Over the last week, the Wilmington Fire Department launched a new deployment model which will facilitate quicker responses to emergency scenes. The change includes adding three quick-response vehicles, or squads, and moving two of our front-line apparatus to reserve. While we moved some personnel around to accommodate this new model, we did not lose or cut any personnel. In fact, adding these support utility vehicles increases our daily minimum staffing on 3 of our firefighting units and the number of personnel responding to both commercial and residential fires.
“Since 2017, we’ve been working on a new deployment model that creates a more efficient way to respond to calls, the majority of which don’t require a large firefighting apparatus. This new deployment model will reduce wear and tear on our larger, very expensive fire units, extending their service life and increasing their availability to respond to fires,” said Fire Chief Steve Mason. “In addition, we have been able to save hundreds of thousands of dollars in our fleet replacement fund, provide funding to replace a 25-year-old air/light unit, significantly reduce the average age of our front line and reserve apparatus and provide four-person staffing to three units.”
Related Articles:
City of Wilmington (NC) Shares Plans for Station 6
Wilmington (NC) Fire Department Welcomes Fire Apparatus
Wilmington (NC) Fire Department Tests European-Style Fire Helmets
Newly Built Wilmington (NC) Fire Station Opens
The squads are running out of Headquarters on Market St, Station 3 on Cinema Dr, and Station 8 off Eastwood Rd. They will respond to many of the same types of calls that their engine counterparts did, like emergency medical calls, structure fires, and rescues. The squads will also be going to non-emergency calls like lift assists and home-safety visits. Eventually, the units will be used to in our drone response program, to assist with search and rescue.
The squad trucks are outfitted hand tools including forcible entry tools and battery-operated saws, a full inventory of emergency medical equipment, fire extinguishers, thermal imaging camera, portable power generator, and water rescue equipment. These units are also equipped to be able to assist with trailer and boat operations and heavy-duty winches to be able to quickly clear storm debris from the roadways, allowing emergency vehicle access.