By Mike Thompson, Gary Galasso and Jeff Clawson, M.D.
When it comes to firefighter safety, we think of the role of protective equipment, communication channels, fire apparatus, training, and the hard-earned trust of a firefighting team and their captain. But rarely do we examine the true beginning of the response and the unseen team member — the emergency fire dispatcher (EFD).
Behind each incident is a caller with an immediate view of the scene, reporting requested details to an EFD at the console. And much like an incident commander’s or first-due engine company’s size-up, the information relayed is indispensable in determining the next steps — in this case, the best method to send the right response, with the right equipment, to the right location.
Time and resolutions
Industry standards promote the idea that faster is better. In fact, the world’s leading advocate in fire prevention, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), recommends that “emergency alarm processing for the highest prioritization level emergency events shall be completed within 60 seconds, 90 percent of the time”(1), but this fractal standard is a consensus standard without supporting statistical evidence of best practices for sending an accurate response the first time.
When it comes to fire, every second feeds the flames. Infamously, the industry focuses on the fire’s growth beyond the room of origin, from incipient to a free-burning stage, often estimated as a mere 30 seconds to double in size. Theoretically, an early, aggressive interior attack on a working structure fire results in greatly reduced loss of life and property damage, satisfying the fire service’s ultimate objectives.
However, in the Fire Officer’s Handbook of Tactics, Chief John Norman states most working structure fires are found during the free-burning stage, and roughly half have extended beyond the room of origin(2). National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) data supports this claim(3). What does that mean in the context of timekeeping?
The clock begins ticking before the fire is discovered, as the person calls 911, as a response is dispatched, as responders arrive, conduct a size-up, prepare their equipment, and identify the best approach — all before the clock finally stops as the first water hits the fire. The assumption that a quick dispatch leads to a quick resolution is misleading.
Reasonable response
So why not cut a few seconds and serve the public best by dispatching responders the moment a call is received? Some services operate under that premise, providing what is believed to be “full service” for every caller. But there are far more factors involved in determining an appropriate response, and the margin for error can have severe consequences.
An over-response may involve sending fire department apparatus unnecessarily, potentially delaying its availability later if an active event happens in that station’s response area. Of potentially even greater concern is the risk of sending fire engines weighing 10 to 20 tons in an emergent mode unnecessarily, endangering the public with the risk of an emergency vehicle collision. Of lesser concern, but something to pay attention to, is the wear, tear and expense of fire apparatus responding emergently to what may ultimately be a minor problem or stable incident, only to immediately slow down upon receiving additional information.
Likewise, an under-response is clearly dangerous to responders and the public they serve. Limiting fire spread requires the quick arrival of sufficient numbers of personnel and equipment to attack and extinguish the fire as close to the point of origin as possible. Without the right equipment and support, firefighters are put in a dangerous and frustrating position with what could be insufficient resources to efficiently attack the fire.
Fine-tuning dispatch
The secret sauce of fire response is determining high-acuity vs. low-acuity calls through data collection and prioritizing responses with appropriate resources, but that requires a reasonable allowance of time. The missing piece to the equation is a time standard based on verifiable data and real-world call processing experience in today’s environment rather than past, outdated benchmarks based on unrealistic assumptions.
When the 911 call-taking process is time-starved, little information is gathered, which often results in either under- or over-response of valuable and sometimes scarce resources, with added cost and potential delay to a concurrent truly life-threatening incident. The benefit of allowing trained and certified EFDs to fully size-up the situation is building trust that responders will find what EFDs initially communicated upon their arrival.
Equipped with protocol
The key to a united, seamless connection from call to scene is the EFD’s use of prioritized, structured protocols. Using a structured, consistent, very incident-type specific interrogation allows EFDs to uniquely and confidently address a wide range of events.
Armed with prioritized and pre-determined resource allocations, EFDs can avoid the pressure of on-the-spot decision-making while preventing potential delays in sending essential help. EFDs, who are directed by a proven protocol, consistently send the right people and equipment to the correct scene with the right information to prepare for and implement the best tactical response.
While responders are en route, EFDs provide the caller (and at-risk bystanders) at the scene with critical safety instructions to prevent avoidable tragedy, while still collecting crucial details to update arriving responders regarding an evolving emergency.
Final thoughts
Where information enables preparation, rushed assumptions create inherent penalties. It’s time to invest in the first first responder — the EFD who serves as the critical link between the public and the vital resources they need.
For every fire, there is going to be a call. Let’s answer it efficiently and safely, sending the right response at the right time, in the right way, to the right place, and do the appropriate things by scripted “remote control” to aid those at the scene until the troops arrive.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Mike Thompson is a retired career battalion chief with 27 years of fire service and paramedic experience. Thompson currently serves as a fire and medical subject matter expert with the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch. He has been affiliated with Priority Dispatch and the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch since 1990 and has taught certification courses and provided consulting services for public safety agencies over much of the United States and abroad. Thompson is an EMD and EFD instructor, IAED College of Fellows member, Medical Council of Standards member, Fire Council of Standards member, Fire Curriculum Board chair, and Fire Research Board chair. He is a frequent speaker at EMS, fire and telecommunication conferences throughout the United States and internationally. Thompson has a bachelor’s degree in public safety administration.
Gary Galasso has more than 37 years of fire service and licensed field paramedic experience. He retired from the San Jose (California) Fire Department as a deputy fire chief, concluding 26 years of career fire service. Galasso has an associate degree in fire science and a bachelor’s degree from California State University Long Beach. He has implemented medical and fire protocol systems within agencies in the United States and abroad since 2013. Galasso has been instructing EMD and EFD certification courses for over 20 years and is an EFD and EFD-Q Master Instructor. He has been a member of the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch’s (IAED) College of Fellows and has served as the IAED Fire Council of Standards chair since 2007. Galasso is currently a fire and medical protocol expert for Priority Dispatch.
Jeff J. Clawson, M.D., is the chair of the Rules Group of the Medical Council of Standards of the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (IAED) and Medical Director of the IAED Research, Standards, and Academics Division. He is also the CEO/Lead Scientist of Priority Dispatch. Dr. Clawson co-founded the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch in 1988. He has authored over 80 articles on EMS and EMD issues, two chapters on EMD in the “National Association of EMS Physicians Medical Directors” text and the textbook “Principles of Emergency Medical Dispatch,” now in its 6th edition.
SOURCES
- NFPA. “Standard for the Installation, Maintenance, and Use of Emergency Services Communications Systems.” NFPA Standard 1221, 15.4.4.2.
- Norman, J. “Fire Officer’s Handbook of Tactics.” Fifth Edition. Tulsa, Oklahoma. Fire Engineering Books. 2019.
- U.S. Fire Administration. “Topical Fire Report Series.” The National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS), 2009–2011.
