Near Miss: Power Line and Propane
This report features two near misses. The first deals with situational awareness and a downed power line. The second deals with a propane bottle explosion.
At this residential structure fire, there were two close calls within about one minute. While companies were setting up for fire attack, two members nearly walked into a live power line that had burned off of the house and was hanging from the pole. At the same time, a five gallon propane bottle exploded inside of the residence due to direct flame impingement. The occupant had been using it as a source of heat. The explosion blew fire and debris out all of the windows and the front door, engulfing the front porch area. Fortunately, members were not on the porch yet as they were stretching lines in front of the residence. There were no injuries from either incident.
The downed power line emphasizes the need for a good size-up by the incident commander. It also shows that all firefighters must maintain good situational awareness.
The explosion highlights the importance of always wearing the proper PPE during an incident. We may think we know what is going to happen, but there are always surprises!
If your department responded to this fire, would the firefighters make it through the incident without injury?
Posted January 5, 2006 01:22 PM · Link
· Near Misses
