Ever play the game called hot potato?
For those of you who haven’t, it’s an old school party game that’s fun, simple and gets everyone participating. Essentially, players form in a circle and pass around a steaming hot potato. These days, it’s typically a ball or similar toy, but in the old days when liability wasn’t so much a concern, an actual hot potato was used. (…we had fun, minor burns or not.)
With music playing, the participants keep passing the “potato” as fast as possible to not get “burned.” When the music stops, whoever is holding the potato (ball, whatever) is out! Start the music again and resume the same passing play with the remaining players until the music stops, again and again until there’s one player left. The last person left holding the potato is the winner.
In the fire service, we have a similar game. It’s when someone dials 911 because their world is on fire, the dispatcher activates the local volunteer fire department (rural, suburban or urban) and then waits … and waits … and waits. Again, there is a house on fire, the dispatcher has received multiple calls, and that one volunteer department’s tones go off again … and again. Or maybe the whistle blows until it burns out or whatever system of “HEY, COME DO THE JOB YOU CLAIM YOU DO” alerting exits – and yet no one responds. Or maybe a few show up, but no driver. Or maybe it’s senior firefighters who should no longer be interior firefighters. Or maybe a chief drives, meaning they can’t do their chief duties at the scene.
You know exactly what I am talking about.
What is needed when a house is on fire?
Probably not firefighters refusing to take the potato, instead leaving it steaming in the hands of the fire dispatcher.
RESPONSE MODELS AND BAD NUMBERS.