What happens when I dial 911?
Your call is sent to a PSAP, or public safety
answering point. The PSAP for our county is the Adams County
Communications Center (ADCOM). When a call is placed to 911,
data is sent to the PSAP, including phone number, address, and
name of person associated to that particular number. This allows
ADCOM to determine the appropriate agency that would respond to
that address, whether it be police, fire, or EMS. When the
operator answers the line they will ask several questions to
determine what agencies need to be sent; provide emergency
medical assistance via the telephone; and, gather additional
information until assistance arrives.
Why does a fire truck respond
along with the ambulance?
A crew of firefighters responds along with the ambulance
to assist with basic medical care, to assist the paramedics with
loading patients, and preparation for transport to the hospital
On occasion, a firefighter will ride in the ambulance to the
hospital to assist the paramedic in providing care to the
patient.
What do the firefighters do when not responding to 911 calls?
When the firefighters are not responding to
emergencies, they have many other job responsibilities.
These include fire safety inspections at local businesses, fire
safety education at the schools in our district, maintenance on
district vehicles and stations, data entry, and training and
continuing education.
As a business owner, what are the firefighters looking for
when they conduct a fire safety inspection at my business?
The fire department will try to visit
all its local businesses at least once annually to contact the
business owner or manager to verify important information as to
whom they would be able to contact should a fire or other
disaster occur after business hours. They will also survey the
property as to its layout, identify potential fire and health
hazards, and report these back to the property manager. This
allows us to help you, the business owner / manager to provide
the safest workplace for your employees and customers, and
lessen the probability of fires. The Southwest Adams County Fire
Department follows the 2006 International Fire Code (UFC) and are
happy to answer any questions that you may have.
