NIOSH Report on 2005 Roof Collapse
NIOSH has released its report of a 2005 roof collapse that killed a Texas firefighter. Here is the summary:
On February 19, 2005, a 39-year-old career fire Captain (the victim) died after being trapped by the partial collapse of the roof of a vacant one-story wood frame dwelling. The house was abandoned and known by residents in the area to be a “crack house” at the time of the incident. The victim was the captain on the first-arriving engine crew which was assigned to perform a “fast attack” – to take a hoseline into the house, locate the seat of the fire, and begin extinguishment. The one-story wooden ranch-style house was built in the 1950s and additional rooms had been added at the rear in at least two phases following the initial construction. Crews arriving on scene could see fire venting through the roof at the rear of the house. The victim and a fire fighter advanced the initial attack line through the front entrance and made their way toward the rear of the house. Visibility was good in the front of the house but conditions quickly changed as they advanced toward the rear. The fast attack crew had just begun to direct water onto the burning ceiling in the kitchen and den areas when the roof at the rear of the structure (over the building additions) collapsed, trapping the captain under burning debris. The collapse pushed fire toward the front of the house which quickly ignited carbon and dust particles suspended in the air along with combustible gases, sending a fireball rolling toward the front of the structure. Prior to the time of the collapse, two other crews had entered through the front entrance. The rapidly deteriorating conditions following the collapse quickly engulfed the other crews with fire and five fire fighters received burns requiring medical attention.
Here is the first recommendation from NIOSH:
Ensure that the Incident Commander continuously evaluates the risk versus gain when determining whether the fire suppression operation will be offensive or defensive.
Should the department have initiated an interior attack on this structure when it was 'abandoned and known by residents in the area to be a “crack house”'? Well, the residents knew the house was abandoned, but the firefighters probably didn't. It was early morning, 0600, so it was reasonable to think that people may have been in the house sleeping. The report doesn't state if any neighbors were out and about to inform the firefighters that the house was abandoned. Without this crucial information, it makes it more difficult to gauge risk verses gain.
Posted January 16, 2006 08:50 AM · Link
· Line of Duty Death
