OPTIMAL STAFFING LEVELS FOR FIREFIGHTER EFFECTIVENESS AND MITIGATION OF FIREFIGHTER INJURIES EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT

2 Martinsville Fire Department provides fire protection and EMS first response to Martinsville, Virginia, a city of 16,000 residents. The problem was that as call volume increased, MFD frequently responded to fire calls with a number of firefighters perceived to be below the optimal level for performance of duties and mitigation of firefighter injuries. The purpose of this research project was to identify the optimal staffing level for fire ground operations in order to effectively and safely perform firefighting duties. The evaluative research method was used and answered the following questions: 1. During fire ground operations, what laws and/or standards govern numbers of firefighters required to perform fire ground duties? 2. How do staffing levels of MFD compare to other fire departments? 3. At what numerical threshold do firefighter injuries increase during fire ground operations? 4. What is the effectiveness of three, four, and five-person engine companies during firefighting operations? 5. What do past-reports show to be the frequency of MFD being on another call when receiving a structure fire call? Research was conducted with a literature review, personal interviews, and with a survey instrument. It was learned that this agency responded to structure fire calls with less than optimal numbers of firefighters and with fewer firefighters as compared to other agencies. Recommendations include hiring one additional firefighter per shift, establishing an automatic aid agreement with Henry County, and implementing an aggressive volunteer recruitment campaign.