New Haven Squad 2

[x635 4,066]

Noticed this very sharp New Haven engine. Spec'd for Squad 2.

http://www.firematic.com/trucksnew/newhaven11/index.htm

Just out of curiosity, what does a Squad do in New Haven, and is this a new type of apparatus for them?

[sfrd18 360]

For those of you who don't know, New Haven is the second largest city in Connecticut, with a population of 129,779 people living in 18.9 square miles. The New Haven Fire Department(NHFD) is a full-time paid department operating out of 10 Fire Stations, located throughout the city. The NHFD staffs a fire apparatus fleet of 10 Engines(including a Quint), 4 Trucks, 2 Squads, 2 Ambulances, 2 Haz-Mat. Units, a Fireboat, a Mask Service Unit, a Hose Wagon, 2 Battalion Chiefs, and a Deputy Chief. All the engines, trucks, and squads are Pierce. Most are Pierce Quantums, but the city is making the move to Arrow XT's, with 2 of their Engines, 1 Truck, and this new Squad being XT's. The department responds to around 30,000 emergency calls annually. One of the key features of this department is that it's apparatus is and has been all white since the 1940's.

The Squad concept is not that new in New Haven. Initially, the squad system in the city replaced 2 Tactical Units(Rescues) that were disbande in the 1990's. By the late '90's, however, the vacancies left by the Tactical Units became the Squad Companies. Thus, the NHFD does not operate a rescue company, per se, but rather, two Squad Engine Companies in stead: Squad 1 and Squad 2. Both companies serve as rescues, as well as engine/truck companies.

Squads in New Haven roll on calls pretty much like FDNY Squads do. Squads go on all Box Alarms(Structure Fires), as well as MVA's, Haz-Mat. Incidents Technical Rescues, or any other incidents where a specialized unit might be needed. Usually at structure fires, the Squad's task is to basically perform as a rescue company or an engine company, i.e., performing searches, rescuing victims, etc., or stretching a line, depending on the IC's discretion. Also, prior to the Squad's creation, a Box Alarm in Downtown New Haven, known back in the day as a "red ball box", required and assignment of 4 Engines, 2 Trucks, a BC, and a DC, as opposed to 3 Engines, 1 Truck, and a BC in other areas of the city. I'm not too sure where the old Tactical Units fit in to that assignment though. Anyway, now, anywhere in the city, a Box gets 3 Engines, 1 Truck(2 in Downtown), a Squad(which fills the 4th Engine requirement from back in the day), an Ambulance(known in the city as an Emergency Unit), and a BC(DC too if Downtown). Thus, the Squads are definitely pretty useful pieces of equipment, that have proven themselves beneficial to the NHFD. At each fire, there is always an additional engine company and a rescue company present in the Squads.

The new Squad 2 is basically the current Squad 2's(and 1's) body design with a new Pierce cab. The old Squad 2 will be placed in the reserve pool.

Hope this helps Seth.

Edited November 5, 2011 by sfrd18

[PaulBalentine 13]

sweet looking rig!!!! I am a diehard traditionalist, like many of you here, (leather helmets, gamewell boxes, and RED firetrucks) BUT!!! I have always liked the look of the New Haven Rigs, and this one is no exception. Good luck with it, brothers, Pierce is the Cadillac of fire apparatus!!!!

[SageVigiles 1,194]

I think the Squads also run with 1 Driver, 1 Officer and 3 or 4 Firefighters, so they have a little extra manpower in addition to the extra toys and training. This rig is just SLIGHTLY longer than Squad 1, and also has a different cab configuration. Where old SQ2 had 4 rear facing seats and a large compartment on the rear wall of the cab, this one has 2 rear facing seats with a compartment between them and two forward facing seats. Gives the guys a little more elbow room I believe, though I haven't yet seen the rig in person.

I believe that HAZMAT 1 is a second piece for Squad 1 as well, They have a Sterling cab with rescue body for that rig, painted in the classic all white traditional for NHFD. The other HAZMAT rig that SRFD18 is talking about is the state Mass Decontamination Trailer and Prime Mover, which I believe is stored at the Fire Academy, and is red. I'm not sure if they were also issued one of the "beer truck" style rigs that the state also hands out to the teams.

New Haven FD (and particularly the Squad Companies due to their Special Ops configuration) is part of the New Haven Area Special Hazards Team (NHASH) and comprises the South Division (1 of 5 divisions) with New Haven Police ESU, Yale Police ESU and the FBI New Haven office. NHPD, YPD and FBI are an important aspect of the team due to the fact that they comprise the Hazardous Devices Unit and provide NHASH with the ability to mitigate explosives incidents. Also I believe South Division is the only division with a law enforcement component, allowing tactical operations within the NHASH team.

[sfrd18 360]

I believe that HAZMAT 1 is a second piece for Squad 1 as well, They have a Sterling cab with rescue body for that rig, painted in the classic all white traditional for NHFD. The other HAZMAT rig that SRFD18 is talking about is the state Mass Decontamination Trailer and Prime Mover, which I believe is stored at the Fire Academy, and is red. I'm not sure if they were also issued one of the "beer truck" style rigs that the state also hands out to the teams.

Correct SageVigiles. The prime mover and trailer is from the state and are red. There is also Haz-Mat. 1A, the reserve Haz-Mat. rig, an '89 International "beer truck" style rig. Also, Squad 1 is quartered with Engine 8, Haz-Mat. 1, and Car 101(Pickup) on Whitney Ave.(Northern section of the city). Squad 2 is quartered with Engine 9, Car 34(West BC), and the Hose Wagon, along with a few Tech. Rescue/Special Ops. trailers on Ellsworth Ave.(Western section of the city).

[IzzyEng4 427]

I need to make some corrections here. You are slightly off track, the Wiki that most of your information was copied from is a little inconsistent. The majority of the information correct. Just gonna breakdown your explanation where the corrections are needed.

For those of you who don't know, New Haven is the second largest city in Connecticut, with a population of 129,779 people living in 18.9 square miles. The New Haven Fire Department(NHFD) is a full-time paid department operating out of 10 Fire Stations, located throughout the city. The NHFD staffs a fire apparatus fleet of 10 Engines(including a Quint), 4 Trucks, 2 Squads, 2 Ambulances, 2 Haz-Mat. Units, a Fireboat, a Mask Service Unit, a Hose Wagon, 2 Battalion Chiefs, and a Deputy Chief. All the engines, trucks, and squads are Pierce. Most are Pierce Quantums, but the city is making the move to Arrow XT's, with 2 of their Engines, 1 Truck, and this new Squad being XT's. The department responds to around 30,000 emergency calls annually. One of the key features of this department is that it's apparatus is and has been all white since the 1940's.

You are correct for the most part with the apparatus. However the department's two ambulances are called "Emergency Units" staffed with a paramedic and a EMT-Driver, they are not utilized as an ambulance in the traditional sense. 99% of the time Emergency 1 & 2 are utilized for paramedic intercepts and vary rarely transport patients. When an ALS call is received, New Haven ERS (Emergency Reporting System) sends out the closest engine company for BLS first responder (EMT level), one Emergency Unit (nicknamed E-Units) and contacts New Haven C-MED for an ambulance (AMR is the primary transport for New Haven (or who ever the mutual aid ambulance service if AMR is not available). Which brings me to the next point, Emergency 1 & 2 have transport capabilities so they could transport the patient to the hospital if need be. The Emergency Units also respond to every box alarm / working fire in the city. If a firefighter needs transport (on or off duty in the city) or a family member, the E-Unit will transport them as well if requested. Also the E-Units though the state's OEMS plan is available for mutual aid as a paramedic intercept if necessary.

New Haven's current fireboat is trailered and not of the classic bearthed fireboat design, it is more of a rescue style boat with firefighting capabilities and does the job needed for the department. New Haven did operate a full size fireboat for many years, the last being the Sally Lee which was bearthed originally down at Long Wharf and supplemented with manpower from Engine 5 or Engine 4 (don't remember the history to well). With New Haven's tank farm and deep water port, it would be nice to see a full size fireboat in the city again, the Sally Lee went out of service in the late 1980s or early 1990s.

The Hazmat unit is operated by Squad 1 and is stationed out of the Whitney Avenue station. The current Hazmat 1 is a ALF / Sterling walk-in rescue style unit. Also stationed with hazmat one is the state foam trailer (one of several throughout the state) and a pickup truck (I think its a GMC, may be a Chevy) that is owned by NHFD to pull the trailer. The department also operates a state issued prime mover and decontamination trailer, which is stored at the fire training center / NHFD repair shops. And also it is one of two apparatus that is not all white, the prime mover and decon-trailer are solid red (one of the Emergency units is red and white as it was purchased as a demo). The state foam trailer is also all red and a few staff vehicles are not white (not many) but they all don't count! The mask service unit is operated by the shop mechanics and is stored their as well.

The Hose wagon is a recent addition that the NHFD shops converted from one of the department's old Pierce Arrow pumpers. Basically they took out the water tank and re-configured the bed for LDH. I believe the pump on the rig is still operational. (New Haven shop mechanics come up with some interesting concepts throughout the years!)

Except for one, all of the engines and squads are made by Pierce however the entire fleet is not. Like I said before Hazmat 1 is an ALF / Sterling rig. Engines 4, 6, 8, 9, 10 & 11 are Pierce Quantums without the fold down steps. Engines 15 & 17 and new Squad 2 are Arrow XTs. Squad 1 and reserve Squad (the current Squad 2) are Pierce Lances. Engine 5 is the department's 75' quint is a Sutphen that was refurbished around 5 years ago (Engine 5 ran a Quantam triple combination during this period waiting for their rig, then that triple became Engine 8). Two of the spare engines of the department are Pierce Dashes that served Engine 15 & 17 (they may only use one of these rigs now, unsure) and I beleive there is still a Pierce Arrow spare engine. Engine 16 is a pierce pumper with the same body style as the rest of the engine companies on a Kenworth four-door chassis. As for the trucks, Truck 1 and its spare are both 95 (maybe 100) foot Sutphen mid-mount tower ladders. Truck 2 and 4 are new Seagrave Maurauder chassis 100 ft. TDAs, there spares are also 100 foot Seagrave TDAs. New Truck 3 is a Pierce Arrow XT 100 foot rear mount aerial ladder, Truck 3A spare is a Seagrave 100 ft. rear mount aerial ladder. The two E-Units I believe are Hortons on Freightliner chassis however I know one of the spares is on an International and one of the in service ones may be also, I have to check that out because I know one E-unit box was re-chassied a few years back due to an accident, don't quote me until I got the correct info on that one. As for the rumor of the department going towards all Arrow XT rigs, that has yet to be confirmed but seems logical with the recent purchases. The only reason Truck 3 was not a Seagrave (which was preferred and so as I was told) was because of the cost of the rig and Pierce came in lower and was able to construct the rig the way NHFD needed it to be (Truck 3's district has a few low railroad overpasses). They also have a mini-pumper that serves as the department's brush truck, designated Car 47. This unit came from the Hotchkiss Hose Company of the Derby Fire Department and is a Pierce / Chevy 750 gpm rig). The department also at one time operate an International ARFF vehicle out of Engine 16's firehouse to cover Tweed-New Haven Airport. The airport now operates all ARFF operations and receives a dual response from New Haven and East Haven (as it sits on the town line).

The Deputy Chief (Car 32) is the shift commander with two Battalion chiefs (Cars 33 & 34) and I believe they are now operating GMC Suburbans for vehicles (unsure). The Battalions are called East Battalion and West Battalion. Currently each battalion has 5 engines, two trucks and an emergency unit. Both Squad companies are stationed in West Battalion firehouses (Squad 1 at Engine 8 and Squad 2 at Engine 9) and I think its only done this way because of city's geography and for administration purposes, not operations (I need to ask why as I have heard several reasons why they are in the same battalion).

All of New Haven's apparatus were red up until WW-II. With the rolling air-aid blackouts during the war, the department painted their apparatus white so they could be seen better at night since they could not use lights. And so the tradition stuck after the war and they are one of a few departments that have white rig in the state.

The Squad concept is not that new in New Haven. Initially, the squad system in the city replaced 2 Tactical Units(Rescues) that were disbande in the 1990's. By the late '90's, however, the vacancies left by the Tactical Units became the Squad Companies. Thus, the NHFD does not operate a rescue company, per se, but rather, two Squad Engine Companies in stead: Squad 1 and Squad 2. Both companies serve as rescues, as well as engine/truck companies.

Squads in New Haven roll on calls pretty much like FDNY Squads do. Squads go on all Box Alarms(Structure Fires), as well as MVA's, Haz-Mat. Incidents Technical Rescues, or any other incidents where a specialized unit might be needed. Usually at structure fires, the Squad's task is to basically perform as a rescue company or an engine company, i.e., performing searches, rescuing victims, etc., or stretching a line, depending on the IC's discretion. Also, prior to the Squad's creation, a Box Alarm in Downtown New Haven, known back in the day as a "red ball box", required and assignment of 4 Engines, 2 Trucks, a BC, and a DC, as opposed to 3 Engines, 1 Truck, and a BC in other areas of the city. I'm not too sure where the old Tactical Units fit in to that assignment though. Anyway, now, anywhere in the city, a Box gets 3 Engines, 1 Truck(2 in Downtown), a Squad(which fills the 4th Engine requirement from back in the day), an Ambulance(known in the city as an Emergency Unit), and a BC(DC too if Downtown). Thus, the Squads are definitely pretty useful pieces of equipment, that have proven themselves beneficial to the NHFD. At each fire, there is always an additional engine company and a rescue company present in the Squads.

The new Squad 2 is basically the current Squad 2's(and 1's) body design with a new Pierce cab. The old Squad 2 will be placed in the reserve pool.

Hope this helps Seth.

The current Squads were organized around the end of the 1990s / beginning of 2000. The origins of NHFD rescue rigs started with the original Emergency Unit that was part of Engine 12 (which has long been disbanded), established in 1941. In the 1960s, two Chevy vans were purchased and became Emergency 1 & 2 staffed with EMS trained firefighters, thus if I read NHFD's history correctly the orgiinal Emergency "rescue" unit was disbanded. The tactical units came in after the disbanding of two engine companies in the 1970s to staff them and were established long after this period. Tactical Unit 1 & 2 remained into service until for a few years until they were disbanded due to concessions, the current squad concept is technically not related to the old Tactical units as they were disbanded for several years before the current squads were organized. Also, the department saw the addition of two more emergency units around the time the TAC Units were in service, only one was staffed with medics, the other three with EMTs and the engines did not run as first responders.Tactical Unit 1 became the second piece of Engine 8 shortly after if memory serves me correctly and was placed at this station mainly due to the locality of the station throughout the rest of the city and also Interstates 91 & 95. During the early 1990s, the current Pierce Lance rescue pumper was purchased for Engine 8 and served in that capacity for many years. Truck 2 in the Hill section also had extrication tools on it as its station is located near the western portion of 95 through the city. Also during the re-organizational period, the three BLS Emergency units were disbanded and the ALS E-unit remained in service. A few months later a second ALS E-Unit was re-activated due to call volume. In the near future it looks like they will be back to four E-units but staffing them is another discussion with the possibility with the disbanding of an Engine Company to staff them (another discussion for a later time).

Now the New Haven Squad concept is more than the FDNY model as in New Haven, THEY ARE THE HEAVY RESCUE COMPANIES IN NEW HAVEN, and also an engine company. New Haven had only ten engine companies at this time and there was a need for two more, as well as a heavy rescue company, ect. ect. It was decided to make Engine 8's rescue pumper a separate company thus became Squad 1 while Squad 2 was organized to be stationed at Engine 9 to fully cover the city. Like I said before Squad 1 runs Hazmat 1 and I am not sure if Squad 2 has a "second piece" it runs. Both units respond to hazmat and technical rescues throughout the city (like in the recent cliff side rescue at East Rock Park). With regards to fire responses, the squads are likely to be the second,third or fourth due engine on the assignment and when the engine they are stationed with is out on another call or out of service, the squad becomes the first due engine for that district, same with medical responses as they will cover on a second call in their district.

As for the "Red-ball boxes" (I love that term) just like you said it was just an upgraded response on the assignment. The reason they were called "red-balls" was because of the red dot on the run card.

The information located here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Haven_Fire_Department - is not fully correct. I went to college in New Haven and buffed the department for many years. I also use to work at C-MED New Haven and have been associated with several of NHFD's members and dispatchers as well as being a former member of the Box 22 canteen buff group for a couple of years.

NHFD is a very progressive department and in my opinion has some of the best firefighters in our state.

Edited November 6, 2011 by IzzyEng4

[SageVigiles 1,194]

New Haven's current fireboat is trailered and not of the classic bearthed fireboat design, it is more of a rescue style boat with firefighting capabilities and does the job needed for the department. New Haven did operate a full size fireboat for many years, the last being the Sally Lee which was bearthed originally down at Long Wharf and supplemented with manpower from Engine 5 or Engine 4 (don't remember the history to well). With New Haven's tank farm and deep water port, it would be nice to see a full size fireboat in the city again, the Sally Lee went out of service in the late 1980s or early 1990s.

Last I had heard the FD and PD were getting a boat under a UASI Port Security Grant. I know that money came into question after the UASI program got cut, I'm not sure the status of the boat project though.

Engine 8, if it is ultimately disbanded, will be turned into 2 additional Emergency Units, but they will most likely NOT be transport-capable units. I believe the contract for NHFD says that an Engine Company can only be disbanded to turn into a Squad Company or 2 Emergency companies. Though the guys have been transferred back to Engine 8 that were taken off, and as far as I know EU-3 and EU-4 have not even been ordered yet. The East Rock neighborhood (where E8/Sq1 are housed) was fighting hard to keep their Engine company, knowing that Squad 1 is often out of quarters due to their citywide responsibilities. So its anybody's guess whether or not E8 really gets disbanded.

32 (Deputy) 33 and 34 (Batt. Chiefs) are all Chevy suburbans. EMS-5 (Dept. EMS Coordinator) is a Ford Expedition, and I know the training division runs some old Ford Explorers. 31 (Chief of Department) runs an all white unmarked crown vic with white lightbar. Not sure what the 2 Asst. Chiefs and the Fire Marshal run. There's also an old Chevy van used for the NHFD/NHPD Fire Investigation Task Force that's kept in a bay at HQ.

[JFLYNN 681]

Thanks for the info. New Haven seems like a progressive department. Does the Deputy work around the clock like the Battalions or just days? Also, do the Chiefs have Aides? What type of chart does New Haven work?

Thanks!

[wraftery 1,275]

Thanks for the info. New Haven seems like a progressive department. Does the Deputy work around the clock like the Battalions or just days? Also, do the Chiefs have Aides? What type of chart does New Haven work?

Thanks!

As an add-on, not an answer to Jflynn's "seems like it's progressive" statement, I do know, Chief, that the University of New Haven offers a BS degree in Fire Science. It's got nothing officially to do with NHFD, but the way I see it, colleges have to have a magic number of students to offer a major. They have to make their money. Thus, they must be drawing a number of local students to make the major financially feasible.

Whether or not the NHFD itself is progressive, my guess is that at least their people are seeking educatiion in their careers.

It's logical to me, John.

[sfrd18 360]

I need to make some corrections here. You are slightly off track, the Wiki that most of your information was copied from is a little inconsistent. The majority of the information correct. Just gonna breakdown your explanation where the corrections are needed.

Thanks for the add-on update/corrections, IzzyEng4. It's pretty much the department in a nutshell.

However, for the record, I did not copy my information from the wikipedia article, just the information regarding New Haven's population and square mileage. Yes the info on there is similar, but I didn't copy it. Everything I typed was from the top of my head.

[nfd2004 750]

Wow, you guys (sfrd18, Izzy, and SageVigiles) sure have done a Great job on the profile of the New Haven Fire Dept.

In answer to Chief Flynn's question, YES, there always is a Deputy Chief on duty, besides the two Battalion Chiefs. Here's an interesting point. Recently due to a huge number of retirements there actually are NO Deputy Chiefs in the dept at this time. So as I understand it, the Battalion Chiefs are all acting Deputy Chiefs. Here's another point. As I understand it, there is only two Battalion Chiefs left and they are working 24 on, with 24 off as Deputy Chiefs. Captains are acting Battalion Chiefs etc on down the line. There has been a massive retirement over the last few months in the New Haven Fire Dept. For anybody who is looking to get on the job, the next upcoming list would be the list to be on. I think they realy would like to give paramedics preference. But that's just a guess.

I sure would like to thank those guys for the update on the New Haven Fire Dept. I kind of lost touch over the years but I hope to get back into it soon. (rig shots etc).

Edited November 6, 2011 by nfd2004

[CBX4627 114]

I attended UNH from Aug. 1996 till May 1999..........When I first went up there in '96, the old fireboat was still docked down at Long Wharf. She was gone within a few months. Also, when I left UNH in May '99, NHFD was still using the old "Emergency Units", and there was no Squad Companies just yet.

[SageVigiles 1,194]

As an add-on, not an answer to Jflynn's "seems like it's progressive" statement, I do know, Chief, that the University of New Haven offers a BS degree in Fire Science. It's got nothing officially to do with NHFD, but the way I see it, colleges have to have a magic number of students to offer a major. They have to make their money. Thus, they must be drawing a number of local students to make the major financially feasible.

Whether or not the NHFD itself is progressive, my guess is that at least their people are seeking educatiion in their careers.

It's logical to me, John.

Surprisingly, not that many NHFD guys go to UNH for Fire Science. For the 4 years I was there I saw only 1 NHFD guy in a class with me. There are a couple floating around but not the numbers you might think. I believe some of the Fire Inspectors and Investigators take some classes from the Fire/Arson Investigation program. Not sure if UNH provides a tuition discount to NHFD members, I know they do for the three West Haven Districts (Center, Allingtown, West Shore) but then again UNH is actually IN West Haven.

The major is financially feasible because it is one of the largest majors on campus, but mostly due to kids out of high school going for their B.S. There aren't as many career guys going back for education as their used to be (this according to the professors,) though you see many more of them during night classes for obvious reasons.

[IzzyEng4 427]

Last I had heard the FD and PD were getting a boat under a UASI Port Security Grant. I know that money came into question after the UASI program got cut, I'm not sure the status of the boat project though.

Engine 8, if it is ultimately disbanded, will be turned into 2 additional Emergency Units, but they will most likely NOT be transport-capable units. I believe the contract for NHFD says that an Engine Company can only be disbanded to turn into a Squad Company or 2 Emergency companies. Though the guys have been transferred back to Engine 8 that were taken off, and as far as I know EU-3 and EU-4 have not even been ordered yet. The East Rock neighborhood (where E8/Sq1 are housed) was fighting hard to keep their Engine company, knowing that Squad 1 is often out of quarters due to their citywide responsibilities. So its anybody's guess whether or not E8 really gets disbanded.

32 (Deputy) 33 and 34 (Batt. Chiefs) are all Chevy suburbans. EMS-5 (Dept. EMS Coordinator) is a Ford Expedition, and I know the training division runs some old Ford Explorers. 31 (Chief of Department) runs an all white unmarked crown vic with white lightbar. Not sure what the 2 Asst. Chiefs and the Fire Marshal run. There's also an old Chevy van used for the NHFD/NHPD Fire Investigation Task Force that's kept in a bay at HQ.

Alex, the boat purchase though a grant is the first I have heard of and would be great to see a joint once for the town, New Haven needs it without a doubt.

As for the contract, I believe that was a concession to disband an engine company and it was only for the formation / re-organization of two Emergency units, I'm not sure about the wording about another squad. The last I had hear was that NHFD had one transporting unit and three non-transporting ALS units on order for the Emergency units. E1 & E2 would remain at their current stations (Woodward Ave and Howard Ave.) while the one would go to Fountain Street and the other would go to either Whitney Ave or Ellsworth Ave (don't remember). I think it is still a crap shoot there and yet to be played out, no one can afford to loose anything in my opinion.

Chief Flynn, just like Wille D. stated, the Deputy works the entire shift. The upper management (chiefs) are the Chief of the Department, Assistant Chief of Operations, Assistant Chief of Administration, 4 Deputy Chiefs (shift commanders) and eight battalion chiefs (2 per shift). There is also an EMS officer (EMS-5) who I believe is the rank of captain (might be a chief level officer now, I am unsure) in charge of the paramedic / first responder operations. Each company (with the exception of the Emergency Units I believe) have a captain and three lieutenants. The department currently works a 3-day/3-off/3-night/3-off rotation with for shifts.

Edited November 6, 2011 by IzzyEng4

[SageVigiles 1,194]

Chief Flynn, just like Wille D. stated, the Deputy works the entire shift. The upper management (chiefs) are the Chief of the Department, Assistant Chief of Operations, Assistant Chief of Administration, 4 Deputy Chiefs (shift commanders) and eight battalion chiefs (2 per shift). There is also an EMS officer (EMS-5) who I believe is the rank of captain (might be a chief level officer now, I am unsure) in charge of the paramedic / first responder operations. Each company (with the exception of the Emergency Units I believe) have a captain and three lieutenants. The department currently works a 3-day/3-off/3-night/3-off rotation with for shifts.

Just to be clear, the Assistant Chief of Administration is technically the Executive Officer of the department. The Assistant Chief of Operations is the highest tested, "civil service" position in the department, though I'm not sure how that jives with the Fire Marshal, who is also an Assistant Chief I believe. But the AC-Admin is the 2nd in Command.

I'm not really sure what the rank of the actual EMS-5 is, they've had an acting one for over a year now since the previous one left, so I have no clue. The previous one only wore star of life insignia on his collar so I wasn't sure of his actual rank, but I think he MAY have been a Lieutenant. I know they were rotating who was holding the position, the senior most medics have been covering for a few months at a time while they wait for a test. I think the biggest aspect of the EMS-5 job is training and education, which is probably why EMS-5 runs out of the Fire Academy on Ella Grasso Boulevard with the Director of Training (Captain), Drillmaster (Lieutenant), Assistant Drillmasters and the shops.