Firefighters "Dispatching Themselves"?

[Guest partyrock]

"(Name Removed) FD dispatched themselves after they heard that a firefighter had become trapped, ****** said.

"When a firefighter is trapped, we all come," he said."

ummm...I'm speech less.

[firecapt32 282]

maybe just maybe in defense-- if they knew they were second due--or preplan stated that they were the FAST ot RIT Then maybe they can "selfdispatch" with the knowledge that someone was notifing sombody. But to just go -not tell any one shows a complete lack of discipline and control.

[mfc2257 464]

FYI that FF has since succumbed to his injuries.

[Guest alsfirefighter]

I said the same thing patty in another post.

FireCapt....I hear you..but at what....a 1% chance? Chances are they could have overwhelmed an already critical and stressful fireground event.

Best wishes to that department in their healing process.

[Guest]

just goes to show you that tunnel vision is very dangerous. If you happen to hear that there is a situation going on that requires more resources and your those resources at least ask dispatch if they would like you to take it in. If not, stand fast until your requested. Dangerous situations coupled with clouded judgment and tunnel vision are only going to claim more lives

[eckyphats 0]

their heart was in the right place, just need to learn self control!!! everyone would want to do the same thing but we cant!

RIP brother

[IzzyEng4 427]

SELF-DISPATCH????????? TWO WORDS I HATE together!!!!! As a former FD / EMS dispatcher this is more ramped than ever. It doesn't matter if its fire or EMS units, once units start to self dispatch themselves you lose span and control and also the necessary coverage needed for the rest of the area you cover. There is no need to self dispatch and for those who allow it, should be removed from their officer's positions.

I have experienced this many times being a dispatcher and nothing is worse than a self dispatched unit ignoring an order to return to service then having to get bit in the backside because their is a fire right near their station or standby post (has happened several times under my watch and patients / people have suffered).

As a former fire officer if any person self dispatched them selves to respond with apparatus to any call (with the exception of a mistake in announcing the wrong running rules and the unit is supposed to be on the assignment) would face disciplinary action.

[AFS1970 504]

Self dispatching is just another word for freelancing. Most of us have rules against that, don't we? I can think of a few incidents both when I was in Dispatch, and when I was responding with the FD that relate well to these. I don't think any of them were strictly speaking, acceptible, but most had acceptible outcomes.

1) At the house fire, additional units were requested from a neighboring department. The dispatcher sent those units. A unit that was out of service but likely would have been sent if it had been in service, went back in service and responded to the call. That unit did get put to work, and there was no real problem other than they should have asked if they were needed not just assumed they could go.

2) A reported house fire in a blizard, just before noon time. Due to a lot of factors, there was an above average initial response. The normal response included an Engine from a neighboring department and thier tanker due to the weather. They in fact sent at least two engines and the tanker, and I believe a rescue, many of which were on the road shoveling out hydrants and called out as "in the area and responding" despite all these units the IC still called for an aditional engine and RIT from another dept. This lead to more people than could be put to work, because the fire was not as big as initially reported.

3) A Chief from one department, happens to be in the area when another department gets a report of a fire. He arrives before any first due units, but never says ont he radio that he is responding or on the scene. He calls by phone to have an Engine and Rescue from his dept respond because he thinks the first due companies might need the help. First due companies found out they were getting help when they heard more units being dispatched over the radio, which cause some confusion.

4) A fire is reported in an area of town where the 1st due units are out on an alarm call. The 2nd & 3rd due units are sent and report a fire. 1 1st due unit announces that they are redirecting themselves to the scene of the fire. When the alarm call is finished another 1st due unit says they are in the area and responding in case they are needed. With these two extra units going, a 3rd realizes that noone has been assigned over the radio as the RIT and asks if they are needed for that, which they are since if there is one, it hasn't been announced.

Each of these involved self dispatching to some extent. I think that most of these were well intentioned. I will make the bold statement that none of us has ever maliciously responded to a call. But the same argument can be made about on scene freelancing. Well chief I thought I was doing something good. As hard as it is, we need to take a step back and see what is happening and what is needed before jumping in head first. This is where standing tactics are a great idea. It is not freelancing to follow preplanned tactics without waiting for specific orders from the IC.

[Arrowxt 8]

This happened awhile ago but I think it adds to the subject:

A district over from ours got hammered with a lightning storm. They had at least ten trees and wires calls when they were dispatched for a house struck and on fire. At that point my department was called mutual aid to the structure fire quite a ride from our house. On the way they were again dispatched for a large commercial building struck and on fire, which was about a mile up the road from where we were currently. As I looked in the direction of there latest call I observed a large column of black smoke.

As we approached the road that the last call was on we could not get through over the radio (due to large amounts of units responding to the first call) and could not give IC an update of our visual. We kept proceeding to the first call.

Once we had made contact with IC and gave them an update and our location, we were then directed to turn around and proceed to the second call. Also once contact with IC was made we advised them that our other two engines were manned and at his disposal if he needed.

We then pulled a u'ey and fought the fire and they dispatched another unit from us.

It was a good lesson for the young guys we had on the rig, that is you do what you were dispatched to do.

Arrow