I’m rather embarassed that I don’t know this, but I have no clue what is meant by a “4-alarm” fire. I assume more “alarms” mean a bigger fire. Am I correct? Does it relate to the number of fire companies sent to the fire? If so, do the number of companies called relate only to the size of the fire or also to its source or surroundings (I assume you’d send more firefighters to a chemical fire next to a fireworks company than to an isolated buring house)?
A one-alarm fire is one easily contained to which only the nearest fire company responds. A two-alarm fire calls in a backup company along with the “first response” company. And so on.
For example, a small grass fire on a calm day, or a dropped cigarette putting an upholstered chair on fire, can be controlled very easily and quickly. A large building with the fire having had a chance to spread and “involve” much of the building will require a much larger response; that same grass fire spreading towards a forested area during a drought on a windy day is going to take an enormous response to control.
Originally this was done as separate alarms as the fire was determined to be that big once the first response company got to the scene; today, it’s on the basis of what’s reported and the judgment of the person-in-charge-of-dispatching-firemen as to how large a response is necessary.
In the city I worked for, the initial response to the report of a fire, consisted of 3 engine companies, one truck company, and a battalion chief. The first arriving unit would assess the conditions found, and report back to the dispatcher whether the responding units could contain the fire, or, request a second alarm. A second alarm would trigger the response of two additional engine companies, an additional truck company, a rescue company, and a second battalion chief. Subsequent alarms would add two more engines and one more truck. After the fifth alarm, (in my city, that about wiped out the on duty crew) mutual aid from surrounding towns would be requested.
I just remember episodes of Emergency! when that PA system would come on with the alrm signals. BEEEE-BAAAAAH! DEEE-NOOO! BIM-DAAAAAHHH! The longer this went on, the worse you knew the emergency was going to be.
[sub]KMG-365![/sub]
I respect the message board too much to post a short poem by Ogden Nash. You may find it, perhaps, by Googling “Ogden Nash” 2-L lama.
They was talkin’ Arabic in their wee little voices. Maybe they was West Nile mosquitoes.
You mean (as near as I can recall):
A one-L lama, that’s a priest.
A two-L llama, that’s a beast.
I will bet, a silk pyjama,
There’s no such thing
As a three-L lllama.*
*Certain “friends” of mine have mentioned a variety of conflagration known as a “three-alarmer”. To them I can only say this: poo.
[HINT] How many fingers am I holding up? [/HINT]
How long is a 12-inch ruler?
What’s a 3-legged dog?