UK firefighters given okay to 'sprint' to engines

From my first day in a fire station, I was taught to walk fast, but not run, to the apparatus and get dressed before boarding.

It probably goes without saying that I didn't always do that and, if I'm being honest, sometimes my personal turnout time depended on the call type, address or a combination thereof. I can, however, truthfully say that I've always prided myself on quickly getting dressed in my turnout gear, regardless of where that evolution occurred.

I can also say, with complete honesty, that despite being a 99.9% compliant seatbelt wearer, I almost fell out of a fire engine once, and only once, while getting dressed in the back. Why? Long story short, we were all rushing; and not to get to a fire with trapped victims, but to keep from getting a "CAD ticket" requiring explanation for an extended response time.

Continue reading Response time: Slow down to go faster