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Technician Kyle Wilson and the lessons we can never forget (repost)

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Five Six years ago today

Last year Dave Statter shared his experience about the 2007 line-of-duty death of Technician I Kyle Wilson in Prince Wiliam County. (Dave's article HERE). Dave is concerned that the Virginia Tech massacre overshadowed the tragedy at 15492 Marsh Overlook Drive.

I am re-posting my response because we will never forget.  I am in the midst of getting the third edition of the Fire Officer textbook out. The lessons learned from Kyle's sacrifice remain vital.

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The after-action analysis and discussions were painful, emotional and worthwhile. I closely followed the process and spoke to with many of the participants. They are my friends and colleagues.

My "bully pulpit" is a textbook that is used by many for their Fire Officer I and II training.

In Chapter 16, "Fire Attack" this is how the section on Smoke, Wind, Size and Fire Flow looks in the second edition (2010).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let's start the Fire Department Instructor's Conference week with an in-station drill on one of these topics:

  • Burning Type V residential structure behavior in high wind conditions
  • Determining initial attack fire flow in high wind conditions
  • Austere crew (thin staffed) fire attack procedures
  • Why the NFPA 1710 single family dwelling does not match your first due (you can find an analysis starting on page 188 of the Prince William report.)

NIOSH LODD report

Fire departments should develop SOP’s for incidents with high-wind conditions including defensive attack if necessary. Weather can be considered as critically important when at the extreme, and relatively unimportant during normal conditions.

Wind has a strong effect on fire behavior which includes supplying oxygen, reducing fuel moisture, and exerting physical pressure to move the fire and heat. Wildland fire fighters are very familiar with these effects of wind on the rate at which fire spreads.

According to Dunn, “When the exterior wind velocity is in excess of 30 miles per hour, the chances of conflagration are great; however, against such forceful winds, the chances of successful advance of an initial hose line attack on a structure fire are diminished. The firefighters won’t be able to make forward hoseline progress because the flame and heat, under the wind’s additional force, will blow into the path of advancement.

Fire fighters should change their strategy when encountering high wind conditions. An SOP should be developed to include obtaining the wind speed and direction, and guidelines established for possible scenarios associated with the wind speed and the possible fuel available, similar to that in wildland fire fighting. When the interior attack line has little or no effect on the fire, the line should be withdrawn and a second hoseline should be advanced on the upwind side of the fire. This method may require the use of an aerial ladder or portable ladder, if safety permits.

Prince William County report  (385 pages)

The major factors in the line of duty death of Technician I Wilson were determined to be:
• The initial arriving fire suppression force size.
• The size up of fire development and spread.
• The impact of high winds on fire development and spread.
• The large structure size and lightweight construction and materials.
• The rapid intervention and firefighter rescue efforts.
• The incident control and management.

Thanks to Dave Statter for making an important observation.

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Posted by on April 16, 2013 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Line of Duty, Major Incidents, Training & Development, Urban Commander • Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

Updated: LODD in Illinois – 5 Others Injured

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Truck Slides Into Crash Scene

Update:  Victim's identity made public.  Entire community in mourning.  Scroll down.

A HUDSON, ILLINOIS, FIREFIGHTER WAS KILLED Tuesday night and five of his colleagues were injured when a trailer truck lost control and slid into a crash scene on Interstate 39 near Bloomington.

The Hudson FD and Illinois State Police were dispatched to a multi-vehicle accident on the Interstate at 9:45 pm.  About an hour later while they were working on the scene, a tractor-trailer auto hauler crashed into three emergency vehicles belonging to the FD and the State Police, injuring the firefighters.

All six were transported to the hospital where one of them, a 39-yr.-old FF was pronounced dead in the ER at 11:38 pm.  His name has not been released yet, but it was reported that he is also a career firefighter with the Bloomington FD.

The Bloomington Pantograph has the current STORY. 
Hudson Fire Department WEBSITE.

Update:
The deceased firefighter has been identified as Christopher R.  Brown, age 39.  In a statement from the McLean County Coroner he was killed by blunt force trauma as a result of the accident.  He leaves a wife and two sons.  FF Brown was a 12-year career firefighter in the Bloomington FD and had also been volunteer member of the Hudson FD for the past three years.

The Bloomington Pantagraph adds:

"Today we lost a member of our Hudson family," said Hudson Fire Chief Dan Hite. "We share in the sorrow felt by his loved ones, and we must not forget the valuable contributions he made to this community and the impact he has left on the Hudson Fire Department."

Hite said the department is "a close-knit family, and the loss of one of our own affects us all. A tragedy of this type is felt by each and every member, but together, we can make it through. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family."

Flags were at half-staff at area police and fire departments, and police officers are wearing mourning bands on their badges.

"We are deeply saddened by the painful loss of one of our own, and we will do our best to support his immediate family as well as his firefighter families in both Bloomington and Hudson," said Bloomington Fire Chief Mike Kimmerling.

Read the full article on the community's response to the tragedy HERE.

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Posted by on March 6, 2013 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, health & safety, Line of Duty • Tagged: , ,

LODD – Germany

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Training Exercise Leads to Fatality

ON MONDAY EVENING, A TRAINING evolution for the local volunteer fire brigade in Ronsberg, Germany, ended tragically when one of the members, a 34-yr.-old man fell off the roof of a building and died on the scene of the accident.

The fire department was holding an outside drill alongside a warehouse fire brigade and were simulating a fire inside the large warehouse.  The victim and another firefighter were on the 50-ft. high roof perfoming a function when the victim fell backwards over a parapet wall and tumbled off the building.  Rescusitation attempts were immediately initiated, but were unsuccessful.

The victim was an experienced and well-respected firefighter.

Allgauer Zeitung has the STORY.
Feuerwehr Magazin has MORE.

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Posted by on April 6, 2011 • Filed under: Line of Duty, safety • Tagged: ,

LODD in Italy

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AT 11:00 AM WEDNESDAY MORNING, ERMANNO FOSSATI, 52, died while working an auto accident after being struck by a fire department vehicle.

Fossati was at the scene of a wreck on an icy mountain road with poor visibility when a light truck-type vehicle bringing more firefighters to the scene started sliding on the  roadway and crashed into the accident scene, killing him immediately.

Ermanno Fossati, who was born in Finale Ligure (Savona) August 29, 1957, was appointed to the Vigili del Fuoco on March 22, 1984 and assigned to the Provincial Command of Imperia. On 1 January 1995 had assumed the title of team leader and from 1 August 1996 was assigned to the Provincial Command of Savona. On 1 January 2006 he was promoted to Crew Leader. He was expecting to retire in less than 4 months, on April 26, 2011. Fossati leaves his wife and two children, Richard of 22 years, a volunteer firefighter, and Doris, aged 18.

Ermanno Fossati

The local prosecutor has opened an investigation that will begin this morning when the accident team will revisit the site and he is pending charges of manslaughter against three individuals, the driver of the car who wrecked and called the FD; the driver of the fire department vehicle; and the FD supervisor who permitted the truck to respond when it was deemed unfit for snow and ice driving conditions.

This video report from IVG taken at the scene documents the challenging road conditions:

 

The Vigili del Fuoco website reports on the accident HERE.

Posted by on December 30, 2010 • Filed under: current events, Fire Rescue Topics, Line of Duty, safety • Tagged: , , ,

LODD – France

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YESTERDAY (SATURDAY) IT WAS NOT THE HEAT THAT KNOCKED DOWN the quiet village of Entrevennes (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence) France, but the shock of the tragedy that has occurred in the house of Joseph and Yvette Manzoni.  Reporting a flooded cellar yesterday morning, the older couple in their seventies called the local firefighters at 8:30. Three paid-on-call firefighters responded with a pump, but it did not move enough water, so two of them returned to the station to get a larger one.  One of the firefighters remained in the basement running the first pump.

La Provence

When the other two returned, they called out to the FF who stayed back, but they got no answer.  Leaning over the trapdoor, the two saw their colleague hunched over, a victim of carbon monoxide fumes. It is 11:45 and they went down to help him after they first called for help, bringing reinforcements from Bras d’Asse.   The rescuers got there and retrieved the three bodies and began resuscitation. But it was already too late for Chief Warrant Officer Renaldo Ledoux .  Ledoux, aged 37, married and father of two children aged 5 years and 14 months, died on the scene.

The other two firefighters from the town, Mickael Verot, 19, and Florian Swift, 17, severely poisoned by the CO, were evacuated by helicopter to the hospital Sainte-Marguerite Marseille, where they were placed in a hyperbaric chamber.  Yesterday evening, it was learned that they had regained consciousness.

La Provence

The house was thoroughly ventilated all night and into today as a quantity of the CO had seeped into the old masonry walls.  Investigation into the incident has begun by the police.

La Provence has the full STORY.

Posted by on July 11, 2010 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Fire-ology, Line of Duty • Tagged: , , ,

A Commentary That Needs Repeating

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Bill “Backstep Firefighter” Carey, in discussing a confined space close call in Indiana, makes an observation that we all need to think about:

It is 2010 and we still have civilians putting on a fireman’s costume and trying to mitigate emergency situations.

Unfortunately if one of these civilians dies, then their death will be investigated, most likely declared having occurred ‘in the line of duty”, and memorialized with a department funeral, flag-draped coffins and tons of electronic condolences on Facebook. A year later NIOSH will release an investigative report and we will read of their department background and errors. We’ll hear their names read aloud at Emmitsburg. Maybe OSHA will fine them.

This is where I have a problem. In the fire service ‘learning disconnect’ how will we get beyond the subculture of acceptable errors and faulty inbred thinking? Maybe it will have to take the first refusal of PSOB benefits for having operated in defiance of convention and common sense. (emphasis added by FossilMedic)

Maybe it will take rethinking our social networking and whether or not such venues as http://www.firefighterclosecalls.com/home.phpFirefighterCloseCalls and http://www.firefighternearmiss.com/Firefighter Near-Miss have desensitized firefighters and failed to alter cultural norms. I don’t believe that is the case, but it should be considered. It certainly merits discussion in a post other than this brief one.

When civilians, and that is what you are when you operate without outside of your required education and guidelines, don the costume maybe they should be punished. Of course you can’t do worse than dead but, if these civilians aren’t concerned about their own lives, maybe they’ll stop and think abut how their actions will affect the benefits intended for their family. If that doesn’t work, let them sell memorial t-shirts.

Original source: “But They’ll Die as ‘Valiant Heros’ ”

TOUGH LODD LOVE

This “Tough Love” message rings true for me. In the mid-1980′s I wrote a letter to ISFSI CEO Edward H. McCormack, Jr. after attending my second FDIC conference.

In a stirring evening opening session, Cincinnati firefighters dramatized Paul Harvey’s “Fire and Ice” essay in a theatrical presentation with smoke and dramatic music. On the stage was a silver casket that dominated every presentation made by McCormack and others. I left the conference feeling that they romanticized and glorified dying on the fireground.

I made the same suggestion about consequence for non-compliance when I wrote about Safety Blind Spot last June. 

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

Posted by on June 1, 2010 • Filed under: Line of Duty, Special Operations • Tagged: , , , , ,

LODD Shawnee, Kansas

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A SHAWNEE, KANSAS, FIREFIGHTER PERISHED IN A HOUSE FIRE Saturday night when he became separated from his crew inside a burning dwelling while searching for victims.

KCTV Ch. 5 reports:

Firefighters were dispatched to the fire at about 8:55 p.m. after getting calls from neighbors. When they arrived, firefighters were told there might be two people and a dog inside the house. One team entered the house to search and attempt a rescue while another team attacked from outside, according to the fire department. The house was filled with thick black smoke and fire was shooting from the lower level, firefighters said.

shawnee a kcstar

Kansas City Star

 One of the firefighters called for help shortly after the search team made a second entry, the fire department said. The fire scene commander notified the Emergency Communications Center at 9:12 p.m. that they were looking for a missing firefighter inside the house.

 The firefighter was found unresponsive near the rear of the house. Paramedics took him to Shawnee Mission Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead a short time later. The firefighter was a six-year veteran of the Shawnee Fire Department. He is survived by his wife and two children. His name was not immediately released. Firefighters were dispatched to the fire at about 8:55 p.m. after getting calls from neighbors. When they arrived, firefighters were told there might be two people and a dog inside the house. One team entered the house to search and attempt a rescue while another team attacked from outside, according to the fire department.

KMBC-TV Ch. 9 Kansas City filed this video report this morning:

The Shawnee Fire Department has scheduled a press conference today (Sunday) at 3 pm Central.

Shawnee Fire Department WEBSITE.

Posted by on May 23, 2010 • Filed under: fire, Fires, Line of Duty, Videos • Tagged: ,

LODD’s

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A BENSALEM, PENNSYLVANIA, PARAMEDIC WAS KILLED SUNDAY NIGHT after an interaction with a mental patient.  Early reports said that he was stabbed, but later stories indicate that it might have been a different cause.  The story is still very fluid, but JEMS Connect is staying with it and will be updating as more facts are reported.  CLICK HERE  to see JEMS posting which has several links and a video report is now in the following update.  Updated, 11:20 am:  It is now determined that the medic died from a head injury, but no weapon was involved.  JEMS.com now has the updated report and additional video HERE.

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A 51-YR.-OLD VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER IN Borrodino, New York, died Saturday night while he was responding to a building collapse call in his 2nd-due territory.  From the Signal99.com forum:  The Borodino  Rescue Pumper was enroute to Spafford for a call.  While enroute, they had a 51 male onboard having difficulty breathing. They relayed this information to fire dispatch via cell phone because there isn’t a mobile radio installed in the rescue pumper.

They requested that a SAVES ambulance meet them at Spaffords fire station.   A few minutes later, Spafford base advised fire dispatch to tell SAVES to make their best time and that it was now a full arrest.  There was no fire radio in the new truck because the county is in the midst of implementing a new digital radio system .

The Syracuse Post-Standard has the STORY.
Borodino Fire Department WEBSITE.

Hat tip:  Harry H.

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A HONG KONG FIREFIGHTER WAS KILLED AND THREE MORE were critically injured at a factory fire Monday morning.  The blaze broke out in a fifth-floor knitting factory in the Lai Cheong Factory Building  at about 8.20am. Firefighters had difficulty fighting the fire, hampered by heavy smoke and many objects blocking their operations.  47-yr.-old Senior Fireman Yeung Chun-kit died after he was taken to the hospital.

Posted by on March 8, 2010 • Filed under: ambulances, EMS Health & Safety, Firefighter Safety & Health, Line of Duty • Tagged: , , , ,

Two LODD Burials Today

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LANCASTER, OHIO, FIRE DEPARTMENT SUFFERED ITS first-ever LODD this past Saturday when Lieutenant Joseph Mack McCafferty, 59, collapsed at the fireground while commanding the operations at a house fire.  Firefighter Close Calls report HERE.

mccafferty a

Lt. McCafferty was a 37-yr. member of the department.  He was transported to the hospital, but he passed away later that day from a stroke.

His funeral services were held this morning at 10 am at the Faith Memorial Church in Lancaster.

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FUNERAL SERVICES WERE ALSO CONDUCTED THIS MORNING at 11 am (local time) in France for Sebastien Couturier, 33, who perished Monday at a fire in a food packing plant in La Rochelle.  The Firegeezer report on that tragedy is HERE.

larochelle2

TV network France3 has a video report from the funeral HERE.

Posted by on January 22, 2010 • Filed under: Fire-ology, Line of Duty, News • Tagged: , , ,

LODD in France

5 comments

Update: Fallen firefighter identified. Scroll down.

rochelle b guillaume

SDIS 17 / Guillaume Largeau / Sylvain Roussillon

A 33-YR.-OLD FIREFIGHTER WAS KILLED EARLY THIS MORNING (Monday) in the French seacoast city of La Rochelle.  The fire was in a seafood processing plant, Dem Atlantic, that cooks and packages frozen shrimp.  A hose crew was working inside the plant when what the fire department is reporting as a flashover ignited inside the large processing room that was filled with wood and styrene packing supplies.  The fireball downed the unidentified firefighter and ignited the entire interior with the other FF on the hose line barely escaping.  Immediately after, a wall fell on the unfortunate man, trapping him further.

rochelle a guillaume

SDIS 17 / Guillaume Largeau / Sylvain Roussllon

It took the other firefighters about 45 minutes to knock the fire down enough to get in to retrieve the victim.  Using a thermal-imaging camera, they located him underneath a large section of sheet metal wall that had collapsed on him.

Update, Tuesday morning:
The fallen firefighter has been identified as Sebastien Couturier, age 33 and father of two children ages 6 and 8.  His demise occurred on his birthday.  His rank was caporal chef (senior corporal) and he was assigned to the CSP Mireuil station in La Rochelle.

couturier a

Sebastien Couturier (Sud Ouest photo)

His partner is hospitalized in serious condition with burns to his face.

 The fire which began around 3 am (local time) was attacked by 60 firefighters and was largely extinguished by 7 am.

France3 TV has a video report from the fireground HERE.

rochelle c sudouest

Sud Ouest / Cottin & Chauveau

Additonal sources:
SDIS 17  WEBSITE (the responding fire department).
Sud Ouest STORY.  (includes a good photo gallery)

rochelle d sudouest

Sud Ouest / Cottin & Chauveau

Hat tip:  Laurence D. – the Fireball for assistance.

Posted by on January 18, 2010 • Filed under: fire, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Line of Duty • Tagged: , , , , , ,

LODD in Germany

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A 50-YR.-OLD FIREFIGHTER FROM HINTERSEE, GERMANY, died on the fireground Tuesday evening when he suddenly dropped.  His colleagues were there with him along with a medical unit, but they were unable to revive him.

germany a nordkurier Bunning

Nordkurier / Bunning photo

The Hintersee Fire Brigade, along with 4 other departments, was working a fire in a duplex house that was reported at 10 pm and kept the firefighters busy through most of the night.  The firefighters had saved one person from the burning building earlier where the eventual damages exceeded 100-thousand Euros.

The unidentified firefighter who perished had been a member of the 15-member department for 25 years and his sudden loss has stricken the brigade members particularly hard.

The Nordkurier has the STORY.
If any further information is released, we will update this posting.

Hat tip:  Christian L.

Posted by on January 7, 2010 • Filed under: fire, Line of Duty • Tagged: , ,

LODD In Germany – Ambulance

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WHAT MAY BE THE NEW YEAR’S FIRST LODD occurred early this morning in the Kitzingen region of Germany.  A 1st-responder emergency ambulance/rapid response car was responding on a call at 2:30 am local time when it collided with an automobile at an intersection.

amb a

The RR car can be seen on the left in the field in this photo by Berthold Diem

The 28-yr.-old driver of the “smart car” rapid response vehicle was killed immediately and his 20-yr-old partner was critically injured.  Police say that the RR car had its emergency lights on, however the car that it struck was in the roadway that normally has the right-of-way at the intersection.  The driver of the second car was uninjured and his wife suffered only a minor injury to her left leg.  They are both age 34.

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photo by Berthold Diem

There is no report yet on any charges from the police.

Radio Gong 106.9 has the story, more photos and a video report HERE.

Hat tip:  Christian L.

Posted by on January 1, 2010 • Filed under: ambulances, Line of Duty, Vehicle Operation & Ambulances • Tagged: , , , ,

Fatal Firetruck Rollover in France

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A FIRETRUCK FROM THE HENNEBONT FIRE DEPARTMENT in the Morbihan region of France crashed shortly after 1 am this morning, killing one firefighter and injuring three two others, one seriously.  The worst-injured firefighter was ejected from the cab.

france a ouest-france

Ouest-France photo

The truck was responding to a vehicle accident call when it got onto an icy patch of roadway, went out of control and had a complete rollover.  The three FF’s were all career firefighters;  the unidentified 40-yr.-old man who perished was  trapped under the cab and had to be extricated by his colleagues.

Update:
The deceased firefighter’s name has been released.  He is Damien Hochet.

Ouest-France has the STORY.

SDIS 56 WEBSITE provided this photo of the truck taken before today:
france b sdis 56

Hennebont FD WEBSITE.

Posted by on December 23, 2009 • Filed under: apparatus, health & safety, In the Line of Duty, Vehicle Operations & Apparatus • Tagged: , , ,