Abstract
On June 16, 2001, a 22-year-old male career fire fighter sustained injuries while fighting a residential house fire that subsequently resulted in his death. Central Dispatch received notification of a smoke detector alarm at a single-family residence. After several apparatus had arrived on the scene, the victim arrived in Tanker 34, donned his gear, and approached the house. He was met by another fire fighter who told him the fire conditions. The victim proceeded to the garage area, and shortly thereafter, a partial roof and garage door collapse occurred, trapping him. A civilian bystander notified the Incident Commander (IC) that a fire fighter was down. The IC ran to the garage area and helped pull the victim out from the debris. Emergency medical personnel moved the victim to the street and began administering first aid. The victim was flown to a regional hospital where he remained until his death on July 12, 2001. The NIOSH investigators concluded that, to minimize the risk of similar occurrences, fire departments should: 1. ensure that adequate numbers of staff are available to immediately respond to emergency incidents; 2. ensure that at least four fire fighters are on the scene before initiating interior fire fighting operations at a structural fire - two in, two out; 3. ensure that Incident Command maintains the role of directing operations on the fire scene, and not become involved in fire fighting efforts; 4. ensure proper safety measures are implemented when accessing a structure through the garage door.
