Though I have written on this subject before, I think it is time to send out a friendly reminder. I was watching the national news last week, and the story went like this: It appears that a man was bitten by a dog; he then had someone drive him to the fire station; the patient or the driver rang the door bell, probably looked in the windows and rang the bell some more; after who knows how long, they finally decided to dial 911, and the engine was back at the station within two minutes.

The problem is that people have the incorrect idea that there is always someone at every fire station 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The fact is, though there are firefighters on duty around the clock, they might not be in quarters when you have an emergency. The bays may be full of apparatus and you may drive up assuming that the firefighters are in, but they might be out on another call, performing training, doing a building walk through or any number of things.

If you have an emergency that requires fire, EMS or police, dial 911 – do not drive to the fire station expecting us to be there! No matter where the units are, they are only a 911 call away. I cannot tell you the number of times during my career that I have been dispatched back to my fire station for a medical call. Most times, we arrive to find people pulling on the doors, looking in the windows or finishing their third or fourth lap around the building.

The gentleman who experienced this dog bite believed there should always be someone in the station. With most departments staffing units at the bare minimum, we cannot afford to leave anyone in the station, especially for the happenstance that someone may drive up like they should not do. Firefighters are a part of the community, but we have a job to do, and a lot of people to do it for.

I close by saying, if you have an emergency, dial 911. Even if you live next door to the fire station, do not assume that the firefighters are there at that moment. The outcome of most emergencies depends on a quick turnaround of the call once the dispatcher receives the 911 information, and then a safe response to the scene by firefighters or medics. If you throw in a drive to the fire station in your personal vehicle, it might be too late.