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