2nd Alarm Lawrence, Kansas 2127 S. Harper, 02-15-13

[MFD76]

It does not seem Lawerence sends a very heavy assignment to its structure fires. 2 alarm fire with only 4 suppression pieces assuming Rescue 5 is a Heavy Rescue not an EMS unit. I am guessing Lawerence is a reasonable sized city. Isn't KU or K-State there? Does the university have a fire department.


BTW looks like the members did a fine job stopping the fire.

 

Hi Maxim 

 

Home of the University of Kansas Jayhawks and birth place of basketball. 

 

Lawrence is about thirty miles west of the Kansas City Metro and thirty miles east of Topeka. The western KC suburbs are growing toward Lawrence. They operate five fire houses, one ems station with six fire companies, six ambulances, and one shift commander. For many years they ran a traditional truck-engine concept. They adopted a hybrid quint-engine-truck concept in 1994. Absorbed the county ambulance in 1997. In 2009 adopted a hybrid quint-engine-rescue concept. The running cards are very light on apparatus. They normally have fourteen firemen and one chief on a first alarm. If second alarm companies go to work they automatically call mutual aide from Lenexa and Olathe, Kansas for one truck and two engines-quints. They are the two farthest west fully career fire departments. Here are some examples of the old running card and then 2009 to current running card. 

 

Prior to 2009 (City wide one engine, four quints, one dry truck): First Alarm: one engine, one quint, one ladder, one chief, and one medic. Occasionally you would get two quints instead of the engine. Ladder 5 carried ISO ground ladders, 100ft aerial, lots of truck tools. Quint or Engine would lay-in and or pump and Ladder would take the front or bring ground ladders and search. 

 

2009-present (City wide two engines, two 75ft quints, one 95ft tower-quint, one dry rescue): First Alarm: one engine, one quint or two engines, or two quints, one dry rescue, one chief, one medic. Occasionally now you might not have an aerial ladder at the fire. The tower-quint truck 5 does not run city wide and does not carry the ISO complement of ground ladders since it is a quint. The tower-quint often pumps or lays-in for the first due if on the run card. leaving it out of position at most fires. The rescue carries no ground ladders or wide array of truck tools. It is a mix of heavy rescue equipment, confined space, rope rescue, breathing air, and some saws.

 

The 2002 HME/ Smeal dry 100ft Ladder 5 is moth balled at Fire House Two as special call and will be replaced this year. The Rescue or Tower-Quint most often use a reserve 75ft quint as their spare or the reserve engine. 

 

Stay Safe,

Rick