I once again find myself treading, lightly, into a borderline area, which is sort of TEOTWAWKI-ish.

I've been working for a while on an article - and it's turning into a book - on the demise of the volunteer fire service in America. I was researching a number of factors, and in the last year, something that I didn't really see coming when I started this was the fact that many responders are unable to respond not because of their JOB taking too much time it's because of their Jobs. Over and over again, I heard of people who were good responders, with years of experience, forced to stop responding because they work two - or three - jobs. This is a growing trend.

To me, as far as LTP goes, this adds a few things into my "shelter in place" strategy. As a firefighter, I'm already prone to be paranoid about fire safety, but in the last few months, I've really gone a little deeper into planning for prevention, because this slow-mo economic collapse is already affecting the place where I live - this morning, on my way to work, we got a "cover" call - that's where we send our engine to another station because they are on a call for along time. Well, I was on my way to work, I didn't make the call. And listening to the radio, I didn't hear anyone sign on to our station. After 15 minutes, two guys managed to show up for the call. As of this AM, we had 2 guys and one fire truck to cover 140 square miles of Bucks County, PA. The other folks are at the barn fire.

The past weekend was the one where the paid EMS company near me is shut down due to budget shortages, leaving the nearest ambulance 20 minutes, one-way, from where I live (that's on dry, daylight roads).

What I'm experiencing is the very real and very now "collapse" of what would be considered "normal emergency services" for folks who live in slightly rural or exurban areas. This is not limited to Bucks County. In my research, this same scenario is common all across America.

It might be a good time to clean your chimney, check your smoke detectors, install a few more fire extinguishers, take a first responder course.

Oh, and to the point of fire extinguishers. If you've never practiced on live fire with one, make a way to do it. Ideally you can do it in your yard, but if not, try to find a place to learn with LIVE FIRE not some dumb simulation. You can buy small extinguishers for $12 - it's well worth it. Make a fire with something oily and stubborn - soak some rags in used motor oil and hang some old curtains over it to simulate a kitchen grease fire. You want to experience the heat and noise and feel and smell of the process before you have to do it for real.

In light of this what are your feelings on purchasing a firehose and hydrant wrench? I have a fire hydrant directly in front of my house and I've seen fire hoses on ebay...

911 response to our neighborhood has tradionally been slow and on a few occasions completely ignored. Yes, we are served by volunteer responders.

-Blast

"...Make a fire with something oily and stubborn - soak some rags in used motor oil and hang some old curtains over it to simulate a kitchen grease fire...."

Good idea. But it might also be a good idea to let the local fireguys, and your neighbors, know before you light off that smokey fire. Or you end up with a firetruck in your driveway, with all those pretty lights flasing, siren winding down. Also a back-up person with another extinguisher, just in case you mess up...

Martin, Thanks for this note. I hadn't thought about the effect of the "slo-mo economic collapse" on emergency services nor adjusted my preparedness strategy, skills and supplies accordingly.

You know, this might be a good way of working with your neighbors to foster a better, more prepared community. Spread the word that you give some fire extinguisher training at a certain time/date for whoever shows up. I think that might attrack some people. Another possibility is to get the homeowners association involved.

I wonder what liability issues this might entail, though.

-Blast

On the one hand, the fireguys usually don't like people messing with their hydrants. On the other hand, it is YOUR house that is on fire, and they ain't there yet. But be advised, a 4" hoseline is a handfull, even for a big guy like you, 100 pushups or not, the first time you are on the end of one, alone. And you for sure want someone else to turn it on while you hang on to the nozzle end. Someone with some upper body strength, some hydrants are hard to open. I would also wonder about the quality of a firehose I got on e-bay. Might blow out the first time pressure hit it...

"...I wonder what liability issues this might entail..."

Probably more than you want to get involved in, this being the good ole USofA, litigation capitol of the world...

Nope. Most likely not enough pressure from the plug, and you're just going to block access to the plug if/when they show up. You can't do much with a single line without turnout gear and air anyway. Prevention prevention prevention prevention. That's the key. Don't let it start.

"...not enough pressure from the plug..."

Not being a real fireguy, I forgot all about that pumper truck. THAT is what gives being on the nozzle end such fun...

1. No, don't invite others, because "training" isn't the same as "practicing on my own" and if you are "training" and they burn their house down, you're blamed for bad/illegal training.

2. If you have/deal with an HOA, forget it. These little pockets of PHRASECENSOREDPOSTERSHOULDKNOWBETTER. demagoguery represent the worst of all possible scenarios for a free person, and if you're stuck in one, you're stuck living in a world that makes China look like like Sweden. Tracts governed by HOA's are the opposite of a real community. The little Goebels who aspire to run such institutions are the embodiment of the unseemly dark side of human nature, enforcing a conformist agenda of meek subservience to random authority as imposed by the subjective whims of a cabal of priggish busy-bodies. Acres of neatly trimmed lawns, each home with neutral and conforming architecture and paint, with nary a bicycle or play set visible in the front yard is a vision of a green hell.

Hmm. Think I feel strongly about that subject?