Hi Lara - the simple answer is that firefighters are part of a crew and the crews need to rotate in and out of the fire. If there's heavy interior work they only have so much air and need to be rotated. So they're really not doing nothing, just waiting for an assignment.
Sometimes it's because it is a volunteer fire department and whoever shows up is what you have to work with. If it's a weekend there can be a lot of people unless it is opening day of hunting season. If it's a workday, it can take hours for volunteers to arrive if they commute to work. A half dozen or so of those firefighters are tanker truck drivers who shuttle water to the firetrucks from the nearest fire hydrant.
You obviously didn't read the previous comments. Hopefully you're in a place where the fire department is fully staffed and there's no need for extra crews from multiple towns to show up to fight a large fire.
I will never understand why when firefighters are at a fire there's so many of them standing around doing nothing but watching
Hi Lara - the simple answer is that firefighters are part of a crew and the crews need to rotate in and out of the fire. If there's heavy interior work they only have so much air and need to be rotated. So they're really not doing nothing, just waiting for an assignment.
Sometimes it's because it is a volunteer fire department and whoever shows up is what you have to work with. If it's a weekend there can be a lot of people unless it is opening day of hunting season. If it's a workday, it can take hours for volunteers to arrive if they commute to work. A half dozen or so of those firefighters are tanker truck drivers who shuttle water to the firetrucks from the nearest fire hydrant.
I know the same. Waste of tax prayers money.
You obviously didn't read the previous comments. Hopefully you're in a place where the fire department is fully staffed and there's no need for extra crews from multiple towns to show up to fight a large fire.