NFPA Standard 1710: The new "minimum staffing standard" for career fire departments

By Firefighter Paul A. Suedkamp

In 2001, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) released two new standards related to fire department staffing levels. NFPA 1710 for career fire departments like the Iowa City Fire Department and NFPA 1720 for volunteer fire departments. The NFPA 1710 standard enjoys the support of both the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).

Here is a partial summary of what compliance with NFPA 1710 (career) calls for:

Minimum engine and truck staffing of 4 (with 5 or 6 in jurisdictions w/ tactical & high hazard occupancies).

Fire departments must staff chiefs aide positions.

At least 90 percent of the time:

A fire department's "turnout time" (the time between the receipt of an alarm and the time firefighters are dressed, equipped, and on board their truck or other apparatus) shall be no more than one minute.

The "response time" (the time it takes for the first engine company to arrive at the scene) shall be no more than four minutes.

Response time of eight minutes or less for full first alarm assignment (fifteen people).

Fire departments must inform the public about their response capabilities and the consequences of not meeting the specified deployment criteria.

Fire departments must be capable of establishing incident command, water supply, attacks line(s), backup line(s), search and rescue team(s), ventilation team(s) and RIT/FAST at all structural fires... these "benchmark" requirements are based upon a 2000 square foot detached single family dwelling. Urban FD's will have to increase the requirements according to the occupancies & hazards in their community.

Staffing for BLS response at two EMT-B's and staffing for ALS response at two EMT-P's (if ambulance service is provided).

Fire departments must be capable of establishing a RIT/FAST team at all incidents.

Minimum requirements for health and safety, incident management, training, communications and pre-incident planning.

There is an Equivalency clause in the standard. Providing protection "equal to or better than" the standard through a combination of methods such as, strong fire sprinkler or fire resistive building construction ordinances, etc is acceptable. (Note: The City of Iowa City does not currently have a mandatory residential sprinkler ordinance.)

Interestingly, NFPA 1710 is not a law and fire departments are not legally obligated to comply with it. However, More often than not, fire departments have been held accountable to the NFPA documents in court and in individual state Departments of Labor. So like it or not, NFPA 1710 will be the bar by which the career fire service is judged and the City of Iowa City will be exposed to legal liability (i.e. potential law suits) if we do not comply with it.

It is happening elsewhere already. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has just cited the Houston Texas Fire Department for failure to comply with NFPA 1710 following a high-rise fire which resulted in firefighter deaths. Four days after the incident the Mayor of Houston raised fire department staffing to four firefighters per fire company.

For answers to your questions concerning NFPA 1710 visit this web site http://daily.iaff.org/1710Q&A.htm or call the Iowa City Fire Department at (319) 356-5260 (Monday –Friday).

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