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We sounded the alarm, called in extra forces, and got this question under control by searching on a variety of terms. Our results led us in many different directions, most of which weren't helpful, but we nosed around some fire department sites and came up with an answer to your burning question. Our first stop, the Salt Lake City Fire Department web site, offered an excellent explanation of alarm ratings for fires. In their glossary of firefighting terms, they break it down like this: An alarm is our initial response to a fire or medical call. When we respond to fires, the first alarm will include 3 engines, 1 truck and a Battalion Chief and a Utility Truck. As additional
alarms are called (2nd alarm, 3rd alarm, etc.) they usually consist of 2 more engines and one truck, along with other support staff for each level of alarm. We weren't sure if all fire departments followed the same rules, so we carried on, in search of more information. We found another web page describing the alarm system, this one from the Austin Fire Department. They offered an example of how they respond to an emergency call in Austin, Texas. For suspected structure fires, the initial alarm calls in three engines, two trucks, one rescue unit, and one battalion chief. After that, the Incident Commander decides whether additional alarms are necessary. If more
resources are needed to fight a fire, a second alarm results in a total of 16 firefighting units at the scene. A third alarm adds four more units. Each subsequent alarm adds two engines and one truck company to the scene. Next, we visited the Winter Park Fire Department. This Florida fire department explains its alarm policy. According to the WPFD, a second or third alarm "shall reflect a complete second assignment of the particular incident." They cite a structure fire as an example. If a second alarm is requested, two additional engines, one additional rescue unit, and another chief officer are dispatched. As far as we could tell, fire departments have different policies regarding how many additional
resources are brought in to battle a blaze. However, it's clear that more alarms are called when a fire grows to the point where extra manpower is needed to douse the flames.
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