ICFR Firefighters invest time to prepare for response

Before responding to your call for help via 911, each ICFR firefighter invests hundreds of hours in preparing to respond.  These tasks are critical to the response and allow ICFR to respond rapidly with the right equipment, staff and apparatus.  Preparation includes:

Equipment maintenance - Just as your car requires maintenance to run properly, each engine, ambulance, water tender, rescue truck and brush truck requires diligent maintenance to be prepared to respond in all conditions.  Firefighters must maintain not just the vehicle but all of the equipment on the truck.  This includes the vehicle's engine, pumps, foam generators, hose, tools, extrication equipment, medical equipment, lighting, electrical generators, and saws.

Ambulance checks - One of our EMTs or paramedics checks the ambulances to ensure all three ambulances are equipped with the supplies and medications needed to meet or exceed the Denver Metro Protocols (these protocols identify the treatments for our patients), and the State of Colorado ambulance requirements.  All three ICFR ambulances are equipped to meet both the Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Life Support (ALS) requirements.  In addition, Rescue 684 at Station Four is equipped with both BLS and ALS supplies.

Supply ordering and inventory maintenance - The EMS supplies used to stock our ambulances, rescue trucks and engines must be ordered frequently to maintain the proper inventory.  ICFR works diligently to ensure the right equipment and supplies are available, while monitoring our inventory levels to ensure we meet budgetary guidelines.

Administrative duties - The officers and firefighters of ICFR invest significant time in admiistering the department.  With five fire stations, 50 firefighters and EMS staff, and 15 pieces of apparatus, administrative duties are not the exciting part of ICFR, but must be addressed.

Training - ICFR offers weekly training on various topics to our firefighters and EMS staff.  In addition to the training offered within the district, ICFR staff attends many courses offered throughout the Denver metro area and Colorado.  Structural firefighting, wildland firefighting, Emergency Medical Services, Hazardous Materials response, fire prevention, fire investigation, and fire inspection are just a few of the training topics.

All of this time is invested before your call for help via 911.