Open Source: Why were there so many Mansfield fire vehicles at local medical facility?

Question: Why were there four fire engines, two fire chief’s cars and two emergency vehicles at Akron Children’s Health Center in Mansfield on Dec. 12?

MANSFIELD — The type of response generated from the Mansfield Fire Department depends on the type of situation and call for assistance, according to Chief Dan Crow.

“The number and types of units dispatched to an incident depend on the nature of the complaint,” the chief said when Richland Source inquired about this Open Source question.

“On the EMS side, our dispatchers are trained to triage the calls using Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD). The resources dispatched, and whether they respond with their lights and sirens, are directly related to the presumed seriousness of the medical emergency,” Crow said.

There are also response protocols when firefighters respond to fires or other hazardous conditions.

Generally, in the event of a fire alarm sounding, with no other 911 calls reporting the fire, the MFD will respond with a fire engine and the on-duty assistant chief.

That would typically put three personnel on the scene initially, Crow said.

That changes when the report is of a fire sprinkler that has been activated, which was the case Dec. 12 at Akron Children’s Medical Center on Trimble Road.

Crow said these are commonly referred to as water flow alarms.

“Sprinklers are designed to activate at a specific temperature and a report of water flow is a higher indicator that there may be a fire in the building than a smoke detector activating,” the chief aid.

“Even if the sprinkler break is accidental, the flowing water has the potential to cause ongoing damage to the building until it is turned off,” Crow said.

“For this reason, when we receive a report of a water flow, we dispatch the full response for a building fire. That response includes the on-duty assistant chief, three fire engines, our aerial ladder truck, and two ambulances, for a total of 13 personnel,” the chief said.

When firefighters arrive on scene, their first job is to determine if there is an actual fire.

“If there is, all the dispatched personnel, and probably more, will be needed to control the incident,” the chief said.

“If we find that there is no fire, we will immediately locate and shut off the system, and then our crews will begin to take immediate salvage measures to reduce damage.”

Crow said that work includes removing water, moving items to prevent further damage and using tarps and other tools to protect contents in the affected area.

“Luckily, in this case, there was no water flowing and the system was simply reset and returned to service,” Crow said.

In the incident response narrative, the MFD worded it as follows:

“Units respond to waterflow alarm. E3 arrives and begins investigation. Access to mechanical room delayed until C3 arrives with Knox key to open.

“Once in room, it is noted there is no water flow condition. All systems appear normal. Walk-through of building finds no signs of fire at this time.

“Alarm is reset by Capt. Compton. The alarm resets and shows all systems normal.

“Occupants are advised of our findings and allowed to return to work. All units in service.”

(Below is the Mansfield Fire Department incident report from the call a Richland Source reader asked about though our Open Source portal.)