Community Connection News Release
Fire Departments Don't Exist Anymore
Jan. 23, 1998
By Chrissy Meyer
Extension to Communities
Communications Intern
By Chrissy Meyer
Extension to Communities
Communications Intern
What? Are you crazy? Who will fight fires? Who will rescue drowning victims? Who will visit our schools to teach our children about fire safety? And more importantly, who gets to drive those cool, big trucks?
"We shouldn't have fire departments any more," said Oster. His justification for making such a seemingly outlandish statement is the simple fact that fire departments are out of date, outmoded and old fashioned.
"Those departments still pretending to be fire departments are responding to fewer fires in relation to the number of other emergency calls. In fact, many are responding to fewer fire alarms in absolute numbers," Oster explained.
These days, local "fire departments" provide a magnitude of services, and ironically, few of those services are remotely related to fire. In addition departments are offering more non-emergency services.
Traditional fire department services include fire prevention programs, code enforcement, building inspections, fire suppression and safety training. Other services provided by today's fire departments are emergency medical services, emergency medical transport, non emergency medical transport, emergency extrication and rescue.
In addition many departments respond to water rescues, high angle rescues, hazardous materials spill responses, confined space rescues and emergency helicopter landing zone support in addition.
"Communities need the services of a 'fire department'-all the myriad of services it can provide," stated Oster.
The question now becomes, what are fire departments supposed to be? Oster suggests "Emergency Service Departments," "Emergency Service and Response Departments" or "Emergency Response Departments."
Some "fire departments" have seen the changes coming. For example, in Van Horn, Chief Marlyn Lyons and his department now use the name "Van Horn Emergency Response Station."
Looking at local fire departments today, Oster believes its not surprising how we came to think of the fire department first when an emergency occurs.
"Your department is a trained body of people with a command structure, possessing discipline and communication capability and managing a wide array of resources and equipment," Oster said.
With all that, he added, it's appropriate to see fire departments increasingly called upon to perform a wider spectrum of services for communities and why fire departments just don't exist anymore. But I wouldn't start eyeing those big trucks just yet...your emergency services and response department might need them.
Contacts:Terry L. Besser, ISU Extension Sociology, (515) 294-6508
Del Marks, ISU Extension Communication Systems, (515) 294-9807
