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Staffing Considerations
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Staffing considerations (for suppression purposes), based on the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) & the
International City/County Management Association (ICMA).
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The NFPA, in its Fire Protection Handbook, indicates that “in evaluating the adequacy of fire protection in any given
area, major consideration must be given to the ability of the fire department to handle efficiently any reasonably
anticipated workload”.
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The NFPA further provides a listing of total number of fire suppression personnel and equipment required for an
initial response by type of occupancy as follows.
Typical Initial Attack Response Capability: Assuming Interior Attack and Operations Response Capability
________________________________________________________________________
High-Hazard Occupancies: (schools, hospitals, nursing homes, explosive plants, refineries, high rise buildings and
other high life hazard or large fire potential occupancies).
At least 4 pumpers, 2 ladder trucks (or combination apparatus with equivalent capabilities), 2 chief officers and other
specialized apparatus as may be needed to cope with the combustible involved, not less than 24 firefighters, and 2
chief officers.
________________________________________________________________________
Medium-Hazard Occupancies: (Apartments, offices, mercantile and industrial occupancies not normally requiring
extensive rescue or firefighting forces).
At least 3 pumpers, 1 ladder trucks (or combination apparatus with equivalent capabilities), 1 chief officer and other
specialized apparatus as may be needed to or available, not less than 16 firefighters, and 1 chief officer.
________________________________________________________________________
Low-Hazard Occupancies: (One, two or three family dwellings and scattered small business and industrial
occupancies).
At least 2 pumpers, 1 ladder trucks (or combination apparatus with equivalent capabilities), 1 chief officer and other
specialized apparatus as may be needed to or available, not less than 12 firefighters, and 1 chief officer.
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NFPA:
The mission of the international nonprofit NFPA is to reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by providing and advocating consensus~codes
and standards,~research,~training, and~education. NFPA membership totals more than 79,000 individuals from around the world and more than 80 national trade and
professional organizations.
Established in 1896, NFPA serves as the world's leading advocate of fire prevention and is an authoritative source on public safety. In fact, NFPA's 300 codes and standards
influence every building, process, service, design, and installation in the placecountry-regionUnited States, as well as many of those used in other countries. NFPA's focus on
true consensus has helped the association's~code-development process ~earn accreditation from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
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ICMA:
Creates excellence in local governance by developing and fostering professional local government management worldwide. The organization provides technical and
management assistance, training, and information resources in the areas of performance measurement, ethics education and training, community and economic development,
environmental management, technology, and other topics to its members and the broader local government community.
The leadership and management decisions made by ICMA's 8,200+ members affect more than 400 million individuals in thousands of communities, from small towns with
populations of a few hundred to metropolitan areas serving several million.~
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Rural Operations: (Scattered dwellings, small businesses and farm buildings)
At least 1 pumper with a large water tank (500 gallon or more), one mobile water supply apparatus (1000 gallon or
larger) and such other specialized apparatus as may be necessary to perform effective initial firefighting operations; at
least 12 firefighters and 1 chief officer.
Additional Alarms: At least the equivalent of that required for Rural Operations for second alarms; equipment as
may be needed according to the type of emergency and capabilities of the fire department. This may involve the
immediate use of mutual aid companies until local forces can be supplemented with additional off-duty
personnel. Mutual aid companies are used to fill most empty stations.
ICMA__________________________________________________________________
The International City/County Management Association’s municipal yearbook report of 2006, Section: 3 Police and
Fire Personnel, Salaries and expenditures for 2005 stated (report studied over 3,200 municipalities, 352 of them
located in placeNew England):
Full Time Paid Personnel
Population
2005
Per Capita per 1,000 population
25,000-49,999
10,000-24,999
1.66
1.62
Geographic Division
placeNew England
1.61
Minimum Crew per Fire Apparatus
Population
25,000-49,999
10,000-24,999
2005
Pumpers Ladders Rescue Units
3.0
3.1
2.8
2.8
2.3
2.5
Geographic Division
placeNew England
3.1
2.6
2.4
In Managing Fire Protection (ICMA second edition)
Evaluating Community Fire Protection:
“Various controlled and statistically based experiments by some cities and universities reveal that if about sixteen
(16) trained firefighters are not operating at the scene of a working fire within the critical time period, then dollar
loss and injuries are significantly increased, as are the square feet of fire spread.
As firefighting tactics were conducted for comparative purposes, five person fire suppression companies were judged
to be 100 percent effective in their task performance, four person companies 65 percent effective, and three person
companies 38 percent effective; six person companies are judged to be 20 percent faster than four person
companies.”
Studies exist involving several communities regarding staffing and firefighter safety.
US Fire Academy Risk Analysis, CityDallas StateTX, CityplaceSeattle StateWA, Providence RI & Columbus OH to
name a few.
placePlaceNameOhio PlaceTypeState PlaceTypeUniversity, in a 1980 study of actual fireground operations of the
Columbus Ohio Fire Department, developed dat on firefighter injuries and the rate of fire spread involving 404 actual
structural fires. The data showed that when the total number of firefighters at the scene fell below 15 the rate of
firefighter injuries per 10 residential structural fires increased 46.7%, and the number of fires which spread beyond 25
square feet per 10 residential fires increased 24%.
Rate Per 10 Fires
Fireground Staffing
Residential
Less Than 15 FF’s
More Than 15 FF
Difference
46.7%
I.
a.
b.
II
Number of Fires
Fire
Which Spread
Fighter Beyond 25
addressStreetInjuries Square Feet
2.2
1.5
Larger Fire Risk
a. Less than 23 FF’s
b. 23 or more FF’s
Difference
3.6
2.9
24.1%
5.9%
3.4%
73.5%
3.4%
2.9%
17.2%
Pre-Hospital Care:
The response times for fire suppression are also consistent with those recommended by the American Heart
Association (AHA) for delivery of pre-hospital emergency medical care.
placeEMS professionals are trained to different levels:~

EMT-Basics have about 110 hours of training;

Paramedics have 1,000 or more hours of training.
As the law requires, the Town maintains the minimum of two personnel assigned to each ambulance. Other than the
minimum requirement, there are no standard formulas available to determine staffing for certain medical
emergencies. Presently it is estimated that the department sends only the required two firefighters emt personnel to
fewer than 10% of the ems related call. The 90% of the time more are needed and it is based on the nature of the call
(heart attack, shortness of breath, difficult removal).
A survey from the National Association of Emergency Medical Technician’s (NAEMT):
Four in Five placeEMS Workers Injured on the Job
“Four in five EMS workers have experienced some kind of injury or medical condition as a result of their work,
according to the NAEMT ~“Experiences with Emergency Medical Services Survey,” conducted by Harris
Interactive. A total of 1,356 NAEMT members participated in the survey, jointly commissioned by NAEMT and
McNeil Consumer & Specialty Pharmaceuticals, and reported that:
•~More than one in two (52%) have been assaulted by a patient;
•~One in two (50%) have been exposed to an infectious disease;
•~Almost one in two (47%) have sustained back injury while performing placeEMS duties; and
•~One in five (21%) have contracted an illness from a patient.”
The report also addressed the dangers of placeEMS work
“Despite the dangers associated with EMS work, most survey respondents reported that they find their placeEMS
work to be both satisfying and challenging. Only one in five (21%) ranked their personal safety as their #1 concern
about their placeEMS work. Instead, the concerns cited most often by respondents were:
•~Training and education of EMS personnel;
•~Quality of patient clinical care; and
•~Funding for placeEMS.”
Below is information and laws as they apply to the Town and its license to provide advanced emergency medical
care.
MA Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS)
170.305: Staffing
(A) Each ambulance and EFR service shall at all times maintain an adequate number of
EMS personnel to staff placeEMS vehicles to ensure compliance with the requirements of 105 CMR 170.385 and to
carry out its responsibilities of service under the applicable service zone plan(s).
(C) ALS Staffing.
(1) When a Class I, II or V ambulance transports a patient receiving care at the Intermediate level of ALS, the
ambulance must be staffed with a minimum of two EMTs, at least one of whom is certified at the EMT-Intermediate,
or higher, level.
(2) When a Class I, II, or V ambulance transports a patient receiving care at the Paramedic level of ALS, the
ambulance must be staffed with a minimum of two EMTs, both of whom are certified at the EMT-Paramedic level.
170.310: Requirements for Additional Personnel on Ambulances
Additional personnel, beyond the minimum staffing requirements for ambulances under 105 CMR 170.305, may
function on an ambulance according to the provisions listed in 105 CMR 170.310(A)
(A) Such personnel must be currently trained in Basic Life Support cardiopulmonary resuscitation through
completion of a course not less than the standards established by the
Committee on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiac Care of the American Heart Association.
Their function may include the operation of a Class I, II, or
V ambulance if permitted by written policies and procedures of the ambulance service; provided, however, that
additional personnel may operate the vehicle only if the supervising EMT on the ambulance makes a determination
that the care of the patient will be significantly improved by having both EMTs remain with the patient during
transport
170.360: Responsibility to Provide Appropriate Personnel During Transfer
(A) No ambulance service or agent thereof shall transport a patient between health care facilities who is receiving
medical treatment that is beyond the training and certification capabilities of the EMTs staffing the ambulance unless
an additional health care professional with that capability accompanies the patient. For this purpose, medical
treatment received by a patient includes, but is not limited to, intravenous therapy, medications, respirators, cardiac
monitoring, advanced airway support, or other treatment or instrumentation.
Town of Randolph 41 South Main Street, Randolph, MA 02368
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