12/3/22 Manhattan 5th Alarm Box 1595

That’s a lot of relocators for engine 84 if only 1 went to the job!
More than one went to the 5th alarm on special call. E307 acting E84, and E315 acting E84 were at the scene of the 5th. No way would the department have 4 engine companies at the same firehouse relocating for the same engine company.
 
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Back during the Heat of the Pandemic companies would only relocate for 3 hours at a time
 
Just a clarification on the relocations. E84 gets one relocator at a time. The firehouse is only 1.2 miles from the fire, a straight shot down Broadway. At that time of night there shouldn’t be much traffic, so they can make good time. So as each engine left E84, another was called in to replace it. As long as that engine was in quarters, dispatch probably sent them to the scene. IF, the relocator was Engine 90 from the Bronx and they were just leaving their firehouse when the call for an additional engine/s came in, dispatch wouldn’t send them because they aren’t even in E84’s district.

I worked many years as a dispatcher, and it’s difficult to really grasp what is going on out in the field with relocations, other calls going on, travel time, etc. What may be current now is only a snapshot in time. Five minutes from now the situation could be totally different. It’s not easy. It’s not rocket science either, but you really have to be paying attention with your ears for the radio traffic and to the CAD status board to see who is going where and how long ago did they leave.

One point of interest. For extreme large events sometimes a forward staging area may be set up at a firehouse close to the fire with 3 or 4 engines and 2 or 3 ladders because of the rapid deployment of resources at the scene. For the St George Hotel fire in Brooklyn, they used E207/L110 quarters as a forward staging area. Still under the control of dispatch, but close enough where they could get to the fire’s Staging Area quickly.
 
Highest alarm is “5” nothing over 5 anymore everything must be Special called
When Starfire was in service, the maximum alarms that could be transmitted was up to a 5th alarm. With the new dispatch platform now in operation, there is the capability to transmit up to a TENTH alarm, if so required.
 
When Starfire was in service, the maximum alarms that could be transmitted was up to a 5th alarm. With the new dispatch platform now in operation, there is the capability to transmit up to a TENTH alarm, if so required.
Yes but it was changed and they don’t want them going over 5.
 
When Starfire was in service, the maximum alarms that could be transmitted was up to a 5th alarm. With the new dispatch platform now in operation, there is the capability to transmit up to a TENTH alarm, if so required.
Wow, Skyler Fire is 30 seconds ahead of me posting 😀.

Yes, Skyler Fire is correct. I’m not saying the computer couldn’t build-out a card to 10-Alarms. However, the brass has decided that after they strike a 5th Alarm, any additional apparatus needs to be Special Called to the scene/staging.

So after the 5th Alarm, the fire could still be ripping, but you may hear:

Special Call 2E, 2L, 2BC. (or)

Special Call 6E, 4L, 2BC.

But at the end of the day, it will go into the books as a 5th Alarm (or) 5th Alarm with Special Calls.
 
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