We all know what the main job of the fire department is: to put out a fire and attempt to save anyone who might be trapped in the burning building.
But what happens immediately after the fire has been put out and the firefighters have been assured that it is out? What kind of procedure do they follow before they leave? Do they just pack up and leave as soon as possible, or do they give any kind of post-fire assistance to the occupants?
I mean basically what happens in this situation: take the case where a dwelling completely burns down to the ground, or suffers enough damage to be rendered uninhabitable. The fire has been put out; the owners / occupants of the home have been evacuated without injury and are now standing outside in their night clothes. What happens next? Do the firefighters give them clear instructions on what they should do next? Assist them in getting to a hotel or other alternative accommodation? Or do they just coldly pack up and leave as soon as they can, leaving the occupants to figure out what to do next?
I don’t think that firefighters anywhere would see it as their “job” to look after the victims once the site is safe. That said, they are not going to drive off without making sure that the people they may well have rescued are not being cared for in some way.
In the UK, if friends/neighbours/relatives can’t help, the local council is expected to step in. No doubt, the firefighters would know who to call.
When a fire burnt down part of the row house I was living in, the firefighters didn’t do anything that I can remember after putting out the fire for the survivors getting shelter or aid. I did have a person from Red Cross help me get a taxi to my parents - who lived near by. But that was all I got. I don’t know if the others got anything different, I never asked and I was at work when it happened, so something might have gone on before I got there.
The apartment I had was more damaged by the firefighters than the fire. But the power and utility lines all connected on the side where the fire happened.
There was a fire in a house in my street last week (everybody got out OK and the fire was contained before it did any structural damage).
After the fire had been extinguished, the firefighters turned off the gas and electrical supply to the building, since this had potentially been damaged in the fire. They liased with the landlord and tenant to discuss the potential cause and risk factors. They visited all of the houses in the street to discuss, and with the consent of residents, inspect fire doors and test smoke alarms (they installed some smoke alarms for free in some houses). There were no separate paramedic or ambulance teams in attendance, but members of the fire team assessed the condition of people who had been exposed to smoke.
At the end, before the last engine left the site, the tenant had locked the premises and had left by taxi to stay with parents. I assume there might be some handoff to police or social support services if this hadn’t happened on its own.
I think the two things that seemed surprising to everyone were:
They weren’t in a tearing hurry to extinguish the fire. They arrived onsite, there was smoke and flames coming out of the back door; they didn’t just gallop in there with a hose - they set up a control station, they ran hoses to and from water, but they carefully assessed the fire before applying any control to it (which was completely sensible as it was a domestic fire that started from faulty electrical equipment, and was in proximity to copper gas pipes.)
They weren’t in a tearing hurry to leave - three engines were in attendance from two different stations; two of them left fairly soon after the fire was out - the other crew was still on site a couple of hours later, pulling out any risky materials, making the building safe, recording evidence for reports etc.
There is nothing official for our department and most of the time the owner is able to take care for such arrangements. However in such cases when they can not, usually they can stay at the firehouse till social services, or some cases child services, can take them.
They hang around and try to determine the cause of the fire. If there are any survivors they will tell them what they think the cause was. Then they leave, providing anyone who needs care has been taken care of. IME
Last week there was a fire 3 houses down from me. A young family left a candle burning in an upstairs bedroom while eating dinner downstairs. Weird beeping they don’t recognize, they finally realize it’s a fire when they smell smoke. All get out safely. $60,000 damage. Structural to upstairs, smoke damage throughout.
The fire fighters were there almost 2 hours. After the fire is confirmed to be extinguished they spent time surveying damages, investigating the cause and took out of the house anything smoldering or potentially smoldering, like mattress, bed springs, carpeting, curtains, linens in the room of fire origin. They locating necessary things for the family and brought them out like phones, car keys, a pair of shoes for the 5 year girl dressed in her Disney princess dress.
They talked with the adults about when it would be safe for them to re-enter the house (2 days for the smoke to clear). They set the family up with the Red Cross worker who came before the firefighters left and she set them up with motel vouchers for shelter until the insurance companies involved had done the cleanup and restoration. The firefighters were very solicitous of the family, who were understandably shell-shocked. Then some time was spent cataloging equipment and rolling up fire hoses.
I was very impressed with the compassion and professionalism shown by the firefighters. No blaming or shaming, just compassion and doing what needed to be done to care for fellow humans who had something terrifying happen to them.
If they think they fire was set deliberately, the fire department may initiate an arson investigation. In some municipalities, they might have their own arson investigator, in others they might call in an investigator or hand the case off to the police.
My stable was struck by lightning last summer and burned to the ground. The firefighters decided quickly that nothing could be saved, they worked on containing the fire to just the stable. It took them from about 10 pm to about 3 a.m. They spent a lot of time checking for every last thread of smoke. Then they packed up and went home. In the morning a small crew and our local fire chief came back and extinguished the last smoldering hay. And stood around yakking as I remember (I was dazed).
There was no question what caused the fire – the strike was so big it knocked the electronics of the whole neighborhood – well pumps, ovens, computers that were unluckily plugged in, the whole grid went down.
It was about forty people, volunteer crews from six villages around us. We got all the animals safely out, so there was nothing to do but stand there and watch and cry my brains out. A fireman hugged me. Later that week I met him at our town bar. I bought him a beer.
When I was a volunteer, the chief on site would ask that Red Cross send a representative, who would facilitate getting the family a place to stay and immediate needs met.
Not where I live. More on that later.
It depends on country and local regulations.
The fire dept here spends most of its time preventing fires. Lectures, inspections, awareness programs. At any given moment, there are only twelve fire fighters on duty in a city of 350K, more can be called upon, but will take time to reach the fire and be ready to work. Needless to say, prevention is key.
We have an Office of Emergency Management. During the active fire they coordinate the response between fire, EMS, police and any outside agencies. After the fire is put out the fire department leaves and OEM ensures any displaced people have somewhere to go. Usually they do this by coordinating with Red Cross.
Thank you for all the answers. I’m glad to see a pattern of someone making sure that the people are guided as to how to deal with the situation. The Red Cross wasn’t on my radar - it makes logical sense that they might be called to step in.
Our (Dallas) OEM tends to get involved after the fire response when it’s large enough.
In general the fire department’s fresponse depends on the severity of the fire and its effects. As a kid, some neighbors had a big grease fire in their kitchen, and the fire department showed up, put it out, sucked out all the smoke using big fans, and then basically said “See ya later.” and took off. But on the news a few months ago, a senior apartment complex caught fire in Dallas, and the Fire Department was coordinating the emergency response and getting people medical care where needed, while the OEM was working with the Red Cross to get the people rehoused.
I don’t think the Dallas OEM really gets involved in like single house fires though- their mandate is more about managing large-scale disasters- broken dams, huge floods, tornadoes, extreme weather, riots, terrorist attacks, etc… They do pre-emptively activate their emergency operations center- one thing they did according to their 2019 annual report was activate before the verdict of the Amber Guyger trial.
Not having ever experienced a burned house I can’t say what’s official around where I live. What I do know is that unofficially at least, the local fire brigade does have an emergency fund that they use to help with at least the immediate needs (shelter food or whatever) for a day or two. This is something they do charity drives to fund a couple times a year.
Volunteer in small New England town for 30 years here. Once fire is out, find out what the residents need - shelter, medication refills, clothing, etc. and refer to local resources like the Red Cross. If fire seems the least bit suspicious, call in State Fire Marshall as they have the tools, training and experience to conduct such investigations. Then return to station and begin the cleanup. Hoses need to be washed to prolong their useful life, apparatus needs to be washed, gas or diesel refueled, turnout gear run through the washer and dryer. (Bringing dirty turnout gear home is an invitation to cancer in the long term). Once all that is done, sit down with a cup of coffee and cuss and discuss what went right and what went wrong on the call. Could we have done anything better, faster, safer? Then go home and go to sleep or to work.
Again, this is from a small town, all volunteer perspective.