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Lino Lakes, Minnesota – Fire Department Analysis Page 28 <br /> <br />Medium-Hazard Occupancies (apartments, offices, mercantile and industrial occupancies not <br />normally requiring extensive rescue or firefighting forces): at least 3 pumpers, 1 ladder truck (or <br />combination apparatus with equivalent capabilities), 1 chief officer, and other specialized apparatus <br />as may be needed or available; not fewer than 16 firefighters and 1 chief officer. <br /> <br />Low-Hazard Occupancies (one-, two-, or three-family dwellings and scattered small businesses and <br />industrial occupancies): at least 2 pumpers, 1 ladder truck (or combination apparatus with <br />equivalent capabilities), 1 chief officer, and other specialized apparatus are recommended to be <br />available; not fewer than 12 firefighters and 1 chief officer. <br /> <br />The Department should have the personnel and equipment resources to meet NFPA 1720 response <br />capabilities for low and medium hazard occupancies. High-hazard occupancies would require additional <br />outside equipment resources and likely personnel on the initial assignment. The Department’s use of box <br />alarm assignments would address this high hazard need. <br /> <br />The recommendations and guidelines outlined in the NFPA Handbook merit consideration, but are not <br />necessarily the final word, as the NFPA guidelines do not address how fire departments will also be able <br />to comply with the OSHA-mandated “two-in/two-out” rule (discussed below). Also, the NFPA guidelines <br />do not address OSHA’s requirement that a rapid intervention team (RIT) be on-scene at a working fire. <br /> <br />OSHA Regulations <br />Additional mandated requirements for staffing are related to OSHA’s regulations for firefighter safety. <br />To protect the safety of firefighters, the United States Department of Labor and OSHA have enacted <br />29CFR1910.134, known as the two-in/two-out rule that requires four personnel on scene at all structure <br />fires before initial interior attack begins. <br /> <br />Firefighting is a dangerous and physical labor-intensive profession. Although technologically the tools <br />and equipment used by firefighters have changed dramatically over the years, the basic goals have <br />remained almost unchanged: to preserve life and protect property by successfully extinguishing fires— <br />and not get hurt in the process. To accomplish this, firefighters must be able to quickly and efficiently <br />gain access to a fire and apply an extinguishing agent (typically water, but foam and other agents are <br />gaining in popularity). This requires emergency responders to operate in dangerous environments where <br />they are at high risk for serious injury or death. <br /> <br />To protect the health, safety, and welfare of firefighters, the federal government enacted regulations to <br />ensure that firefighters operate safely in and around structure fires. Enacted by the Department of Labor <br />and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), 29 CFR 1910.134, also known as “Two- <br />in/Two-out,” mandates that there must be a minimum of four personnel on the scene of a structural fire <br />before personnel can initiate interior operations. Two firefighters must remain on the exterior of the <br />structure, properly equipped with full turnout gear and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) to act <br />as a Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) in the event the firefighters operating inside the structure become <br />incapacitated or trapped. Although OSHA allows one RIT member to have an additional role such as <br />incident commander or safety officer, as long as rescue activities can be performed without jeopardizing <br />the safety of other firefighters, a pump operator cannot make up part of the RIT unless the apparatus <br />utilizes a positive water source, which allows the pump to be unstaffed for a period. <br /> <br />34