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Here are the answers to questions we have
received:
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.
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