FY2012 Arlington Fire Department Annual Report FY 2012 | Page 30

Page 30

Squad Program
In 2012 the Division increased its Light Response
Vehicle (LRV) program to two units. Squads 2 and 4 are
staffed 24/7 with two fire fighters that are also either
EMT-Intermediates or Paramedics. On April 1, 2012,
Squad 4 was placed in service at Fire Station #4 on the
city’s northwest side. Squad 4 is dispatched in place of
Engine 4 on defined emergency medical calls clinically
validated by our Medical Director and Medical
Operations Quality Improvement Committee. Squad 4
will respond within its assigned district and to two
districts immediately adjacent (Districts 1 and 8). The initial response areas for Squad 4 include its
home district and fire call boxes 140, 141, 142, 810, 841 & 842. Those boxes were selected because
they border District 4, have a high EMS call volume and are thought to include a response time
element conducive to an LRV. Because the firefighters assigned to Squad 4 carry their full
complement of protective gear, the unit also responds to other multi-unit response incidents to
enhance on-scene capabilities and resources.
Data demonstrates that Squad 4 is in line with the response criteria established for the program and
should continue to have a positive impact to the northwest portion of the city. The data also suggests
that calls for service in District 4 have not experienced any negative impact and have enjoyed a less
than 4:26 average response time to EMS calls for service. This performance is well within the
Department’s response time standards.

New Mobile Data Computers
As part of the 2012 Computer Aided Dispatch
system upgrade, key members within the
Division worked with the Communication
Services Section on upgrading our vehicles’
Mobile Data Computers (MDC’s) during the
fourth quarter of the year. Training on the new
MDC’s occurred in August, with the installation
of the new units in the apparatus in early
September. The new units are faster and
more technologically advanced, which
translates into enhanced safety and quicker
response times.

DUTY

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HONOR

Working Together to Make Arlington Better.

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COMPASSION
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EXCELLENCE