Beyond the Flames — Become Familiar with Your District

In emergency services, your actions during an emergency are obviously of critical importance to your job. But the first step in completing your duties is knowing how to get there.
Navigation is arguably the most important aspect of emergency response – if you don’t know how to get to the scene of an emergency, you aren’t going to be any use no matter how skilled you are at what you do. But with the development and wide usages of navigation systems and GPSs, it’s often one of the most overlooked aspects.
Familiarization with your department/agency’s coverage district is vital if you intend to provide the highest level of service possible, and that doesn’t mean relying on the GPS. Sure, a GPS or navigation system is great for pinpointing the final address, but you shouldn’t have to wait for the GPS to determine whether you need to turn left or right out of your quarters.
There’s also lots of information that a GPS can’t tell you- things that could make a huge difference in your decision making regarding your call. If you have a general idea of where you’re going, it allows you to immediately starting thinking about a number of things: quickest route to the scene while considering construction, truck positioning, water sources and landing zones, and hazards on scene.
The quickest route to the scene may not always be how the GPS tells you to go. Only you are aware of what roads may be under construction, what roads are heavily congested at particular times of the day or season, and what roads may make it easier to arrive at a certain destination.
Truck positioning is also vital to consider before arrival to the scene. Will there be enough room to park your apparatus on the shoulder, or will vehicles be filling it up? Is there a shoulder at all? Will a one-way road cause you to block the entire street? Will large buildings or other obstructions make you park your apparatus opposite of the incident location? All these things are much easier to prepare for prior to pulling up to the incident.
Water sources for fire are another thing that is better considered before arriving. For towns with hydrants, where is the closest hydrant? Where should the hydrant truck report? What hydrant is the most accessible to hook to and lay in to a scene? For those without hydrants, district familiarization is even more important. Where is the closest drafting point? What is the quickest, most effective loop to send water shuttles on?
Landing zones are also a vital part of both the fire and emergency medical response in the county, due to the relatively lengthy ground distance of the closest trauma center in Atlantic City. Several things need to be considered for landing zones, including the closest pre-designated site, whether that site is available, whether you’ll be able to land a helicopter closer to your incident in an open field/intersection, and likewise. Prior knowledge of the area is critical in obtaining a quick air-ambulance response.
In the same sense as determining the quickest route, knowing the quickest way to the hospital is also important. Often times in the summer, especially for the EMS squads at the northern end of the county, the closest hospital in Court House distance-wise may not be the closest time-wise, due to summer traffic. Knowing whether you’ll encounter significantly less traffic by responding to another hospital, such as Shore Medical Center or South Jersey Regional is certainly something to consider.
Finally, by knowing your district, you’ll be able to prepare yourself for any hazard that might be possible at your emergency scene. Things such as construction, highways, dangerous intersections, trees — anything that could hamper your emergency services should be noted prior to your arrival on scene.
Many departments have map books in their apparatus with important maps, reminders, codes, and other information. Although these can sometimes be more helpful than a GPS, the best way to become familiar with your district is to ride through it frequently. This is often a good rainy-weather drill – just take a ride. You’d be surprised how useful it might become one day.
Knoll, 20, of Eldora, can be contacted by email at bknolljr4cmcherald@yahoo.com. He is a student at Rowan University.