The number of firefighters in a crew has a substantial effect on the fire service’s ability to protect lives and property in residential fires, new research in the United States shows.
 

Firefighter ventilates a building during one of the tests [Photo: International Association of Firefighters]

The study by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) found that four-person crews were able to complete 22 essential fire and rescue tasks in a typical residential structure 30% faster than two-person crews and 25% faster than three-person crews.

The authors of the report say it is the first study to quantify the effects of crew sizes and arrival times on the fire service’s lifesaving and firefighting operations in residential fires.

In the US there have been reports of crew sizes being reduced to three or even two as a result of cost-cutting measures by local municipalities.

Researchers conducted more than 60 live fire tests to determine the relative effects of crew size, the arrival time of the first crews, and the time periods between the arrivals of successive waves of firefighting apparatus.

“The results from this rigorous scientific study on the most common and deadly fires in the country—those in single-family residences—provide quantitative data to fire chiefs and public officials responsible for determining safe staffing levels, station locations and appropriate funding for community and firefighter safety,” said NIST’s Jason Averill, one of the study’s principal investigators.

According to the US Fire Administration, nearly 3,000 people died in fires in residential structures in 2008, with around 13,500 injured. Firefighter deaths in the US are around 100 a year.

Download the NIST study here

View test video here