Houston Fire Department Apparatus

[Guest]

 Thanks that does help. I'm from Chicago which is probably where Houston got the idea of 2-11 and up from. In Chicago we don't have a 1-11 however. When we call for more equipment above a "still alarm" (structure fire) we call it a Still and Box alarm instead of a 1-11 alarm like you do in Houston. If we need any additional equipment without calling for an full extra alarm we just request what we need. It is sometimes known as a special call. You shouldn't confuse a special call with a special alarm however. In Chicago if we need more extra alarms above a 5-11 we call those alarms special alarms. So what some fire departments call a 7th alarm or in some cases a 7-11 , in Chicago we would call it a 5-11 alarm and 2 specials.

 

I can't say that we copy anybody, and we are our own unique animal.   The phrase "taps" go back to the original fire alarm box which remained in our downtown area until the late 1990's.

 

In Houston a "still alarm" is the response of a single engine.  A box alarm varies on the size or type of structure or incident.  Our box assignments are complex in definition from house to high-rise and extrication to haz-mat.  A 1-11 response for a house fire could be an additional Engine & Safety Officer to an additional Engine, Truck, Chief for a comercial building/apartments.  The 1-11 is not automatic and must be requested, our 2-11 response is quite large, the 1-11 is a smaller option for the IC.