Fire service personnel across the country are reeling from the death of a Nebraska fire chief who reached beyond the town's limits and state line to help others.

Ralston Fire Chief Kyle Ienn was found hanging from a bridge in his hometown Tuesday morning, and authorities are investigating it as a suicide.

Members of the Ralston Volunteer Fire Department are struggling to cope with the loss of their chief, who not only made changes in their firehouse, but worked to make differences elsewhere.

News of Ienn's death also left a void in the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.

NFFF Executive Director Ron Siarnicki said Ienn was dedicated volunteer who always went out of his way to assist the families and colleagues of fallen firefighters.

In addition to founding and being the commander of the Nebraska (Local Assistance State Team (LAST) team, Ienn also was a NFFF advocate for the Everyone Goes Home Program.

"We offer any assistance we can," Ienn said while participating in a panel at the annual CFSI event last spring. "We help plan the funeral, and most importantly tell the family what a firefighter funeral is all about and what they can expect."

Ienn spoke of the importance of not only stepping up but speaking up to make sure everyone on the incident is operating safely.

"It's going to be tough," Assistant Chief Joe Eischeid -- who will take over for Ienn -- told The Omaha World-Herald. "We train so that we know what to expect in a situation, but a lot of guys in there just don't know what to say about this."

Under his leadership, the volunteer department's ranks swelled to an all-time high with 56 members at the end of 2011.

"Kyle has taken this department to a completely different level," department spokesman and former chief Tom Negley told the newspaper. "I was thrilled when Kyle said he'd take the job as chief, because I knew he'd do an excellent job."

Ienn is survived by his wife, Christine, who is an administrative assistant for the department, and their three children.

Siarnicki added: "Chief Ienn was an ardent supporter of the Foundation's mission to honor the fallen, to comfort and assist their survivors, and to work diligently to prevent and reduce line-of-duty deaths and injuries..."

Ienn was involved in a number of activities to promote firefighter safety, and closing the firehouse bar in his own station when he took over didn't make him popular, he recalled in an interview last spring.

Siarnicki saluted him for his dedication: "Chief Ienn was steadfast to these efforts in his words and actions, and his performance as a fire chief was unparalleled. He will be sorely missed."

Just as Ienn did many times, Siarnicki said NFFF officials have reached out to his colleagues to offer support during this difficult time. "It's been tough. It's sad for everyone..."

A Prince George's County firefighter was shocked while unplugging a shoreline from a fire engine at a station Wednesday night and the department is already taking steps to prevent similar incidents in the future.

The unidentified firefighter -- a nine-year veteran of the department -- was transported to the Burn Unit at Washington Hospital Center following the incident at Beltsville Station 831 and was listed in good condition Thursday afternoon.

He initially was unable to move his right hand and experienced a loss of sensation in his arm, but has since regained the ability to move several fingers but still doesn't have any feeling in his arm or hand, department spokesman Mark Brady told Firehouse.com.

"It was a small amount of progress, but certainly a good sign," he said, adding that the firefighter is "conscious, alert and in good spirits."

The incident occurred as the firefighter and his colleagues were leaving the station for training. As he disconnected the 120-volt shoreline from the engine by pulling the cord, the wires apparently pulled away from the protective housing.

The exposed wires then came in contact with the firefighter's arm and caused an electrical shock that threw him to the engine room floor.

Paramedics from Calverton Station 841 responded and -- along with Beltsville personnel -- transported him to the burn unit.

Brady said that a contributing factor in the incident was that the firefighter pulled the cord in order to disconnect the shoreline.

"The best way is gripping from the housing itself and not pulling on the cord," he said. "It is a common practice to pull the cord, but it is something we should avoid doing. It causes unnecessary wear and tear over time and could result in what occurred last night."

To prevent future incidents, the department will be sending out a safety bulletin to remind all of its members to pull from the housing while disconnecting shorelines from apparatus.





The last time a similar incident occurred at the department was at least 10 years ago, Brady said, but stressed that firefighters need to stay alert at all times.

"Injuries to firefighters can happen far away from the fire ground and this was one of those incidents."

IAFC National Programs Assistant Director John Woulfe, provides an update to the Safety Health and Survival Section board on the National Firefighter Near- Miss Reporting System. 


 

Each August, more than 14,000 of the most prominent fire and emergency service leaders from across North America and around the globe come together for 5 days of learning, networking and collaboration at FRI. FRI education covers all areas of the emergency service: navigating the political environment, managing change, ethical leadership, EMS issues, career development and more. More than 600 exhibitors showcase the newest fire service innovations in apparatus, technology, equipment, gear and more

The Rules of Engagement have been changed to reflect the greater emphasis on safety in Structural Firefighting and Incident Command on the Fireground as developed by the IAFC Safety, Health and Survival Section.  Take time to come see Gary Morris, David Daniels and Billy Goldfeder whowill discuss these new revisions and answer questions.  Room A-411, Georgia World Congress Center

Mayday: Not If…When
With so many changes (budget cuts, staffing reductions, reduced training, etc.) in so many fire departments, it is critical for fire fighters to focus on their own survival on the fire ground. There is no other call more challenging to fire ground operations than a Mayday call — the unthinkable moment when a fire fighter’s personal safety is in imminent danger. Fire fighter fatality data compiled by the United States Fire Administration have shown that fire fighters “becoming trapped and disoriented represent the largest portion of structural fire ground fatalities.” The incidents in which fire fighters have lost their lives, or lived to tell about it, have a consistent theme — inadequate situational awareness put them at risk.

Fire fighters don’t plan to be lost, disoriented, injured or trapped during a structure fire or emergency incident. But fires are unpredictable and volatile, and they will not always go according to plan. What a fire fighter knows about a fire before entering a blazing building may radically change within minutes once inside the structure. Smoke, low visibility, lack of oxygen, structural instability and an unpredictable fire ground can cause even the most seasoned fire fighter to be overwhelmed in an instant.

The IAFF Fire Ground Survival (FGS) program is the most comprehensive survival skills and Mayday prevention program currently available and is open to all members of the fire service. Incorporating federal regulations, proven incident management best practices and survival techniques from leaders in the field, and real case studies from experienced fire fighters, the FGS program aims to educate all fire fighters to be prepared if the unfortunate happens. The IAFF Fire Ground Survival Program will provide participating fire departments with the skills they need to improve situational awareness and prevent a Mayday. Topics covered include:

• Preventing the Mayday: situational awareness, planning, size up, air management, fitness for survival, defensive operations.
• Being Ready for the Mayday personal safety equipment, communications, accountability systems.
• Self-Survival Procedures: avoiding panic, mnemonic learning aid “GRAB LIVES” — actions a fire fighter must take to improve survivability, emergency breathing.
• Self-Survival Skills: SCBA familiarization, emergency procedures, disentanglement, upper floor escape techniques.
• Fire Fighter Expectations of Command: command level MAYDAY training, pre-MAYDAY, MAYDAY and rescue, post-rescue, expanding the incident command system, communications.

This year’s Safety Week will focus on delivering the online Fire Ground Survival awareness training course to all fire departments. Other planning tools and resources will be available on the Safety Week website. Mark your calendar – Safety Week is June 19-25 this year.

Keep watching the Safety Week website and the IAFC Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn pages for continuing updates to this year’s program and planning resources. Remember to visit the SHS Section’s website for more information on health and safety issues and the IAFF’s Health, Safety and Medicine’s website for more information on health, wellness and safety programs. You may also contact the IAFF by email for additional resources.

The New York City Fire Department has determined that its new fire-retardant gloves have a critical flaw: they do not adequately protect firefighters from burns. Read the article at the link below from the New York Times.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/05/nyregion/05gloves.html?ref=albaker

A Prince George's County firefighter was burned after falling through the floor of a burning townhouse early Saturday morning.

Crews responded to the fire in the 9000 block of Continental Place in Landover at approximately 3:30 a.m., according to a department press release.

They found heavy fire to both floors of the two-story middle unit upon arrival.

A volunteer firefighter from the Kentland station fell through a hole in the first floor down into the basement. He was able to pull himself out and was soon evaluated by paramedics on the scene.

He was transported to the burn unit at Washington Hospital Center with a "significant" second-degree burn to his back.

He is listed in good condition but will remain hospitalized for additional treatment.

There were no other injuries reported and the townhouse was unoccupied as it was under renovation.

The cause of the fire is under investigation and damages are estimated at $100,000.

Corey Ankum and Edward Stringer were among a dozen firefighters putting out a blaze in an abandoned building at daybreak today when suddenly the roof gave way.

Steven Ellerson, a 20-year veteran, and others swarmed inside to rescue them. "He heard someone calling for help and he looked for him," Ellerson's brother Maurice Matthews said.

Ellerson found Ankum on the floor, gasping.

"He found him and knew he was struggling to breathe so he took off his mask to give him some oxygen," Matthews said. "Corey's head was stuck somehow and they couldn't get him out. So my brother went to give him his coat but they came and got my brother out of there. My brother didn't want to leave him, but there was no choice.

"It was a chaotic scene," Matthews said. "These guys put their lives on the line every day."

Stringer and another trapped firefighter was rushed to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, police closing ramps and clearing the way for the ambulances. Ankum was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.

Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said both firefighters died of trauma. Ankum had been with the department less than two years, Stringer about 12 years.

The other trapped firefighter taken to Northwestern was "stable," according to Chicago Fire Cmsr. Robert Hoff. In all, 19 firefighters suffered injuries, Hoff said at an afternoon news conference. He said the injuries of those who survived were not considered life-threatening.

This is the worst fire for the department since February 1998, when two firefighters died in a blaze. A roof collapsed at 10611 S. Western Avenue, killing Patrick King, 40, and Anthony Lockhart, 40. They were among the first to enter the building. In August, Christopher Wheatley died when he fell about 35 feet off a ladder while battling a fire at a West Loop restaurant.

The deaths came on the 100th anniversary of a huge fire at the Union Stockyards that claimed the life of 21 Chicago firefighters, the single greatest loss in U.S. history of professional big-city firefighters until Sept. 11, 2001.

Late this morning, dozens of firefighters stood at attention, removing their caps and saluting, as Ankum's body was taken from the hospital and put in an ambulance. A police escort led the ambulance to the medical examiner's office.

A similar procession with a dozen department vehicles left Northwestern just after noon with Stringer's body.

A little before 1 p.m., a member of the Fire Department walked out of the Cook County morgue carrying a folded City of Chicago flag and a red plastic bag and clothing that one of the fallen firefighters was wearing when he died.

The firefighter said about 50 members of the department gathered inside the medical examiner's office to honor their dead comrades' bravery and service.

"Bravery, honor, valor, and a commitment to duty. It's just paying tribute," he said. "We're all devastated."

He described the dead as "excellent men and excellent firemen."

The firefighter's job was keeping track of the fallen firefighter's belongings. "It's an honorable task," he said.

Hoff said firefighters were in the building and on the roof, searching for hot spots and whether anyone was inside, when the roof collapsed. The two who died were inside the building, he said.

"The search effort was aggressive, two members were found immediately," Hoff said at a news conference. "Every firefighter that was there did the best they could to save their brothers.

"We had to use some extrication devices to get at a couple of them. The structure was a flat roof in the front and a bow-string truss in the back. The roof was made of heavy timber. We're investigating what caused that heavy roof to collapse.

"We can only put a theory out there that, because the fire wasn't that well involved in that area. . .that maybe the snow and ice (were a factor). Maybe the age of the building contributed?"

Hoff said officials decided to search inside the building because "people in this kind of weather seek refuge and we take no building as being vacant. We do it cautiously, but we go in for people who may try to get out of the cold."

Hoff said there was "no indication to the chief officers and company officers at the scene that (the roof) was in danger of collapse. That's when we make our decision to go in and do a search."

Hoff would not speculate on what caused the fire.

Firefighters -- their faces and uniforms covered in soot -- shook their heads as they embraced one another after the search was called off.

At Northwestern, about half a dozen police cars and several fire vehicles were parked in front of the emergency room after two ambulances arrived from the fire. Truck 122 pulled up and three firefighters walked in, including a lieutenant. One firefighter from Truck 122 was on a cell phone and wiped away tears with his jacket.

Robert Smart, owner of the Smart Bros. Car Wash and Detailing next door to the burned building, said he arrived at his business at 7 a.m. to find the block swarming with firefighters.

He saw two people being brought out on stretchers, followed by two firefighters. He got a good look at one fireman. "He looked pretty bad," said Smart, adding the firefighter did not appear conscious.

Rescuers appeared to be trying to revive the injured firefighter in the middle of the street as they waited for an ambulance to arrive.

Jorico Smart, who with his father Robert has owned the car wash for 16 years, said he has called police at least a dozen times in recent years to report people trespassing in the abandoned building next door.

Smart characterized the trespassers as squatters. Last month, Smart's brother called police to report a break-in.

Chuck Dai, who co-owns the building with a younger brother, said he has been struggling to keep squatters from entering ever since his laundry business at the site failed about six years ago and he stopped paying property taxes on the site.

"It's been a tiresome battle just to keep it buttoned up and everything," said Dai, 61, speaking from another laundromat he owns nearby.

Though the property has been boarded up several times, he said, "somehow they managed to break in."

Dai said he had no idea how the fire started. He learned about the dramatic rescue attempt and the death of two city firefighters while watching the morning news in horror, he said.

"I'm pretty down right now," Dai said, his voice growing hoarse with emotion. "I'm at a loss for words about the whole situation. I feel bad about the firemen getting hurt."

The fire broke out about 6:54 a.m. in the abandoned one-story brick building in the 1700 block of East 75th Street.

The fire was raised to two and then three alarms to save the trapped firefighters; Hoff said that there was no indication that the fire was in the truss roof at the time the roof collapsed. A "mayday" was called. Firefighters also reported having problems with frozen hydrants, but Hoff said only one hydrant was frozen and it was not hampering firefighting efforts when the collapse happened.

Pat Curry, Cynthia Dizikes, Carlos Sadovi, Will Lee, Serena Maria Daniels, Jeremy Gorner, Antonio Olivo and Noreen Ahmed-Ullah contributed to this story

McClatchy-Tribune News Service

A Los Angeles firefighter fell one story when the ladder he was scaling down gave way yesterday afternoon, according the department.

The 23-year veteran landed on the driveway below and sustained injuries to his legs and was transported by ambulance to a local hospital. He was treated and released but remained off duty.

Crews responded to the fire at 11336 Dona Lisa Drive in Studio City at approximately 4:30 p.m. and found heavy smoke and fire coming from the second floor of the home.

Ground ladders were extended to the to the roof of the residence and hoselines were sent into the structure, which was not occupied at the time of the fire.

Firefighters on the roof performed essential vertical ventilation, allowing crews beneath them to advance on the flames, according to the department.

The fire was confined to the structure of origin and extinguished in just 31 minutes.

The 46-year-old home was not equipped with sprinklers and the damages were estimated at $200,000.

The cause of the fire was determined to be electrical in nature.

With 14 electronic sensors stuck to his chest and back, Darrel Fournier walked quickly Tuesday on the treadmill. On a nearby computer screen, Dr. Lowell Gerber monitored the heart rate, and watched for an electrical heart abnormality in Fournier, Freeport's fire chief, that could put him at risk of abrupt heart failure.

Within five minutes, Gerber had the preliminary results.

Flames and smoke would seem to be the biggest hazard for those who respond to fires. But sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death among on-duty firefighters, blamed for four of 10 fatalities from 2003 to 2008, according to the National Fire Prevention Association.

Some of the deaths could be avoided, with a piece of test equipment that can help detect the small heartbeat irregularities that indicate a heightened risk for heart trouble. Freeport's is the first fire department in Maine to be screened with the equipment.

Fournier, president of the New England Fire Chiefs Association, hopes the pilot program eventually can be expanded statewide. That would make Maine the first state to use the technology to screen firefighters for risk factors associated with sudden cardiac arrest.

The diagnostic heart test is called Microvolt T-Wave Alternans. It serves as a marker of cardiac instability and an elevated risk of sudden cardiac death. It was developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has been available for seven years. This year, Cambridge Heart Inc. of Tewksbury, Mass., won approval to market a module that will make the technology more widely available to doctors.

The idea of using the diagnostic test to screen firefighters came after Gerber, who opened a cardiology practice in Freeport less than two years ago, met Fournier, who told him about the particular risk faced by firefighters.

Age, physical fitness, stress and medical conditions can put firefighters at a higher risk for sudden cardiac arrest or a heart attack. Adding to the threat is intense heat, which can raise the body temperature to dangerous levels. Firefighters are typically screened for physical fitness, but rarely for the condition of their heart.

Gerber, who has an interest in preventive cardiology, saw an opportunity to examine firefighters as a way to explore heart risks in the wider population, such as obesity and diabetes.

''They are a reflection of what's going on with society,'' Gerber said.

With Fournier on the treadmill, Gerber increased the speed and incline until he had raised Fournier's heart rate and captured the results. He found Fournier's risk of sudden cardiac death to be low, and proceeded to other tests.

''I feel wonderful about that,'' Fournier said. ''I'm very pleased with that result.''

Fournier, who is 54, knows that undiagnosed heart conditions can kill. A member of the Freeport force who was 53 died last year of a heart attack while off duty.

Freeport has 65 volunteer firefighters and six full-time staffers. Nine are being tested in the pilot program.

If it's successful, Gerber and Fournier hope it can become a national model.

Firefighters, Gerber noted, do more than fight fires these days. They often are emergency medical personnel, and first responders to events including terrorism.

''We really need to keep these people healthy and functional,'' he said.

Covington firefighters had a close call on Oct. 21 when a roof collapsed on them while searching a building house for possible trapped occupants, according to The St. Tammany News.

Crews responded to the fire at the single-family home at 336 E. St. Mary Street at approximately 2:37 p.m. After spotting two vehicles in the driveway, they entered the fully-involved structure to perform a search.

Less than two minutes after the firefighters entered the structure, the roof began to collapse, sending burning debris down on them, Chief Richard Badon told the newspaper. Two firefighters suffered minor injuries.

He said that no firefighters were sent to the roof initially because the priority was locating the occupants.

The house's tin roof, attic and second floor were engulfed and flames were coming out of the gables at each end of the home, according to the report.

"This was significant fire," he said. "With a tin roof, it was more difficult to fight than a normal composite roof. No one could have stood on it to fight the blaze."

No one was in the structure or seriously hurt.

He said the blaze was under control within 40 minutes.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Fire investigators hoped to get inside the former Sunny Jim peanut-butter plant Tuesday morning to begin determining the cause of the fire Monday that destroyed the vacant warehouse.

Up to 120 firefighters battled the fire first reported at 1:47 p.m. Monday in the city-owned, two-story building at South Industrial Way and Airport Way South.

One firefighter was injured by a piece of siding when he attempted to open a door to get a hose into the building, according to fire officials. He was taken to Harborview Medical Center with an ankle fracture and was listed in stable condition Monday.

Some neighboring buildings were evacuated as firefighters spent several hours battling the flames. The response of firefighting equipment and the smoke snarled surface streets and Interstate 5 to the east.

Because the building was vacant, firefighters fought the blaze "defensively," said Seattle Fire Chief Gregory Dean. He said there was no attempt to enter the building. Instead, the Fire Department tried to contain the blaze to the north end of the building while allowing the roof to burn through.

Once the roof was destroyed, firefighters were able to attack the heart of the fire, Dean said.

Fire Department spokeswoman Helen Fitzpatrick said the cause would remain unknown until investigators could get inside the building. Dean said he expected firefighters would work through the night to keep water on the smoldering building.

Andy Kim, who works at AVL Professional audio/video to the north of the building, said he and co-workers saw smoke, then smelled it. He and a co-worker walked outside to see smoke and flames pouring from the center of the building.

He said the building attracts transients and homeless people.

"There are usually a lot of transients hanging around out there. Every morning, an RV [mobile methadone unit/clinic] pulls up and they do a needle exchange, so every day there's a line of people."

La Dele Sines, chairwoman of the Friends of Georgetown, said the building started as an independent beer brewery in the late 1800s. It was owned by a couple of men, including one who died in the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. Continental Can, which made cans for the fishing industry, then owned the building, she said.

Germanus Wilhelm Firnstahl founded Pacific Standard Foods, maker of the Sunny Jim brand, in 1921 after he moved to Seattle from Wisconsin and bought a peanut roaster. He bought the Airport Way South plant during the Depression.

The company became the supplier of a third of all peanut butter in the Seattle area during the 1950s, before it eventually was sold in 1979 to the Bristol Bay Native Corp.

The city of Seattle purchased the building in 1991 and still owns the structure, according to property records.

Katherine Schubert-Knapp, city spokeswoman, said the city recently put out a bid for electrical-service upgrades in another building on the property. The upgrades did not include the building that caught fire, although some work would have to be done to power lines underneath the structure, she said.

A fire on the same property in February 1997 destroyed the familiar "Sunny Jim" sign that once crowned one of the buildings at the plant.

The fire was under control Monday night, but firefighters expected to be monitoring the building overnight to watch for hot spots, according to the Seattle Fire Department.

Two volunteer firefighters were injured Sunday afternoon in a two-alarm blaze that destroyed a large barn near Bally, authorities said.

The injured firefighters, from companies in Boyertown and Bally, suffered smoke inhalation and exhaustion, officials said. Fire officials did not release their names.

The injured Boyertown firefighter was taken by ambulance to Lehigh Valley Hospital near Allentown. Information on his condition could not be obtained. The Bally firefighter was treated at the scene.

The barn at 1662 Route 100 in Washington Township was stacked with about 1,500 bales of hay when it caught fire, property owner Matt Shuhler said.

He estimated damage at $50,000. Fire investigators will start searching for a cause today. The barn was engulfed in flames when crews arrived shortly after 4, officials said. Barto Fire Company Chief Matthew L. Bakes said the tin barn was 70 feet wide and 100 feet long.

Fire crews worked for more than an hour to control the blaze.

They remained on the scene until nightfall checking for hot spots while a backhoe demolished what was still standing.

It was fortunate the flames didn't spread to similar-sized buildings that were nearby, Bakes said. One of those buildings held expensive farm equipment, he said.

"If that would have caught, it would have cost about $200,000," Shuhler said.

The building that burned was built in the 1970s, Shuhler said. It was insured but will not be rebuilt, he said.

Children playing in the area spotted smoke coming from the barn and alerted a parent, who called 9-1-1, Bakes said.

The fire ignited in a rear corner of the building, he said. It was too dangerous Sunday to get inside and investigate the source, he added.

Shuhler said the barn had electricity, but at the opposite end of where the fire started.

More than 75 firefighters from more than 10 companies responded.

Three medics and six emergency medical technicians watched over fatigued firefighters as they worked under a hot sun.

The crews relied on tankers to carry water down a long lane to the farm.

A South Macon firefighter is in stable condition after a rescue truck backed over her on Sept. 14, according to The Herald-Review.

Firefighter Karla Minor was walking on the shoulder of the road next to the truck while it was backing up when it struck her at a low rate of speed and partially ran over her.

Crews responded to a request for medical assistance off of Illinois 48 in Boody and the incident occurred shortly before 11:45 a.m.

Minor was transported to St. Mary's Hospital and then airlifted to Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana.

Doctors believe she has a fractured tailbone and possibly a fractured pelvis, according to the report.

An investigation of the incident is ongoing and no citations have been issued.

The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) is committed to reducing firefighter fatalities and injuries. As part of that effort the Safety, Health and Survival Section has developed “Rules of Engagement of Structural Firefighting” to provide guidance to individual firefighters, and incident commanders, regarding risk and safety issues when operating on the fireground. These rules are available in a poster which can be downloaded or ordered from http://fireservicebooks.com

Buffalo firefighters are better trained in how to issue a "mayday" call for help, now carry improved portable radios for operation in blinding smoke and practice more thorough tactics for fighting basement fires.

A year ago today (Aug. 24), when two firefighters perished in a Genesee Street fire, those enhancements were not in place. The deaths of Lt. Charles W. "Chip" McCarthy Jr. and Firefighter Jonathan S. Croom were a wake-up call for the city Fire Department.

The fire early on the morning of Aug. 24 started in the basement of Super Speedy Deli, which doubled as a secure warehouse for cigarette storage. By the time firefighters arrived at about 3:50 a.m., the blaze was burning fiercely, and civilians mistakenly told fire officials people were trapped inside.

Faulty electrical wiring has been mentioned as a possible cause, but a definitive ruling on what started the fire has never been issued.

Now all that's left at 1815 Genesee St., just west of Bailey Avenue, where the rambling 2 1/2-story, wood-and-brick structure once stood, is a vacant lot.

And a whole lot of hurt.

"The only thing we can do to honor the memory of those who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty is to try and get better at what we do and be there for each other," Fire Commissioner Garnell W. Whitfield Jr. said.

There is no question, he added, that the Fire Department has made progress in becoming better prepared. In fact, the now-completed mayday training was under way prior to the fatal fire.

"We are absolutely a better department than we were then," Whitfield said. "But that does not mean another member will not get hurt. We had two guys fall off a ladder recently, and the week before that, a roof collapsed on several firefighters. Thank God nobody perished."

When McCarthy, 45, of Rescue 1, fell through a collapsed section of the deli's first floor by a rear row of coolers, other firefighters initially did not know who was screaming over the radio for help or the location.

Croom, outside the front of the deli, apparently was able to figure out that the mayday call was coming from somewhere inside the deli portion of the building and re-entered the structure as other firefighters were leaving.

Teaching 'self-rescue'

In the heavy smoke, the 34-year-old firefighter from Ladder 7 fell through the same hole as McCarthy.

The mayday training, department officials say, not only gives firefighters more direction about what to broadcast over their portable radios -- such as location, unit, name, assignment and resources needed to assist -- but teaches them how to "self-rescue and self-evacuate."

To do that, the firefighter tries to compose himself by regaining presence of mind, figure out what happened to put him in the perilous situation and remember how he entered the building.

"When you go into the structure, you have to size it up, then you have to determine a means of egress, if the environment is compromised," Whitfield said. "You need a preplan on how to exit. These are things we do normally, but we're reinforcing it on a daily basis."

In addition, the commissioner said the department is purchasing new portable radios and has retrofitted others that let firefighters know what channel the radio is set to, even when visual confirmation is impossible because of heavy smoke.

"Our radios now have an audible alert that tells you what channel you're on," the commissioner said. "Also, the dial, at the front and back, is the same first four channels. If you are trying to find one of those channels in a blind situation, you turn your dial all the way right or all the way left and you know you are on channel one. Channel one is our main channel."

Despite these changes, Dan Cunningham, president of the union representing city firefighters, said the radio enhancements fall short of what's needed.

Better communication

"Enhancing would make the radio equipment more powerful," Cunningham said. "Our alarm office can only track six radios at a scene. The equipment at the alarm office holds the last six transmissions, identifying the individuals with those six radios. What about the other 20 radios at a scene?

"If you want to enhance the system, there is technology out there that can keep track of substantially more transmissions from different radios."

Other improved technology, Cunningham added, can rapidly identify the name of a firefighter who presses his "man-down" button on the portable radio.

Whitfield, in making his case that improvements are occurring on multiple fronts, said firefighters also are receiving training in effective communications, so that the incident commander "gets good information with which to make his decisions."

An independent investigation of the fatal fire found that the incident commander had received some misinformation about the status of the basement.

The department, at the recommendation of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, also has adopted a standard operating procedure (SOP) for dealing with basement fires, which are known to be treacherous.

New tactics in place

"We now have an SOP for basement fires. It's been reviewed and tweaked. We adhere to certain tactics and strategies, not that we didn't have them, but they needed to be reinforced," Whitfield said.

At the deadly blaze, firefighters were entering the building long after the first floor had been structurally compromised. Flames were venting through a section of the flooring, and other sections were reported to be spongy. In fact, a third firefighter fell through the floor but was able to stop himself from plunging into the basement.

Another equipment improvement that will be in place by the end of the year calls for outfitting the department's more than 700 firefighters with new self-contained breathing apparatuses. The units will replace ones that are a decade old.

When the remains of McCarthy and Croom were recovered from the store's basement, their breathing units were empty. The two men had died from inhaling super-heated gases, autopsies later confirmed.

Though there was no indication something went wrong with their breathing apparatuses, Whitfield said it is time to buy new ones.

More help needed

Cunningham, president of Local 282, Professional Firefighters Association, hopes the department will adopt a routine maintenance schedule for the units, which, he claims, does not now exist.

"Currently we have Firefighter Larry Parker as our only certified repair specialist for the self-contained breathing apparatus," Cunningham said. "We did have two full-time people, but one has advanced to deputy commissioner, so when Larry is on vacation, if we have a rash of breakdowns, who is going to do the work on them?"

Another improvement made by the department, Whitfield said, requires every fire company responding to a blaze to carry a thermal-imaging camera to assist in searches of burning structures.

As for confusion and misinformation at the Aug. 24 fire scene -- it took three head counts before it was determined Croom also was missing -- the commissioner said he is looking into providing state-sponsored training courses for the department's upper command.

Whitfield disputes claims that there was any more confusion at that fire than is normal at a major fire.

What about the national institute's recommendation that incident commanders at fire scenes should have an aide or command technician to assist them in keeping track of firefighters and rapidly changing conditions?

"We have an assigned accountability officer to keep track of the whereabouts of our members at every fire," the commissioner said in countering that suggestion.

Cunningham, however, says that the accountability officer also doubles as the emergency medical service officer, coordinating first aid to injured firefighters.

"We need a full-time accountability officer. Right now he has two jobs, and he is one person with no relief," Cunningham said of the distractions the officer can face.

On overall staffing for training firefighters, Cunningham said additional dedicated training staff is needed.

"Normally we have four lieutenants on duty training, and now we have one," he said.

And while the commissioner and union president do not agree on very much, they are in solidarity when it comes to extending continued heartfelt expressions of concern to the families of Croom and McCarthy.

"Not only are those families in the department's prayers, but all who have lost someone in the line of duty," Whitfield said

An alleged drunken driver ran into a Pawtucket fire truck that was blocking traffic at the scene of a single-car crash early this morning.

The rig was positioned on the shoulder of I-95 North to protect firefighters who responded to the scene at approximately 1 a.m.

A driver -- who was suspected to be driving while drunk -- came around the corner and hit the rear right corner of the fire truck, according to Chief William J. Sisson.

The fire truck is currently in the shop but is expected to be a total loss.

Sisson said the area of the highway where the crash occurred is an S-curve and can prove difficult for drivers.

"It's a treacherous area," he said "We have numerous accidents all the time."

It had rained for a good part of the night, which is believed to have contributed to both collisions.

The man was transported to the trauma unit at Rhode Island Hospital and Sisson said he was last reported in critical condition.

The chief said that the fire truck most likely saved the lives of three of his men, the trooper and a tow truck driver who were behind it.

"It was a horrendous accident," he said. "The car almost got through. Thank God for the truck and the Jersey barrier."

A veteran Burlington firefighter died yesterday morning after he went into cardiac arrest while on duty a week earlier, according to The Burlington Free Press.


 


 

Lt. Steven N. Costello, 46, was discovered by fellow crewmembers on the floor of Station 2 at approximately 6:30 p.m. on July 23. They attempted to resuscitate him before transporting him to Fletcher Allen Health Care.


 

He would re-gain his pulse, but was admitted to the intensive care unit and remained there until he died Friday morning


 

The 23-year veteran of the department leaves behind his wife and two children.


 

Chief Mike O'Neil told the newspaper that his death has been difficult for his co-workers.


 

"To respond to an emergency on one of their own, a co-worker, and do the job that they did is pretty amazing, and it is well above and beyond the call of duty for the folks who were working that night.


 

"He was a well-respected public servant. He had immense pride in his occupation; he has immense pride in his family, as well. You couldn't find a better person to deal with."


 

Funeral arrangements are still pending.

1.      Revising and updating the Rules of Engagement for Structural Fireground Operations.

 

2.      Participating on various organizational health and safety committees/work groups.

 

3.      Participating on an IAFC task force to develop recommendations for achieving an annual medical exam for all firefighters in North America.

 

4.      Planning and implementing the annual Fire/EMS Safety, Health and Survival Week.

 

5.      Developing national implementation strategies for Prince William County (VA) LODD report recommendations.

 

6.      Assisting in the selection of health and safety-related educational sessions for FRI.

 

7.      Developing partnerships with other organizations interested in firefighter safety.

 

8.      Fulfilling the health and safety goal included in the IAFC’s strategic plan.

 

9.      Assisting the IAFC in the development of policy statements related to health and safety.

 

10.  Promoting new NFPA standards for Ambulance Design Safety, Confined Space Rescue Response, Personal Protective Equipment, and Heath and Safety.  Several SHS members are currently serving on and/or leading the applicable NFPA committees.

 

11.  Working on development of a standard definition for LODD and LODI.

 

12.  Revising and updating the two-year Strategic Plan for the SHS Section.

 

 

 

Bridgeport, Conn. (WTNH) - Two Bridgeport firefighters have died in the line of duty while battling a house fire this afternoon.

Spokeswoman Elaine Ficarra of Mayor Bill Finch's office says the firefighters died Saturday afternoon while at the scene of the fire at 41 Elmwood Avenue.

The fallen firefighters have been identified as Lieutenant Steve Velezquez and second  year rookie Michel Baik.

Many people are posting their thoughts and prayers on the Bridgeport FD's Facebook page .

During a news conference Saturday night, a solemn Mayor Bill Finch said, "The other firefighters, we believe, heard two May Days and when they responded, they found the two officers who were overcome with whatever it was that overcame them. The matter is going to be investigated by the State Fire Marshal on the scene."

Deputy Fire Chief Robert Petrucelli says the two men were found unconscious on the third floor of the three-story house after the fire was extinguished. Petrucelli says they were taken to hospitals and later pronounced dead.

Fire Captain Ed McCann says three or four other firefighters were treated at Bridgeport and St. Vincent hospitals for their injuries and released.

McCann says firefighters were called to the three-story house at around 3:30 p.m. He says no residents were injured.

The Bridgeport Fire Department says they believe the fire started on the third floor.

The American Red Cross and crisis workers are working with the Bridgeport Fire Dept. to help them deal with this tragedy. As well, mutual aid support has come from every community around the Park City, including Milford, Fairfield and Westport.

Bridgeport has not lost a firefighter in the line of duty since 1999.

Firefighters with Northwest Fire/Rescue District in Arizona can consider themselves pioneers or trail blazers.

The members of IAFF Local 3572 have signed the National Seat Belt pledge.

"This is the first IAFF union to achieve 100 percent," said Burt Clark, who established the seat belt pledge in honor of a former National Fire Academy student who was killed in a fire truck crash in Texas.

Clark said he was delighted when he learned about the effort of Erik Jones, an engineer with the department near Tucson.

Jones, who delivered a framed poster-size pledge to Clark on Friday, admitted he was on a mission to gather the signatures of his fellow union brothers and sisters.

"I talked to people personally, explaining what it was and why it was important," he said.

The IAFF logo is the only fire service organization symbol not represented on the national pledge.

But, that didn't stop the veteran firefighter. He forged ahead, and he wants other unions follow his local's lead.

"This is about looking out for each other."

Jones said he feels it's only right that they took the first step for safety rather than have the department dictate it.

Clark said he believes the Arizona effort sends a powerful message to the fire service. "It shows solidarity."

When he started the mission 15 months ago, he met with his chief, Stephen (Jeff) Piechura, as well as the fire board.

"I received overwhelming support," he said adding that he gave his chief one of the large pledge posters.

While his department has not suffered a line-of-duty crash death, Jones felt it was unacceptable that firefighters are being killed or injured because they didn't buckle up.

"Many of the crashes are career-ending," Clark added.

A silhouette of two firefighters operating on Ladder 31 is depicted in the background of the pledge that the Arizona firefighters signed.

Jones also made a special trip to Amarillo to present one of the large pledge posters. "They were very happy to get it."

The National Seat Belt Pledge is named in honor of Brian Hutton, an Amarillo firefighter who was killed after being ejected from a fire truck.

Jones said while his local effort has concluded, he's not finished.

He's offered to help spread the word to other IAFF unions.

Three Idaho firefighters were injured Saturday after a fireworks display exploded while being set up on a golf course.

The most seriously injured Mountain Home firefighter suffered burns to his upper body when a shell detonated in his hand, according to the Mountain Home News.

There was no word on his condition.

The incident occurred as one of the firefighters prepared to place one of the firework shells in a launch tube on the northeast side of the golf course, police told the newspaper.

The two other firefighters also injured in the initial explosion were released after treatment at Elmore Medical Center.

The explosion caused the remaining fireworks to detonate, starting a fire that spread to a nearby ridge. City firefighters used a brush truck to quickly contained and extinguished the flames and contained the damage to an area around the blast site, the newspaper reported.

Initial reports at the scene indicate the blast and subsequent fire destroyed the city's scheduled $30,000 display.

Crews blocked off the area around the scene in case some of the remaining shells were intact.The accident marked the first time the fire department ever had an accident of this type since moving the display from Eastside Park to the golf course in the mid-1990s, a police officer told the reporter.

A team of fire investigators from Boise were dispatched to determine what caused the explosion.

Two firefighters were injured in an explosion on Thursday, KPRC Local 2 reported.

Houston Fire Department officials said they were called out to a fire on Jensen Drive near the East Freeway shortly before 7 a.m.

Firefighters couldn't find a fire, so they went into investigative mode.

While checking things out, something exploded, officials said.

One firefighter suffered a broken arm and another suffered minor facial burns. Both firefighters were taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital and were expected to recover.

Officials have not said what exploded.

About a dozen firefighters were injured while battling a four-alarm fire on Milwaukee's south side Friday night.

The fire was first reported at 7:41 p.m. in the attic of a vacant house in the 2400 block of S. 8th St., but spread to a house to the north and quickly escalated. The vacant house was destroyed, and 12 people living in three units in the second house were displaced.

About 100 firefighters responded to the fire, along with at least 16 ladder trucks and engines and five paramedic units, according to Salvatore Santoro Jr., 4th battalion fire chief.

It was hot and sticky Friday night, with temperatures in the 80s.

Firefighters worked in rotations, fighting the blaze for 15 minutes and then taking half-hour breaks to rest and rehydrate, Santoro said.

Some of the minor injuries suffered were related to firefighters falling off water-laden equipment, he said. While the dozen firefighters were taken to local hospitals, none of the injuries appeared to be life threatening, he said.

"It was mostly bumps, bruises, scrapes and strains, but the heat certainly didn't help," Santoro said.

Besides the sweltering weather, Santoro estimated the temperature inside the burning structures was about 800 degrees.

The fire was under control by late Friday night. Water used to extinguish the flames came from as far as two blocks away, Santoro said. Smoke hung over the entire neighborhood.

Francisco Donan, 37, said his mother and 11 relatives lived in three units in the house where the fire had spread.

"They lost everything," Donan said.

Linda Lyndanicely, spokeswoman for American Red Cross, said the 12 displaced people were being helped by the Red Cross.

FIRE/EMS Stand Down: Priority Survival Notification
Confined Space and Technical Rescue

Fairfax, Va., June 1, 2010... The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) through their Safety, Health and Survival Section are urging all fire chiefs and officers to immediately issue a stand down in their departments due to two separate, but similar confined space rescue incidents that nearly took the lives of several firefighters. During a stand down, personnel are directed to postpone non-emergency tasks to focus on critical safety training.

In addition to federal, state and local laws, the IAFC Safety Health and Survival Section has identified a number of online resources for fire and emergency service leaders and personnel to use in this stand down and in their ongoing efforts to educate personnel on technical rescue operations.

"In recent weeks, incidents involving confined space rescues in both Ohio and Indiana left initial civilian victims dead and firefighters critically injured," stated Chief Billy Goldfeder, chair of the IAFC Safety, Health and Survival Section. "In both cases, while heroic attempts were made to save the victims, firefighters ended up becoming victims themselves."

During the stand down, chiefs are requested to have all personnel immediately review and discuss applicable departmental policies and procedures to minimize the risk to firefighters in confined space and related technical rescue incidents.

"Confined space and similar technical rescues are high-risk, but low-frequency events," said Chief Jeff Johnson, IAFC president. "The rarer the incident type, the more likely that fire and EMS personnel may be unaware of, unprepared for, or even forget proper procedures as they race to rescue a victim. I urge fire and emergency leaders to immediately take action to review the dangers and proper procedures for confined space rescue operations."

-end-

FIRE/EMS Stand Down: Priority Survival Notifications are the red alert/lookouts for major emergency safety issues that arise during the year. It is the third component of the comprehensive IAFC Safety, Health and Survival Section's Fire/EMS Safety Support System.

Two people were killed in a fire early Saturday morning in East Boston, Boston fire officials said.

Seven others were injured in the fire at 64 Gove Street.

Firefighters found one man dead on the first floor of the building. A woman was rescued after suffering from cardiac arrest but she later died at a hospital.

"There were thick, black smoky conditions before we got water on the fire. The firefighters got the people out," said spokesman Steve McDonald.

Two other residents suffered burns and smoke inhalation. They were rescued from the upper floors.

Three firefighters were treated on scene for smoke inhalation. One firefighter was transported to the hospital with a shoulder injury.

11 people, including two children, were displaced because of the fire. Officials said they are staying with family and friends.

The Boston Fire Department did not immediately release the names of the victims who died in the blaze.

The IAFC along with the Safety Health and Survival Section would like to assist you in completing monthly safety briefings with Take 5 safety drills. A component of the new Fire/EMS Safety Support System, the Take 5s come with an Instructor and Student handout designed to help you deliver a short 5 minute safety message to your crew members. A new Take 5 will be posted here each month, so pass on this new program to others to help improve firefighter safety.
 

Six Edgerton firefighters were injured in a explosion during a controlled burn last night, according to The Edmonton Journal.

One man was airlifted to an Edmonton hospital, while five others were taken to the health centre in Wainwright for treatment. The extent of the firefighters' injuries was not known.

The vacant structure had been used several times by the department for training purposes, according to the report.

"This time the owner of the house asked if they wouldn't mind burning the house completely down because he wanted to get rid of it," Wainwright Fire and Rescue Chief Steve Douglas said.

He stated that crews took every precaution to the secure the house, that was set on fire at approximately 8 p.m.

"The house was fully involved for approximately 15 minutes when there was a huge explosion," he said. The force of the blast was strong enough that debris were thrown in every direction.

Douglas said there shouldn't have been any fuel in the house that would have caused an explosion. Investigators have not determined a cause and will continue their investigation today.