4/29/22 Bronx 3rd Alarm Box 4148

Not sure when the use of relocated units started but it seems to be the new norm now. I assume the running cards listing alarm assignments are not used. Relocating used to be a bad thing because you rarely went to the job and could be stuck at company for long time. The job made a relocation a response to get coverage into stripped area immediately, I’m sure many older members can remember the finish your lunch or whatever we were doing in firehouse before you headed out. Now it’s a response and you get going. I guess with computers dispatcher’s can see who is closest and send them in and just start out another unit to cover, which works unless of course another box comes in and it’s a job forcing the units to come from even greater distances.
 
FDNYSTATENISLAND said:
Of course the IC needed a closest company is the most important thing. I think however, the other side of it is the fact that a relocator is in theory meant to provide coverage to a units area when they’re not there. If the relocator gets sent into the job too, sometimes a companies second relocator even, that area is left uncovered. Isn’t that the point in a way too? To provide coverage for an empty area of a borough or neighborhood? Just my opinion.
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Like briefly mentioned above companies that would normally be assigned are now being gyped out of the job by relocators from a completely different area or assigned at a much later date than they would originally have been
 
tommyhal&oat said:
Like briefly mentioned above companies that would normally be assigned are now being gyped out of the job by relocators from a completely different area or assigned at a much later date than they would originally have been
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I don’t understand the pushback against sending the closest company available. How is a company getting gypped out if they are not the closest or available? If the incident commander requests more companies and the relocators are not closest, those companies that you say are getting gypped will be assigned.
 
If I am a multiple alarm company, and there is an escalating fire in that area, I have to get out of quarters and head in that direction. Then I can say "E or L --" is on such and such Street when they ask for additional companies.
If I'm a relocater, I have to hustle to get on the road so I can say the same. But then I return home to clean up when its over.
 
STAjo said:
There seems to be On-going Debate that Assigning Relocators Requires New Relocators from further out.
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That seems to always be a double-edged sword. The purpose of a relocation is to cover an unprotected response neighborhood. Now, the chief needs additional units - NOW! Do you use units from a further distance that will take longer to get there, or do you use the closest resources and again - relocate units to cover open response areas? the key word here is "NOW"
An old fireground adage: If the chief is requesting additional units, he probably needed them 5 minutes ago.
Actually, I just now saw FDNYSTATENISLAND's post above - same logic.
 
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seniorofficer said:
That seems to always be a double-edged sword. The purpose of a relocation is to cover an unprotected response neighborhood. Now, the chief needs additional units - NOW! Do you use units from a further distance that will take longer to get there, or do you use the closest resources and again - relocate units to cover open response areas? the key word here is "NOW"
An old fireground adage: If the chief is requesting additional units, he probably needed them 5 minutes ago.
Actually, I just now saw FDNYSTATENISLAND's post above - same logic.
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I agree with you. Closest unit goes. But remember, other units are moving up to cover stations, so in theory, and usually actuality, no neighborhood is left stripped for very long.

Example: A 5th Alarm is struck and the engine from the closest station is dispatched. Not too far behind them, at a close station is another covering engine which will move into the now vacated station. And the parade continues, with other units from farther away start getting fed into the pipeline toward the fire.

Here is not what happens: Engine 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 are at the scene. They don’t dispatch Engine 6 & 7 from 12 miles to the scene on the next alarm! Rather Engine 6 may be in Engine 1’s house, Engine 7 may be in Engine 3’s house, Engine 8 may be Engine 5’s house and Engine 9 may have moved up to Engine 7’s house. It‘s really a logistics problem that doesn’t have anything to do with firefighting per se. FDNY can probably move 100 pieces and still provide reasonable coverage for the city. In the example I gave above, if the department has 10 engines, if the fire continues to grow you get into mutual aid. Town X, Y, Z may each send an engine to cover empty stations in the town that has the fire.

If you look under “Fire Operations” I expanded on my thoughts under “Apparatus Relocations”
 
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