Five Alarm?

[Greenleaf]

Where did the phrase originate? I imagine that New York used to have five fire stations and would sometime require the assistance of all five????



Scott

 

[Greenleaf]

Boy,



I musthave really stumped you's guys.



How's about this one. I know you know it.....



"The Whole Nine Yards" Know it? Where'd it come from. I'll give you a hint. It's an Army Airforce term. As in before the Air Force.

 

[guava]

Can't answer the five alarm question.



Whole nine yards came from the length of the ammo belts in WWII fighter guns. Emptying all the ammo at once meant firing a 9 yard long ammo belt.....

 

[Headshot zod]

Typically, on a first alarm, more apparatus is sent to industrial sections, schools, institutions, and theaters than to neighborhoods of one-family dwellings. Additional personnel, volunteer or off duty, is called as needed. Fires that cannot be brought under control by the apparatus responding to the first alarm are called multiple-alarm fires, with each additional alarm bringing more fire fighters and apparatus to the scene. Special calls are sent for specific types of equipment. Mutual aid and regional mobilization plans are in effect among adjacent fire departments for assisting each other in fighting fires.



I found this on the web, not really the origin though.

 

[Greenleaf]

Yep.



With a P-47 "Jug" that would be a whole lots-o ammo.

 

[Headshot zod]

ok.....



Do Americans pronounce "RECIPE" the French way or the British way?

 

[Paychk]

It's an Army Airforce term. As in before the Air Force.

Do you mean Army Air Corp?

 

[Fireman Dave]

I believe Headshot has it pretty much correct.

The first alarm would be the first group of firefighters and aparatus called to the scene. Once on scene, the incident commander will call for additional alarms as needed. Each alarm represents a predetermined number of companies (engines, trucks, batallion chiefs). I believe in cities like NYC each alarm represents more companies than the previous one - the 4th alarm is a bigger group of additional help than the 3rd, and the 3rd is bigger than the second, etc... I don't remember where I saw it, but I have read about it before. In NYC, a 3rd alarm is very big. A 5th alarm would be unusual (and really huge) because it's so many companies. I'm not on a career department, so we don't use alarms in our terminology - but we do call for additional departments under the heading of mutual aid. I don't know where the original alarm term came from - probably because you pulled an alarm to alert the fire dept. at some point in history. Large cities like New York still have pull boxes on the street where anyone can pull it and it transmits the alarm to dispatch. I know there's at least one FDNY guy in the TDR, so maybe he or another career firefighter will chime in with a more accurate answer than I have.

 

[EMD Diesel Power]

FDNY Dispatch in a nutshell... (long)

A quickie nutshell on FDNY Dispatch Policy. (kinda long) The WTC incident was something like "2nd alarm over and above the 2 5th alarms already called out" Quote and info from http://www.fdnewyork.com





1 Engine



* brush fires

* outside rubbish fires

* downed wires

* residential refrigerant leaks

* CFR runs

* medical alert central station alarms

* other non-structural outside fires



1 Ladder



* water leaks

* downed trees/limbs blocking the street

* loose or hanging cornice

* stuck occupied elevators

* lock ins/outs

* other incidents where ladders or tools may be needed



1 Engine + 1 Ladder



* car fires

* struck pedestrian

* vehicle collisions

* elevated railroad ties (el ties)

* automatic alarms (CO, smoke, fire) in a private residence

* gasoline leaks on the street

* any other incident occurring on a street

* any incident where both units may be needed (i. e. , stuck elevator with a injured passenger)



Box Transmission



* report of a structural fire

* mechanical street box activation

* natural gas leaks



Response to certain 10 codes and signals



10-75 (code for a working fire)



* 4 engines

* 3 ladders

* 2 battalion chiefs

* 1 rescue if available

* 1 squad if available



Signal 7-5 (using all hands)



* 4 engines

* 3 ladders

* 2 battalion chiefs

* 1 rescue

* 1 squad

* 1 deputy chief

* 1 RAC unit



Second alarm (signal 2-2)



* 8 engines

* 5 ladders

* 4 battalion chiefs

* 1 rescue

* 1 squad

* 1 deputy chief

* 1 RAC unit

* 1 satellite

* safety battalion

* SOC battalion

* 1 tactical support unit

* field comm



Third alarm (signal 3-3)



* 12 engines

* 7 ladders

* 5 battalion chiefs

* 1 rescue

* 1 squad

* 1 deputy chief

* 1 RAC unit

* 1 satellite

* safety battalion

* SOC battalion

* 1 tactical support unit

* field comm

* mask service unit



Fourth alarm (signal 4-4)



* 16 engines

* 9 ladders

* 5 battalion chiefs

* 1 rescue

* 1 squad

* 1 deputy chief

* 1 RAC unit

* 1 satellite

* safety battalion

* SOC battalion

* 1 tactical support unit

* field comm



Fifth alarm (signal 5-5)



* 20 engines

* 11 ladders

* 5 battalion chiefs

* 1 rescue

* 1 squad

* 1 deputy chief

* 1 RAC unit

* 1 satellite

* safety battalion

* SOC battalion

* 1 tactical support unit

* field comm



All subsequent alarms, add:



* 4 engines

* 2 ladders

 

[xpetecx]

What about the saying "86 it" what does that mean and were did it come from.

 

[EMD Diesel Power]

What about the saying "86 it" what does that mean and were did it come from.

If you are talking FDNY 10-code... it means Foam operations.



10-86 FOAM OPERATION

Transmitted for a fire or emergency requiring any type of

foam concentrate in addition to that carried by units on

the scene. The following are to respond: 2 Foam

Carriers, 1 Satellite Hose Wagon, 1 Foam Coordinator

(Batt. Chief).



CODE 1 Maximum amount of Flouroprotein foam required.

In addition to units on the 10-86 the

remainder of the Foam Carriers and all Bulk

Foam Units will respond.



CODE 2 Flouroprotein foam required. In addition to

units on 10-86 the remainder of the Foam

Carriers will respond.



CODE 3 High Expansion Foam required. The High

Expansion Foam Unit will respond. Units on

10-86 will also respond.



NOTE: On all Special Calls for foam (Foam carrier or

High Expansion Foam) the associated Engine

Company will respond with both pieces of

apparatus and all members.