Frequently Asked Questions
Q. When I call 911 for a Medical
Emergency, why does the fire department show up?
A. All firefighers are required to
undergo medical training. Many of our firefighters are Emergency Medical
Technicians (EMTs). When a 911 call is received for a medical emergency, there
are times when the fire department can arrive before the ambulance and start
patient care. Other times, we help the ambulance crew by assisting with patient
care, removing the patient from a dangerous area, or even driving the ambulance
to the hospital.
Q. Why do firefighters cut holes in the
roof of a building during a fire? Doesn't this do even more damage to the
house?
A. The practice of cutting holes in
the roof of a burning structure is known as ventilation. Ventilation helps
firefighters inside the building by allowing smoke and superheated gases to
escape, which eliminates some of the smoke in a building and makes the
environment a little easier to work in, in addition to keeping the superheated
gases from igniting an attic fire. Unlike the movies, it is normally
pitch-black inside a burning building because of all the smoke. Ultimately,
ventilation helps firefighters who may be searching for someone trapped in the
building by eliminating some smoke and heat, or those who are trying to put the
fire out by allowing hot steam to escape rather than come back at them and burn
them. This helps us save people who may be trapped, and to put the fire out
quickly, saving more of the building.
Q. Why do I sometimes see an emergency
vehicle go through an intersection with lights and sirens on, and then, after
they go through, turn them off and slow down?
A. Many times, several units are
dispatched to the same emergency incident. The first unit may have arrived on
scene, surveyed the situation, and informed the dispatcher that it was under
control, or that more units were not necessary. All other responding units were
cancelled and placed back into service, ready to take another call. Most
likely, when you see an emergency vehicle go through an intersection "Priority
One" (lights and sirens) and then slow down and turn the emergency lights off,
they have been cancelled from the call they were going on, or requested to
continue "Priority Three" (non-emergent, normal traffic).
Q. Why do some fire trucks park down the
street from an incident?
A. In situations when a scene is
deemed unsafe due to a potentially violent patient or family member, or if there
are dangerous drugs or weapons involved, Fire and EMS units may "stage" until
the police department has secured (made safe) the scene. On fire calls, engine
and truck companies may stage until they have been provided an assignment by an
"Incident Commander".? Because of the number of things that must be done near
simultaneously during a fire attack, it is important to only have those
units/personnel that have an active assignment on scene, with the rest staged
and ready to deploy.
Q. Why do I sometimes see fire trucks
parked in the grocery store parking lot?
A. Firefighters may need to go to the
grocery store to buy food to prepare meals for the day.? Because they must be
able to respond to an emergency incident at any time, the crew is required to
stay together, close to their truck and be prepared to respond immediately, even
from the grocery store, if they get a call.
Q. How do I request a copy of an incident
report?
A. Call the fire station nearest to
where the incident took place. We will need the date, approximate time, and
location of the incident to efficiently process your request.
Q. Who do I call to schedule an Superior
Township Fire Truck, Firefighter, or Fire Safety Class at my function, or to
schedule a tour of a Fire Station?
A. Call Station #1 at (734) 484-1996
and ask for (or leave a message for) Fire Fighter Braman.
