unlike a residential housing sector most houses share a simple cookie cutter design. These c...