What is a 2-11 alarm? in fire department lingo?

-well. at least in chicago it is a fire alarm.



edited--(seems its not a 'multi' fire, its a multi-alarm)

added--its when the 1st fire chief determines they need additional help. a '2'nd alarm is sent.



"This is why second alarms are still called "2-11's". A third alarm would be a "3-11" and so on. (In Chicago and some other cities.) See "multi-alarms"."

(this info is near the bottom of page :)



ADDED--

In simple terms it is how many times the fire commander, on the scene, has called for help.

When a citizen reports a structure fire a predetermined response of firefighters and equipment is sent. This is usually something like: 3 Fire engines, a truck or two, and a battalion chief. Some cities will also send an MICU on the first alarm.



If the commander on the scene determines that more resources are needed he may call for a second alarm. This provides another predetermined response. This is usually slightly less than the "First Alarm". It might be two engines and a truck. Often a second Battalion chief is sent along with a district or assistant chief. Certain other support vehicles also might automatically be sent on the second alarm. Examples might be an R&R or Air filling vehicle. Subsequent alarms will get a similar response.



It is not uncommon for you to hear a first arriving fire officer to say, "Give me a second and third alarm for this fire." This means he wants that many resources on the way. (Remember the third alarm response companies are a long way off. They could be 15 minutes away. In some communities, they are an hour or more from arrival.)2-11 is the california penal code for armed robbery. Has nothing to do with fire dept