Here are the answers to questions we have received:

7/17/09

How much did your new engine 412 cost and how long is this truck supposed to last before it is going to need to be replaced?

Answer from Chief Phillip Richardson:

Engine 412 cost $304,000.  We anticipate having this apparatus in service as a first line engine for 10 years, and then be moved to reserve status for another 10 years.

3/12/09

When are the houses in Berkley scheduled to be burned?

We have not confirmed the dates as of yet for these training burns.

2/24/2009

During the winter my bedroom gets very cold at night.  My landlord has caulked the windows and it doesn’t help much.  So I bought a space heater.  Knowing how dangerous those things can be, I got a special model that shuts off automatically when it gets hot, then comes on again as it cools.  It also has controls to regulate the heat and intensity.  Even so, I’m not comfortable running it overnight when we’re sleeping.  My wife, however, insists that it’s safe because of the shutdown feature.  I’ve tolerated it up to now, but I unplugged it this morning when I noticed the inside seemed to be arcing several times whenever it started up.  I’d like to get the opinion of an expert; is it safe to run overnight when sleeping?  Specifically it’s a GD Mideo fan forced heater, model number HF-0003 0510.  I’m not sure what all these specs mean, but it says on the bottom 120V AC 60 Hz 1500 W.

Answer from Deputy Chief Richard Allred:

Our recommendation is to 1st be sure that you have at least 3 feet of clearance in all direction of the heater.  We also do not recommend operating the heater all night long.  The wattage on this particular heater is quite high, and requires a lot of energy to run, without witnessing the arcing, its difficult to give a reason as to why it may be doing this, if you still have the manual, re-read it and see if it discusses the start up process, you may find the answer there.  If you are still concerned, the best bet would be to consult an electrician.

2/23/2009

How many people work in a fire house?

The Aberdeen Fire Rescue Department currently has 3 rotating 4 man shifts, and 4 administrative personnel.  During the day there is normally 7-8 people available to respond to calls, and at night it varies, but there are at least 4 personnel.  We are a combination department, and we have an additional 30 members who also respond to calls.

2/20/2009

How many call's does a firefighter team respond to daily?

This answer varies from station to station, some big city stations have 20 or more calls a day, some stations may not have one a week, it really depends.  Last year the Aberdeen Fire Rescue department responded to 1158 calls, which if averaged means we had about 3 calls a day.

2/18/09

Can you describe the physiology of drowning and the physiology of suffocating outside of water...

Answer from Paramedic Vanbourgendien:

The lungs are the main organs of respiration and hence gas exchange between oxygen and carbon dioxide.  The terminal ends of the pathways are called alveoli.  These alveoli are the location of gas exchange.  Blood that travels from the heart through the pulmonary arteries gets exchanged at the arterioles and the alveoli.  Carbon dioxide is released from the hemoglobin molecule in the blood and oxygen attaches to the molecule for transport back to the heart.

When a person drowns, fluid enters the lungs through the trachea and fills up the lungs.  This fluid takes up the empty space in the alveoli and impedes the gas exchange.  Carbon Dioxide does not get a chance to leave the blood nor does oxygen get a chance to exchange places with the carbon dioxide.  This carbon dioxide travels back to the heart to be transported to the rest of the body.  As the level of carbon dioxide builds up in the blood, tissues, and organs, the PH level decreases and impedes the metabolism casing acidosis.  Essentially, the person becomes hypoxemic or the body suffocates from loss of oxygen.

In the case of suffocation, the same condition exists in that a person has no oxygen to exchange with the carbon dioxide.  Again the person becomes acidotic and is unable to have normal metabolic processes.  Muscular contraction does not occur properly, metabolism does not occur, and eventually the person dies.

2/6/09

Hi there! my question is this. I work in a nursing home on the night shift. The owner installed a lock on the front door which is used for entry and exits, the other door is an emergency exit located in the basement of the facility but that door is free and not locked the way this main door is. The way he has this door is this: employees, or anyone else for that matter cannot exit through this front door unless they are buzzed out. and there is no delay response in which the door opens in a few seconds. The problem is, there is nobody to buzz us out until 4 in the morning! if we're the only persons on the floor which happens often, for example there is no nurse or a nurse assistant on the unit, then we have to call someone else down from another floor just so they can get on the elevator, come down and let us out. I feel like when I go to work, I'm going to prison for 8 hours but what's even worse is the thought that keeps haunting me. If there was a fire in this place, how would we get out of here? Sure, there is another door in the basement but what if we cant make it to the basement. what if that's where the fire is? I want to know is this legal? Can they leave us trapped inside this building all night like this? Thank you very much for your time.

Answer:

Please contact your local fire marshal or fire inspector at your local fire department straight away, these are serious issues and need to be looked into.  Your information will be held confidentially and they will be able to do an inspection and immediately address these concerns.  If you are unsure how to make these contacts, you are welcome to contact us, and we will confidentially put you in touch with the right people.

UPDATE:  We received a letter a back from this individual in regards to the above question - they contacted their local fire department who came out and inspected the facility.  The facility was fined, and the locks were removed on the spot; everyone is safer now.  It took courage for this individual to speak out, and we applaud their efforts.  We are very happy that this forum helped avert a potential disaster.

2/6/09

I always wondered which type of street maps you use inside the rescue vehicle while en route to a scene.  Do you GPS and if so which brand is best and also do you use street maps and if so which brand do you use.  I want to get a map of my area I use the Thomas guide however I never see you all using the Thomas guide while en route to usually see one large map folded inside the vehicle so I was just wondering.....Thank You

Answer from Captain Forrest Cox:

The majority of the calls we respond to we already familiar with the street by training with road studies, and map tests occasionally.  If we are not familiar with the road we have created our own map book with all the roads listed in it, and directions directly from our station.  We also have a county map in our vehicle.  We have a computer based GPS system which is hooded up to a laptop in our engine.  The name of the program is Delorme Street Atlas 2009.  It seems to work ok.

1/22/09

How much hose is on the back of a standard fire engine (in feet)

Answer from Captain Jeremiah Johnson:

There is a total of 1,500 ft - 1000ft of 5" inch Large Diameter Hose (LDH) and 500 ft of 2 1/2" inch Hose.

1/22/09

My fire alarm went off one day, no fire or smoke in the house.  I called a firefighter and they came to check it out just, it was decided it was an old alarm, the batteries were replaced, they are going off again, this time the main alarm upstairs has a little water in it, what might be the problem.

Answer from the Captain Jeremiah Johnson:

Without proper investigation, it would be difficult to answer your question.  Call your local fire department so that they can come out and check them again for you and perhaps replace them if needed.  Feel free to contact us if you are not sure of your local departments number, and we will be happy to get you in touch with the department.  Your information would be confidential.

1/17/08

I wanted to ask what you enjoy most about being a fireman?

Answer from Firefighter Zach Radford:

What I enjoy most about being a fireman would have to be the excitement, and not knowing what will or can happen next.  The adrenaline rush is phenomenal.  For me the excitement is definitely the best part of being a fireman.

1/17/09

This one is for my dad Billy Lewis: I just wanted to ask you what do you enjoy most about being a fireman and how hard did you work to get where you are now?

Answer from Assistant County Forestry Ranger and AFD Firefighter Billy Lewis:

I enjoy helping other people the most and I put in many long hours over the past 20 1/2 years to get where I am now.

7/10/08

Who conducts fire inspections for the Town of Aberdeen?

Answer from Captain Forrest Cox:

The Aberdeen Fire Department has a full time fire inspector.  Our current fire inspector is Richard Saunders.  The fire inspectors responsibility is to handle all commercial fire inspections for the Town of Aberdeen.  We are also privileged to have several members on the fire department who are also certified inspectors, and they assist the fire inspector when needed.

5/30/08

I see a FDC on most commercial buildings throughout town.  What does this sign mean and what is the purpose of the fdc?

Answer from Firefighter Alan Holmes:

The FDC signs stands for Fire Department Connection, this connection gives us the ability to directly add water to sprinklers if we need to, they are always located street side, and need to be accessible so that we could readily connect to it.

5/28/08

What do you do if a truck will pump 1,000 gallons a minute but the hydrant you're hooked to will only deliver 750 gallons per minute?

Answer from Captain Forrest Cox:

If the hydrant will only deliver 750 GPM, but we need 1000 GPM, we would have to set up a secondary water source.  In our computers we have a list of every hydrant in Aberdeen, and it shows us the GPM's that each hydrant will deliver which we calculate during our hydrant testing each year.  Using this list, we could choose a different near by hydrant that would supply the 1000 GPM.  If this is not an option, we would perform a water shuttle.  When this happens a tanker or several tankers would fill up at a lake, pond, stream etc and bring that water back to the location and deposit the water into drop tanks that the initial apparatus would be pumping from, this would make up the difference for the lower GPM's in the hydrant.

5/16/08

How often do you wash fire hose and what is the purpose of washing hose?

Answer from Deputy Chief Richard Allred:

Hose is washed any time its been in extreme conditions, like a structure fire.  The purpose of washing hose is to inspect it for any damage, and also to protect the integrity of the fabric.

5/9/2008

How long is the service life of a fire truck?

Answer from Chief Phillip Richardson:

Approximately 20 years.  Usually a truck will be "on the frontline" meaning it is one of the first choices for calls for about 10 years.  After that it will be a reserve truck or "second out"  for another 10.

3/30/08

How much does it cost to outfit a firefighter with turnout gear, bunker boots, helmet, gloves, nomex hood, pager, and what ever else he may require?

Answer from Deputy Chief Richard Allred:

Outfitting a firefighter costs between $8000 and $10000 per firefighter.  The turnout out coat and pants cost approx $2000, boots around $200, helmet $200, gloves - our firefighters are issued two sets of gloves, a pair of structure gloves, and a pair of extrication gloves for use at car accidents, the combined cost is around $80.00, a nomex hood $35.00, pager $500.  There is also the cost of portable radio's for each firefighter, it is important to for each to have their own, the cost $1200, and the last main piece of equipment a firefighter needs is SCBA, this is their means of breathing in a hazardous condition, or in a fire, the cost for a complete SCBA is around $5400.

3/23/08

What is the worst fire the Department has ever had or been involved in since the Department was established?

Answer from Deputy Chief Richard Allred:

The worst fire the Department has been involved with would have to be the Ellerbe Mills Fire where the Assistant Chief of Ellerbe lost his life.  The Aberdeen Fire Rescue Department has had many fires throughout the years from large warehouse fires to small yard fires.  In the 40's the Aberdeen Hotel had a large fire, and in the 80's the Purolator plant also had a large fire.

3/16/08-

Is the AFD and other town departments prepared for a natural disaster like a tornado, and how would the AFD work with other town departments.

Answer from Captain Forrest Cox:

Yes, the Town of Aberdeen is ready to handle a natural disaster, such as a tornado, or many other disasters.  Preparing ahead of time is the key to this. The Town has an Emergency Operation Plan; this plan is a layout or guideline already put in place to handle any disaster, including natural disasters, which meets the requirements of FEMA planning guidance. Here at the fire department we train on a daily basis so that should a disaster occur we are ready to respond, and give the community our best efforts.  We also work closely with the other departments within the town, and our mutual aid stations so that our combined efforts will help ensure a fast move towards recovery in an emergency. Many steps have been taken to make sure that we are prepared to handle any emergency that may come our way.

2/26/2008 -

How many gals. of water do you have on the fire trucks?

Answer from Firefighter Holmes:

We have 4 different apparatus which carry water: We have two Engines, both carry 1000 gallons,  Our Ladder Truck carries 400 Gallons, and the Brush Truck carries 250.  To give you a bigger picture - the Engines carry enough water to fill approx 27 bathtubs each, the Ladder can fill approx 11, and the Brush Truck close to 7 bathtubs.