Who Does A Fire Scene Belong To? Fire or Police

Rickey Stokes

Viewed: 7773

Posted by: RStokes
Date: Jul 20 2014 10:11 PM

DOTHAN:    Do you want to be a policeman?  Let’s see if you can answer this trivia question.

Dothan 911 dispatches a structure fire.  Simple.

Which is most  important  to get access to the structure fire?

1. A Dothan Police car without fire equipment and water.


2. A Dothan Fire truck that has fire equipment and water.

While I am just a dumb ‘ol bondsman, my guess is, when there is a structure fire, it is important for the firetrucks and fireman to have access to the fire scene.

I mean...FIRE.......water - fire trucks to pump water - fireman with protective gear!!!

Well for some reason, in Dothan, the Police do not get that.

You see pictures from several weeks ago where there was a fire. You see two Dothan Police cars parked directly in front of the residence where the fire was located.

Do you see any way a fire truck can get in front of the residence in order to fight the fire?

I sent that picture to Dothan Fire Chief Larry Williams from the scene.

Since that picture was sent, the fire on North Foster Street. Dothan Police cars parked, locked and the officer unable to be found. Dothan Fire trucks were hampered to get to the fire. A search for the officer had to be taken in order to get the police car moved so that fireman could lay fore hoses into the fire in order to fight the fire.

Now weeks before that. There was another fire. I took a picture just like the one you see and sent it to Dothan Fire Chief Larry Williams.  This was just before a joint Police and Fire meeting. The issue was discussed.

Guess what? Either the police supervisors, like Lt. Scott Heath fail to understand that it is important for fire trucks to get to the scene and not for police cars to block the scene. Or either,  Lt. Heath and others think they are just way more important to care.

Either way,  Dothan Police continue to block the fire departments access to calls where it is important the fire department have access.

Yes, police sometimes are the first and need to make sure no one is in the structure. However, THINK…

Park your police car in a position to allow fire equipment to have complete access in order to lay fire hoses and get the equipment to the fire.

Even a dumb ‘ol bondsman  like me can figure that out.

I realize that Lt. Heath is a big man. And watch him, he does feel that he is very important and  knows all. However, for some reason he and others can not figure out…

WATER and FIRE EQUIPMENT are more important at a fire than Police Lt. Scott Heath is…

Would Chief Benton and Major Parrish please explain to Heath and the other police commanders, T H I N K !!!!

 WHILE I AM AT IT... also Lt. Heath, leave the Batallion Chief alone while he or she is trying to command the fireman while fighting the fire. He does not need to hear your war stories!

Until the fireman are finished the scene belongs to the fire department!

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