Fire details ensure safety at large events, construction sites. Here's why they are needed.

NEW BEDFORD — On July 16, winds were high and indicative of the heavy storm that would come later that day as triathlon athletes hit the waters off New Bedford's East Beach near Fort Taber Park in the morning. For the lifeguards stationed out in the water, the conditions were less than ideal.

"There was a crazy amount of wind," said Jeff Smith, race director for the annual Whaling City Tri & Du. "The lifeguards were stationed in kayaks and as the current went around the jetty at Fort Taber they just couldn't hold their positions."

Fortunately, first responders working on detail there were also in the water and able to keep the lifeguards from drifting out too far, as well as help exhausted swimmers who found refuge hanging onto the fire department's inflatable boat for a rest.

"The city of New Bedford's police, fire and EMS details are invaluable at an event like that," Smith said.

From occasions such as this one, to celebratory gatherings, important construction work and more, there's lots happening in New Bedford on any given day. And behind many of these goings-on, the city's fire department stands by as a quiet force making it all possible, and safe.

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Fire details make New Bedford's world go 'round

New Bedford Fire Chief Scott Kruger says fire details are often required by state fire code, city ordinance or as part of an organization's fire plans. This regularly puts firefighters in high demand.

"Anytime somebody's doing welding, or 'hot work' as it's called, inside a building you have to have a fire watch detail. Also, anytime you're dealing with explosives," Kruger said, for example. Instances from recent memory along those lines, Kruger said, include construction at St. Luke's Hospital, and the demolition of the iconic smoke stack at the former Eversource plant near the waterfront back in January.

The latter stands as another example of firefighters' presence coming in handy.

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"There were two incidents over there," Kruger said. "They had a guy go into cardiac arrest while he was running heavy equipment, and the firefighter we had on detail there started CPR and called for help on his portable radio. He was able to be resuscitated.

"And then a large pipe or something very heavy fell and crushed somebody's leg and it was bleeding profusely, really a pretty gruesome injury. The firefighter working that detail was able to apply a tourniquet and call for help right away."

Details go smoothly — except when they don't

While situations where public safety personnel are needed for emergencies during a detail occur often enough, Kruger says for the fire department, it isn't the norm.

"Most of the time, nothing happens. You stand by with an extinguisher, a radio, and a medical bag in case anything happens," he said. "But on some of these details we end up making a difference."

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One major detail that city firefighters know to expect annually is the massive feast of the Blessed Sacrament, usually drawing between 100,000 to 200,000 guests. Kruger said this year's feast, which ran Aug. 10-13, went relatively smoothly for first responders, but that can change from one year to the next.

"For all three agencies, police, fire and EMS, it was a pretty uneventful feast, which is great," Kruger said. "Last year there was a kitchen fire we had to handle."

For the feast detail, Kruger said the fire department employs a three-person team to man a fire engine that remains on the grounds, two people on a smaller UTV (utility terrain vehicle) able to maneuver through tight spots and extinguish small fires, and, during the nighttime hours, one person stationed at a temporary command center with access to surveillance monitors.

"It's a pretty popular detail so it goes on a rotation — that way everyone has a chance to work it," Kruger said.

Everyday events

Smaller events that take place throughout the year also often require fire details, like those that take place at the Kilburn Mill in the South End, and, in the past, the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center while fire system upgrades were in the process of getting done, Kruger said. In many of these types of cases, Kruger said the state requirement for fire details is a result of legislation that came in response to the Station nightclub fire in West Warwick, RI, in 2003.

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"There's a whole bunch of factors there, like how many people will be at an event, what type of event it is, if there's live entertainment," Kruger said. "It's basically a matter of following Chapter 304. Other times, it might be an agreement they have as part of their fire protection plan, or there's a city ordinance."

Everyday people

While public safety will always be the priority, Kruger says public-facing details like the feast come with an added bonus on top of assuring emergency readiness.

"Some people really like doing them [details.] You get to greet a lot of people, you get to talk with them," he said. "It puts a face to the fire department that people can see and interact with."

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: New Bedford fire department details enforce fire codes, provide safety