Dr_Worm88 t1_j1yomq0 wrote
Reply to comment by DarkRitual_88 in New Pennsylvania laws taking effect in 2023. Here’s a look at some of the laws that will go into effect in the new year. by oldschoolskater
Trust me I get it. That’s the driving factor on why it’s unsustainable.
CertifiedFukUp t1_j1z527q wrote
That’s why there needs to be dedicated full time fire personnel.
Dr_Worm88 t1_j1zbvnc wrote
Not every community can afford that. It’s easier for class 3 cities and above. But everyone else…not so much.
CertifiedFukUp t1_j1zc1ge wrote
My small town in Montgomery County just spent $12 million on a new fire house and 3 full time shifts for fire personnel to live there 24/7 during their on time.
It’s something that is always undervalued but is so necessary.
Dr_Worm88 t1_j1zcgrm wrote
Which is great and I’m super happy you have that. I live in an area covered by volunteers and they are solid people. But there’s no way the township or even neighboring townships could offer FT staffing. Even if you use current infrastructure there just isn’t money to do it safely.
That’s gonna be the case for a lot of areas in the state.
Honestly it’s gonna get really interesting really quickly.
CertifiedFukUp t1_j1zcrk5 wrote
We were covered by volunteers and other departments up until recently when this station was put in. Response times have gone down significantly.
Dr_Worm88 t1_j1zd08v wrote
No doubt they went down. You see the same thing when you transition EMS from volunteer home response to career or volunteers w/dedicated shifts.
It’s just expensive. Really, really, expensive.
CertifiedFukUp t1_j1zlwmp wrote
Yeah, we literally have more dedicated fire fighters on duty at night than we have officers on duty in our township at night.
It is EXPENSIVE and people don’t realize what kind of upkeep and maintenance it takes. Fire trucks, equipment, the station itself etc.
Dr_Worm88 t1_j1zm3tj wrote
That’s….confusing to an extent. At least with PD you can have neighboring agencies help out pretty quickly.
With fire I wouldn’t expect anyone to respond with less than 3 people per apparatus.
CertifiedFukUp t1_j1zmany wrote
You could do the same with fire departments though. It’s all about response times for both officers and firefighters.
The thing with the volunteer firefighters is when they get a call, they’re at home etc. full time guys live in the station.
Dr_Worm88 t1_j1zmkuv wrote
Oh absolutely. The other variable is what are you getting? You know the state minimum in training and licensing is done for the LEO.
But the state only legally requires you to do two things to be a volunteer FF:
Pay your dues to the social club.
And
Take your hazmat training.
Anything above that is discretion of the fire department. So standards are all over the map. You have no idea who’s on the next unit or what they can do.
CertifiedFukUp t1_j1zmt66 wrote
Well, that’s not entirely true. Our townships station is accredited.
But agreed.
Dr_Worm88 t1_j1zmy1b wrote
Which is entirely optional. But out of curiosity and please don’t unnecessarily out yourself but accredited by whom?
CertifiedFukUp t1_j1zn8b6 wrote
You know what, I actually don’t know the answer to that question. I did a walkthrough of the new station a few weeks ago and was talking with the on duty guys, he told me that and I didn’t really ask anything else regarding it.
Dr_Worm88 t1_j1znpvn wrote
No worries my dude. There’s a lot of optional credentials out there.
A lot get national credentials and you get recognition for a certain percentage being credentialed which to me is great.
There’s an ISO rating everyone gets based on a variety of factors. But that’s an insurance rating.
Ultimately and sadly no one (unless the township that recognizes them demands it) has to do it. A volunteer company can say pay your $1 and do 8 hours or Haz Mat training and you are a FF in Pa.
Thankfully a lot of those types of departments have gone by the way of the DoDo. But it’s still the bar and it’s kind of scary not know who’s coming or how well trained they are.
Xwiint t1_j1zf43h wrote
Where I grew up has dedicated, paid firefighters that are part of the local government budget, along with EMS. It was wild to me when I moved over here that EMS is private and firefighting is volunteer. I can't say anything about the firefighting services, since I've not yet had to use them, but for sure the EMS response is quite a bit worse.
CertifiedFukUp t1_j1zf9gd wrote
Our fire house has dedicated living space for the EMS crew as well with our own ambo. It makes all the difference.
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