On the right is an example of what NFPA 1710 states a fire department is to have readily available for a house fire

On the right is an example of what NFPA 1710 states a fire department is to have readily available for a house fire. As you can see there are enough firefighters to adequately attack the fire and also perform rescue efforts for anyone trapped inside. Scroll down for a frightening view of how understaffing can affect the fireground.

As you can see, the capability of fire fighting efforts have been severely hindered (cut in half) along with no one left to search for victims. This requirement is based on an 8 minute response. To fully understand how life threatening, crucial minutes can be... click picture below to see a time elapsed video of how quickly a fire can spread and become deadly in UNDER 8 MINUTES! Don't forget that this scenario represents our entire department on a house fire. Imagine if it was an office building or a training school barracks!