Paris Fire Brigade started to work with teams of two people, called "binomial teams" (équipes en binôme) or shortly "binomials" (binômes). This organisation was generalised to the whole France in a departmental order signed by the minister of Internal Affairs the 3 February 1999. An engine with eight people now has three binomials, an engine chief and a driver; an engine with six people has two binomials, an engine chief and a driver. A binomial can be assigned two types of missions: exploration and attack mission (binôme d'attaque, BAT); water supply and support mission (binôme d'alimentation, BAL). The mission can change during an intervention (i.e., an attack binomial can become a supply binomial or vice versa). The "usual" intervention (simple fire with only one fire engine and six people, no casualty, no specific risk) thus involves two binomials. The engine chief makes a reconnaissance with an attack binomial. The other binomial stands by outside, ready to help the reconnaissance team. The attack binomial unrolls the fire hoses at the "attack point" defined by the engine chief and prepare to go to the target also defined by the engine chief. The supply binomial joins the attack point to the fire engine with hoses. The attack binomial starts the firefighting. The supply binomial joins the fire engine to the hydrant. The supply binomial stands by, ready to help the attack binomial. The overall organisation is the same when more engines are involved. Germany German fire services regulations (FwDV) demand that firefighters must always operate in teams of two, called a Trupp; and that an interior attack with breathing apparatus may only be undertaken if there's at least a Staffel on scene, which consists of six firefighters: two Trupps, a commander, and an engineer. Furthermore, every incident scene where breathing apparatus is in use must have at least one Trupp with breathing apparatus on standby as a dedicated rescue team, and more where appropriate. See also Fire service in France References External links OSHA Rule 1910.134(g)(4) Last Men Out () A book about Rescue Company 2 of the FDNY, whose job is to rescue other firefighters from burning buildings. Firefighting