Stop, drop and roll with the Sanford Fire Department

July 19--HOW DO THEY DO IT: The processes behind everyday -- what some might call mundane -- activities often go unnoticed. When sirens go off, ever think about who's responding? Maybe there's a fire, or an automobile accident in which hydraulic rescue tools are needed. How do firefighters know how to respond to a certain type of call? How do they do it?

SANFORD -- The Sanford Fire Department has saved lives and property for more than 115 years.

The first fire department -- also known as the central station -- was located in the same building as the old City Hall on McIver Street. It was originally the Lyon Fire Company, established in 1900 and became the Sanford Fire Department in 1903. The station moved to its current location on Hawkins Avenue in 1968. Firefighters began taking calls in 1969 from the central station. In 1948, the second station was built on Horner Boulevard, but relocated to Woodland Avenue in 1976. A third station was added in 1992 to accommodate the growing population, which is housed on Cool Springs Road.

Originally, fire dispatch calls came through the central station for both the city and for Lee County. After 1990, the fire calls became part of the police department's dispatch team and now the fire stations receive calls from them. The stations receive numerous calls per day, covering a variety of circumstances.

Deputy Chief Ken Cotton told The Herald just how the fire department does it all.

In general, what all happens between the time the department receives a call, to the time returning to the station?

The fire department receives the call from the 911 dispatch center, determines what type of response it will be and responds. The company captian arrives on the scene of the call and sizes up the situation. They get an action plan together and proceed to take care of the task at hand. This assessment happens in a short time frame and occurs from the required training and experience that is required in the position of company captain. The staff once the situation has been taken care of will get the used equipment cleaned and back on the engines. We leave the scene as safe and secure as we can before we leave.

How long do firefighters have to get ready to a response?

Once the call has been dispatched, the firefighters have 45 to 60 seconds to be dressed in their turnout gear and on the truck before the truck pulls out of the station, per National Fire Protection Association 1710, which is the industry standard. This addresses the response time and the number of personnel that we have to have on scene for structure fires. The county and volunteer fire departments fall under NFPA 1720 and are separate from us.

Do firefighters on-call have to be within a certain proximity to the station in case a call comes in?

The firefighters work a 24-hour shift, on a rotating schedule, and are out of the station with their engine company doing fire prevention programs, answering calls, training and sometimes eating meals at local restaurants. If they are out of the station and not with an engine they will have a portable radio with them to answer calls. The norm is that we are always open for business 365 days a year.

How many city firefighters are there?

We have six at Station No. 1, five at Station No. 2 and five at Station No. 3, which is a full staff. At minimum, we have to maintain 12 per shift. There are three shifts at each station.

What type of gear and equipment does each firefighter need to bring with on a call?

Each firefighter has a complete set of structural firefighting gear that consists of a helmet, hood, coat, gloves, pants, boots and a mask with a regulator for self-contained breathing apparatus that we have on the firetrucks.

What equipment is included in a fire truck?

Each fire truck is equipped with 500 gallons of water, a 1,500 gallons per minute pump, fire house, ladders, SCBAs, thermal imaging camera radios, extrication equipment, portable lights, an automated external defibrillator and numerous hand tools.

How many fire stations does the city operate out of? Are more needed around the city to get to locations faster?

The city is currently operating three fire stations, with a first out engine and a reserve at these stations. The City Council has been shown the need for an additional station on the southeast side of the city, as the city's population has doubled in size since the last station was built in 1992. City staff -- fire, strategic and 911 services -- has performed a study and it has identified areas where there is a need.

How often are the calls received false alarms, versus actual fires?

The false alarm calls that we respond to are about a fourth of the calls that we answer.

What type of calls does the fire department take? Fires, gas leaks, wrecks, etc.?

We respond to all types of calls: grass/wood fires, vehicle fires, wrecks, structure fires, technical rescue (confined space and trench rescue), missing person, severe weather and shelter setup in case of a disaster.

How often does training occur?

Each shift has training every day that they are working on, except on Sundays. We have a minimum of 240 hours that we have to get in per year. This training covers multiple aspects of our job requirements.

Is there a school or a course firefighters have to take before becoming a firefighter?

Yes, the Sanford Fire Department tries to hire firefighters with state certifications through the Office of the State Fire Marshal, Fire and Rescue Division. Central Carolina Community College Emergency Service Training Center offers firefighters' academy, where once completed, you can graduate with a firefighters certification and an EMT certification.

Are there always firefighters at the stations? Are there shifts?

Yes, the Sanford Fire Department has three 24-hour shifts that work a rotating schedule. The firefighters are assigned to the stations, but they could be out on a call, training, pre-fire planning, conducting fire and life safety education programs, installing smoke detectors or are just out getting a meal when they are tired of cooking at the station. There are beds and bathrooms available as well. An alarm will sound when a call comes in, which will wake them up or they'll stop what they're doing to get ready to go out.

Are there degrees as to how bad a fire, or other incident, is?

There are different types of fires that determine how many firefighters are required to respond to a fire call, from a small vehicle to an industrial fire, where we may need all personnel to respond. There are three districts in the city. If one confirms a structure fire, everyone goes out. The next closest district will head out and then the third, which will be the rapid intervention team. Their personnel will protect any of the firefighters already inside the building.

What are things firefighters have to look out for/think about when walking into a potential fire/gas leak/wreck?

We are always taught to check our surroundings when we arrive on a scene to make sure that the scene appears to be secure. When we receive a dispatch to a gas leak, we have to keep in mind wind speed and direction to insure that we are approaching up wind of that situation. When we are dispatched to a wreck scene, we have to take in consideration of the traffic flow and what is the best way to protect our people and the people involved in the accident. The goal is to protect life first and property second. We're obligated by law to detect fire origin and cause. There may be foul play, in which the police will get involved if there's something suspicious. We can't always detect the cause though. We also have to establish a water supply. We carry 500 gallons on our trucks, but we also use fire hydrants, which hook up to the city's water and gives us an unlimited supply. The houses on the trucks have a capacity of 1,500 GPM, which can use up all of the 500 gallons on the truck in three minutes.

What's the most common cause of fires in Sanford? Is arson a problem for the city?

Most of the times fires are accidental, but intentional fires, we don't really have those. The causes are more so from mother nature, cooking or heating errors, electrical fires -- especially in old houses with new appliances running. Forest fires aren't common inside the city limits, since it's not as wooded in the city.

Are there certain things that are done every day at the fire stations?

Yes, on Mondays, we do an in-depth equipment check. We pull everything out of the trucks and check them over and clean them if necessary. We check them after calls, but go do so more thoroughly on Mondays. Tuesdays is air day. We check the air in everything, tires, compressors, tanks, everything. On Wednesdays, we check all of the pumps. Thursdays are fill in days, where we finish things we didn't get to earlier in the week. On Fridays, we wash and clean up the equipment. We also do that after returning from calls, but we'll also wax and rewash the trucks on Fridays. We do all of our house cleaning as well, from mopping to vacuuming. We repair hoses too. On Saturdays, we have light training or makeup days. And Sundays, you just have to be here, that's it.

How are the uniforms cleaned? Can you just throw them in the washing machine?

The uniforms that are worn by the firefighters around the station can be machine washed, though the uniforms they wear to do public events or special activities have to be dry cleaned. The turnout gear can be machine washed for normal wash, but if the gear gets contaminated by other products, we send them off to be professionally cleaned.

How are the oxygen tanks refilled? Are they reused, or does the department receive new ones?

The oxygen tanks that we use are exchanged with Central Carolina Advance Life support for full ones when ours are used. Our SCBA cylinders are filled by our staff, using the cascade system that we have on our equipment truck or by the breathing air compressor that we have at the central station on Hawkins Avenue. The SCBA cylinders have regular air in them, the air isn't oxygen-enriched.

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