Firewhirl: Near Misses Archives

Near Miss: TIC Dropped

This near miss report isn't dramatic or exciting, but it illustrates how an injury can be avoided if we take the time to do things right.

While searching for the origin of smoke inside a commercial occupancy a firefighter was assigned to check the roof A/C unit. A decision was made to utilize the fixed service ladder attached to the building. While the firefighter was climbing, he carried a tool in one hand & the thermal imager with strap over his shoulder. During the ascent, the imager slipped off his shoulder and fell 20' to the ground. A second firefighter waiting to climb was moved out of the way 10 seconds prior in case of an accidental drop. The object would have stuck the second fire fighter in the head or upper body.

These are the kind of stories I like to read because it shows that these firefighters are watching out for each other. They aren't afraid to correct a situation so that everyone stays safe.

Coffee Break Questions:

• Would your firefighters correct this situation if it happened on your fireground?
  
• Would your firefighters respond positively if given the order to clear the ladder in this situation?
  
• Does your department follow the motto of "Safety First"?

Near Miss: Contact with High Voltage Power Line

This report is short, but contains a critical lesson.

Responded to wires down across roadway. After consulting with local electric company via phone, it was decided wire was a ground or guy wire. Moved wire out of way with tree branch. It turned out to be high voltage wire, luckily not energized. There was no risk to life or property at the time and no immediate action was needed.

Lessons learned from the report:

Take the time to think, especially when no risk to life or property is involved. Do not take the word of others, verify. Do a risk / benefit analysis.

This could have been really bad. Here are some coffee break questions to discuss:

When presented with a downed power line, who should move it?

What circumstances would indicate that the power line should be moved by firefighters?

Is there ever a safe time for a firefighter to touch or move a downed power line?

Near Miss: Captain Runs Out of Air

This week's near miss has two separate reports for the same incident. The incident involves a captain ignoring his low air alarm during the search for a child in a structure fire.

At some point my vibra-alert began to sound and I figured we still had time to continue the search. The fire, mattress, was darkened down and the heat was low. I called for a thermal imaging camera and assistance with the search. My alarm continued and one firefighter recommended leaving the area. I thought we still had time and wanted to wait for the next crew. The next crew arrived as I was running out of air. I broke the seal on my mask and took a smoky breath from the floor. I asked the arriving crew where the stairs were for a quick exit. The incoming crew was able to direct me with the hoseline, I took one more breath from the floor and raced up the stairs with my firefighters close behind.

This is just an excerpt from the full report made by the captain involved. Here is the other report made by a different firefighter at the same scene. Read both reports to get different perspectives on the same incident.

So what can be learned from this near miss? The captain that ran out of air says it best:

I re-learned what I learned in the academy 18 years ago LEAVE WHEN YOUR VIBRA-ALERT GOES OFF.

Near Miss: Mobile Home Fire Goes Bad

After a couple of weeks without posting about a near miss, it's time to get back into the swing of things. This week's near miss involves a mobile home fire, a burned hose line, and positive pressure ventilation. All of these factors stack up to make a bad situation. Here is an excerpt:

There was zero visibility. The engine crew had knocked down most of the fire in the front area and went to the back area to extinguish the rest. The engine crew called for a fan for positive pressure ventilation. One firefighter from the truck crew went to place and start the fan. The engine crew went past the remaining truck firefighter to finish extinguishment in the rear. The fan was started. After only a moment the fire flared up in the front area. It took only seconds and the entire mobile home was burning. The crews were bottlenecked in the hallway with no egress to the rear. The truck crew asked for the hoseline since they were becoming engulfed in the flames coming from the front. The incident commander called for us to abandon the building. The hoseline burned in two before the truck crew could use it.

Follow the link to read the whole report and get all of the details. It doesn't say in the report, but I wonder if the fan was placed in the right spot.

Coffee Break Questions:

• What are your procedures for using positive pressure ventilation?
  
• How quickly is a backup hand line and rapid intervention team put in place on your structure fires?
  
• Do your firefighters ask follow-up questions of bystanders when they claim that people are trapped in the building?

Near Miss: Fall from Ladder

This week's near miss isn't really a near miss. The firefighter involved sustained a nasty injury to his hip. However, the injury could have been much worse.

I picked up the charged line and opened it slowly, expecting some substantial reaction force on a 1 3/4" line that was operating at 120 psi. Unknown to me the 2nd line had been charged by the pump operator and the pump pressure had been increased to 140 psi in anticipation of the 2nd line being opened once it was advanced to the attic. My second and biggest mistake occurred at this time. I failed to "lock in" to the ladder with one leg. As I slowly opened the nozzle the force went from something I could manage, to in a split second lifting me right off the ladder. I did not have any sensation of slipping or losing control of the line, just one second I was opening the line and the next second I was in the air.

Read the whole report for all of the details.

Do your firefighters know how to properly lock in when working on a ladder?

Have they practiced locking in with full bunker gear and SCBA while managing a hose line?

Does your department have SOGs that stipulate tying the hose line to the ladder before opening the nozzle?

Near Miss: Saw Blade Flys Off

This week's near miss report deals with the daily maintenance check of a circular saw.

I was doing a morning check out on the aerial tower on which I was riding the T3 position. I went to start the (name deleted) diamond blade saw. I had been warned a few months ago by my captain that I should not just start the saws with out first checking the blades or chains, depending on the saw. So I did a visual check on the blade of the diamond tip and quickly tried to turn the holding bolt of the diamond tip to see if it was loose. It did not seem loose so I proceeded with the starting of the saw. About ten seconds into starting the saw, the blade appeared to be wobbling. I immediately hit the "off" switch. As the motor turned off the blade continued to rotate, the holding bolt came out, the blade flew off the saw, rolled about twenty feet and embedded itself about half an inch deep into a bay door.

Oooo, that could have been bad. Here are some discussion questions:

Does your department check power equipment on a regular basis?

In the case of a saw, do you ensure the blade is on tight? Do you use a wrench to check this?

When power equipment is in use, do your members maintain a safety zone around the operator?

Near Miss: Firefighter Pulled from Porch Collapse

Lots of firefighters are killed in building collapse. I haven't heard of too many firefighters being pulled from a collapse and surviving, but this week's near miss report details this type of incident.

FF X (name deleted) was making attempts to force entry into the residence from the porch, when Lt. X (name deleted) noted the porch roof had shifted. Lt. X grabbed FF X and was trying to evacuate the porch when it collapsed, throwing Lt. X to the ground and pinning FF X beneath the debris. The driver/ operator witnessed the event and immediately called "mayday".

There are lots of additional details in the full report - just follow the link.

Coffee break questions:

Do your firefighters maintain situational awareness while focusing on their specific fireground tasks?

Do your attack teams wait for sufficient resources to arrive before initiating an interior attack?

Are all of your firefighters familiar with Mayday procedures?

Are the firefighters on your department physically fit so that they could undertake a rescue operation and complete it successfully?

Near Miss: Helicopter Almost Hit by Car

The near miss for this week deals with a helicopter coming in for a landing on a highway:

The duty battalion chief whose response area we were actually in went back up the highway, approximately half a mile from the scene, to set up the landing zone. The MVA had completely blocked the highway. There were three different law enforcement agencies on scene helping handle the traffic. With the LZ established and apparently secure, the air medical helicopter was guided in. With the helicopter on final approach, a civilian vehicle darted into the LZ.

Read the whole report to get all of the details.

Here is part of the Lessons Learned that really made sense to me.

Never, ever assume that civilian drivers know what you are trying to accomplish. People are focused on trying to get to their destination by the route they originally intended. If they know a way around your roadblock, detour, or feel overly inconvenienced by having to wait as we deal with critical patients, EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED. This doesn't make them bad people. They just don't understand how their actions can compromise the safety of everyone operating at that scene.

Does your department work with helicopters?

Are your members familiar with landing zone procedures?

Is adequate traffic control maintained at your incidents?

Near Miss: Nozzle Malfunction

This week's near miss report deals with a nozzle malfunction during a fire:

An Engine Company was dispatched to an apartment fire. Upon arrival, fire was showing and a bundle was deployed. The attack team charged the line and flowed water. When the nozzleman adjusted the fog pattern, the entire front end of the nozzle fell off.

Read the rest of the report to see what happened.

Does your department regularly inspect all of the nozzles?

Do your firefighters know what to look for when inspecting a nozzle.

If a nozzle malfunctioned like this at one of your fires, how would your firefighters respond?

Near Miss: Runaway Engine

Have you ever had an engine's parking brake fail? This week's Near Miss report covers this type of incident.

On Tuesday, December 27, 2005, the (name deleted) Fire Department experienced its worst wildland/urban interface fire in recent history. Early into the incident, I was attempting to set up a command post in a residential area, where houses were being lost to fire. I was located near an intersection, with a fire department engine operating about a half-block away, uphill from me. Visibility was poor due to heavy smoke conditions. The operator of the engine, a 30+ year captain was alone due to reassignment of his crew on another rig. As I was directing incoming units and standing outside the driver’s door of my command vehicle, near the middle of the street, the engine's parking brake failed, allowing the engine to roll, unmanned, downhill toward my location. As the engine picked up speed, it veered off the roadway, rolled into a ditch, and hit a culvert, causing the front wheels of the apparatus to turn to the left. This caused the apparatus to change direction, cross over the roadway, and come to rest after hitting a residential structure located near my location. I never saw or heard the runaway apparatus coming my way. There is no doubt in my mind that I would have been injured, or worse, had the apparatus not turned when it did.

Whew! That would have been a wild thing to witness. What could have been done to prevent this from happening? The person that filed this near miss report hits the nail right on the head:

Personnel must be aware of their surroundings, regardless of how busy they may be. A maintenance program for equipment and apparatus is extremely important. NEVER assume it is okay. Check it out. When splitting personnel into different crews, be sure to maintain the appropriate number of personnel on each rig. Never allow someone to work alone.

Could this happen in your department?

Near Miss: Firefighter Falls Using Escape Rope

This week's Near Miss deals with a live fire exercise and the use of an escape rope.

A firefighter with approximately ten years of experience was practicing a firefighter safety & survival technique under live smoke and heat conditions during a training exercise at the county fire academy. The technique was the firefighter bailout. The technique requires placing a haligan tool in the corner of a window and attaching a life rope to the haligan and his personal (brand name deleted) life belt. The firefighter then performs a controlled descent to escape a hostile fire room via the window to the ground. As the firefighter began his descent out of the window, he failed to place his right hand into the braking position. He went out the window with an uncontrolled rate of descent and crashed into the airbag. Fortunately, the firefighter escaped without injury. The firefighter could have sustained life threatening or career ending injuries if the air bag had not been in place.

Two things grabbed my attention from this report. First, I have never seen this exercise done with an airbag as a safety device. Not a bad idea. Second, instead of an airbag, the use of a safety line and belay man were used in case the participant started to fall.

Read the Lessons Learned section of this report to see what this department did to mitigate the safety issues of this exercise in the future.

I've got a question for the readers: Is the use of a haligan propped in the corner of the window the usual method of anchoring the safety line or are there other options that are taught?

Near Miss: Crew Runs Out of Water

This report from the National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System highlights a problem we face on many fires - running out of water.

As I heard this on the radio, conditions were starting to worsen. Our TIC "whited out" on my crew, the heat was dramatically increasing, and we had water flowing for at least 1 1/2 minutes. We knew our water wasn't going to last much longer. I pulled my crew out while hitting the fire to prevent flashover. Ten seconds after we exited the front door we ran out of water.

This is just a small excerpt of the report. Read the whole thing.

Do your crews have the communications equipment and knowledge that would allow them to communicate like the firefighters in this report?

If not, why not?

Are your crews aware of what is taking place on the fireground so they can avoid the problems that the crew in the report faced?

If your interior attack crew was in this situation, what would have happened? Would they have left the building in time?

Near Miss: Engine Compartment Fire

A vehicle fire can occur at any time during an extriction as shown by this week's Near Miss Report:

Upon arrival at a 2 car MVA with minor injuries, an officer from an engine from our station disembarked from the truck and did not do a good 360 of the scene. He ordered his crew to take a set of irons and open up the hood of the #1 vehicle and disconnect the battery. Damage to the vehicle prevented normal operation of the hood. Upon my arrival, about 1 minute later, I did a full 360 and determined that the smoke coming from the engine compartment was not steam from fluids and advised the men to go back to the truck and don SCBA and stretch a 1 3/4 to protect the firefighters who were about to open the hood. No sooner did they don packs when the engine compartment caught fire. If it were not for my arrival, I believe these firefighters would have been burned on there faces. After the call and back at the station, a group review was conducted and all members understood the importance of doing a complete 360 at any incident.

Here are some discussion questions:

Is a proper scene size-up conducted at every vehicle accident scene?

What are your procedures for pulling hose lines at a vehicle accident?

What are your procedures for donning SCBA at a vehicle accident?

Do your procedures provide for the safety of your firefighters at these incidents?

Near Miss: Firefighter Choked Unconcious

This near miss involves a training activity:

Instructor (name deleted) was apparently demonstrating a “common” rescue technique for rescuing an incapacitated firefighter. This technique involves laying the firefighter on his/her stomach and holding the PPE collar firmly at one end by one rescuer, and another rescuer lifting the legs area, you quickly carry the downed firefighter to safety. Recruit (name deleted) was chosen to be the victim for demonstration purposes. Apparently, during the evolution, while carrying Recruit (name deleted) up a stairwell, his PPE bunched up under his neck putting enough pressure on the throat area to create a “Choke” type incident causing Recruit (name deleted) to pass out.

Who would have thought that this could happen? I believe it is important to demonstate these techniques and then have all firefighters practice it. However, it looks in this situation a mannequin should be used.

I've never been taught this particular carry. Is this carry technique regulary taught?

Near Miss: Gas Lift Cylinder Explodes

I've read a couple of different accounts over past couple of weeks dealing with the gas lift cylinders in cars. This near miss report addresses this same safety issue:

THE FIREFIGHTERS ADVANCED THE TRASH LINE TO THE CAR. WALKING IN FRONT OF THE CAR THEY HAD THE DRIVER CHARGE THE LINE AS THEY ADVANCED TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CAR. AS THEY WERE GOING IN FRONT OF THE CAR, THE LEFT SIDE HOOD GAS LIFT CYLINDER EXPLODED AND CAME OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD AND PROCEEDED TO PASS BETWEEN TWO OF THE FIRE FIGHTERS.

Read the rest of the report - it's short.

It's easy to get complacent for "just a car fire", but we all have to fight that urge. Here are the discussion questions:

Does your department have an SOP for fighting car fires?
Do your firefighters actually follow the SOP?
What other hazards do firefighters face when extinguishing a car fire?

Near Miss: Vehicle Moves Unexpectedly

This week's near miss report involves a vehicle that moves and surprises the responders:

PD directed the company to a vehicle with an unconscious victim. After they opened the door to determine the victim was beyond critical, they removed him. The victim had his weight on the brake pedal; the car was still in drive. The firefighters overlooked the situational dangers and proceeded with care. After the victim was removed, the car accelerated toward the Officer in front of it. A firefighter alerted the Officer who jumped out of the way. Another firefighter jumped into the vehicle and threw it into park.

Close call. Here are some questions to ask at coffee break:

At an MVA, do you always ensure that the vehicles are stable and will remain stationary?

Is a proper scene size-up completed at each incident?

Does your department utilize a safety officer even when it seems unnecessary?

Do responders take their own safety into account before thinking about patient care?

Stay Safe.

Near Miss: Hot Oil Spray

This week's near miss report again shows how important PPE is:

Members of the department were working to extinguish a fully involved front-end loader fire. While operating in close proximity of the vehicle an oil line busted spraying 2 firefighters with hot oil. Both firefighters were in full turnout gear including SCBA. The oil sprayed both firefighters from head to toe. All PPE was grossly contaminated with oil. Had either of the 2 firefighters been missing any PPE they likely would have sustained at least minor burns but it likely would have been severe.

This will be a wake up call for the firefighters on our department. We routinely have hay bale fires. May times, there are several tons of hay on fire. Typically, we utilize the farmer/rancher and his tractor equipped with a front end loader. They use the tractor to spread the hay bales out so that they can be extinguished in a timely fashion. This operation involves exposing the front end loader to high temperatures. To mitigate damage to the tractor, we usually station a firefighter with a 1.5 inch line near the tractor to cool the front end loader.

Most of the time, full PPE is worn, but I can't say that this happens all of the time. We will certainly talk about it at an upcoming training night.

Near Miss: Roof Collapse Just After Evacuation

Here is this week's Near Miss report:

We made our way through the structure looking for the fire. After crawling approximately 25 feet, we determined that we were behind the service counter. We knew this because we had done a company inspection of this occupancy only two weeks before. We began hearing ceiling tiles and kitchen items falling from overhead.

Read the whole report to get the full picture and to find out what happened next.

This report highlights the need to maintain good situational awareness during an interior attack. With sight hindered due to smoke, taste and smell eliminated due to the SCBA, and touch inhibited by turnout gear, hearing becomes very important.

At an incident do you rely on your hearing to help you evaluate the situation?
After an incident, do you replay what you heard and identify what made those noises?

Near Miss: Turnout Coat Ignites

This week's Near Miss Report involves live burn training:

I was a rookie firefighter at the time of the event. My class was participating in a live burn exercise at an acquired structure. Two instructors were going to demonstrate the effectiveness of a 2 1/2 gallon water extinguisher. A dilapidated, small outbuilding had been set on fire for the demonstration. The instructors approached the fire, spraying water from the extinguisher. They kept moving toward the fire spraying the fire, but not making much headway. About 5-10 feet from the fire, the turnout coat of the instructor working the extinguisher began smoking, then ignited. The instructors retreated quickly with the lead instructor whose coat caught fire quickly shucking the coat. No injuries were sustained.

The report mentions that the turnout coat of the instructor was heavily impregnated with smoke particles from previous live burns. I would guess that the coat was probably very dirty too. This really shows how important it is to keep your gear clean.

How clean do you keep your gear?
Do you remember the last time you washed it?
How clean is the gear of your fellow firefighters?
How does the state of your fellow firefighters gear impact you?

Chock Block Projectile

This week's Near Miss report features a non-emergency event involving chock blocks:

We broke for lunch and the firefighter resumed his under carriage maintenance. At this time, the engineer decided to back up the engine from the front apron. The fireman under the center engine experienced a loud bang at his head area and the creeper almost came out from under him leaving him half on and half off. Evidently, the engineer failed to remove the chock block from the rear duals. The front tire of the engine went up on the chock block pinching it sideways at an angle, shooting it across the engine room floor.

Read the rest of the report to find out what happened.

Using chock blocks is a must in the fire service. However, with the use of chock blocks, we must develop the habit to always place chock blocks, and always remove them when moving the apparatus.

What are your department SOGs regarding chock blocks? Are your SOPs always followed? Whose responsibility is it to place and remove the chock blocks?

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?

Near Miss: Lost Control of POV

For our weekly near-miss feature, we will focus on an EMS call where the driver lost control of their privately-owned vehicle.

I was dispatched to a Cardic Patient-charlie response in September of 2005. At which time I responded priority three, code three, in my personal vehicle. I drove too fast to the scene and at a dangerous left turn I slid a little bit and entered the opposite lane of traffic where a lost member of my same department was in, less than twenty five yards away. It was only by the grace of providence that I had enough time and yardage to regain control of my vehicle to just barely swerve back into the correct lane of traffic.

This ties in with our poll for this week (see sidebar). It doesn't do any good to drive fast and get in a wreck responding to an incident. Here are some discussion questions for a 10 minute training session:

Do your emergency responders drive safely while responding to an incident (in POVs and apparatus)?

Does your department have policies and procedures on safe driving?

Does your department leadership enforce the policies and procedures when someone drives recklessly?

Near Miss: Responders Ignore Power Lines

This near miss report from the National Fire Fighter Near Miss Reporting System really shows what kind of trouble tunnel vision can cause.

At approximately 0930hrs, a call was paged for MVA (motor vehicle accident). An engine, rescue, 2 BLS units, and a medic unit responded. The EMS units were paid so they were on the street first. I arrived first on scene to find 6 to 8 bystanders at the door of accident vehicle, with another bystander directing traffic on a 2 lane highway. As I was directing the bystander to move away from the vehicle, of which was under power lines of the pole that had been hit, the 1st BLS unit parked beside the pole that had been hit. The crew rushed out, went straight to the accident vehicle and began care. The second BLS unit parked approximately 150ft behind first unit and started out with the same intentions. At this time, I'm still trying to get both units as well as other bystanders away from the pole and the lines, while leaving room for the rescue to do extrication. It was at that time the lines started arcing while attached to the pole. All EMS personnel began to scatter except for the 2 in the SUV. Within seconds the engine arrived followed by the rescue.

It is easy to focus on fixing the problem before doing a proper scene size-up. Do you take a few seconds to really get a good look at the incident scene before taking action? On the way to the incident do you think about what you may face upon arrival?

Near Miss: Defensive to Offensive Tactics

This is a short near-miss report regarding a switch from defensive tactics to offensive tactics, but it raises all kinds of questions in my mind. NOTE: Because this report is so short, there could be other factors influencing the incident that we don't know about.

Dispatched to a building fire. Building was well off on arrival and identified as a vacant/abandoned building. Command initially called for a defensive attack mode. Approximately one hour into the event with no progress made on the fire, command shifted to an offensive strategy and had a company go into the building. Upon making entry into the building floors were giving way and ceiling collapsed with plaster falling on a member's head. An air conditioning unit fell close by one of the members of the attack crew.

What the heck was command thinking? Where was their risk versus benefit analysis? What were they going to save? What were they trying to accomplish?

OK, now I'm done with my list of "Geez, they need to pull their head out" questions. Here is another question that we should examine.

In this situation, does an interior attack crew have to obey the command to enter the building?

I believe in this situation, the interior attack crew has the right and the responsibility to ask the incident commander why the interior attack has been ordered. If the incident commander doesn't have a good answer, the crew certainly has the option to refuse to enter the building.

Chime in if you have some thoughts you would like to share.

Near Miss: Roll Over on Ice

For this week's near miss report, I picked one that deals with icy roads since we are getting to a point in the year where many of us will have to deal with that situation.

While responding to a reported motor vehicle accident with injuries, the apparatus came across a bridge and started sliding on the icy roads. Road conditions at that location were black ice. The apparatus slid for a short distance and then hit the curb and rolled on its side. All occupants of the apparatus had their seat belts and other safety equipment on. There were no injuries. The apparatus sustained extensive damage. The apparatus was a four wheel drive rig with on spot chains. Neither of these were being utilized at the time of the incident.

The rest of the report is very short, so go ahead and click the link to read it.

Do all of your apparatus drivers modify their driving techniques appropriately for changing road conditions? If not, what should your department do to ensure the safety of the firefighters?

One thing I noticed with this report is that it is a true near-miss. There were no injuries. Part of this is due to the fact that all of the passengers had their seat belts on. Do your firefighters always wear their seat belts?

Near Miss: MVA with Fight and Fire

This incident has a little of everything - a vehicle accident with injuries, a fight between onlookers and firefighters, and a fire with injuries to firefighters.

FF (Name deleted) intervened and told the gentleman to calm down immediately. He turned to FF (name deleted) and asked him who the “f” he was and to get the **** out of his face. He then jumped at FF (name deleted) apparently to hit him or scare him. In defense, FF (name deleted) threw him onto the ground to calm him down and to defend himself. The gentleman then began to hit FF (name deleted) and the fight began. In defense of his father, LT (name deleted) intervened into the fight. I contacted Communications and advised them to have the police “step it up” because a large fight had broken out.

This is a longer near miss report, but read the whole thing. Lots of unexpected stuff happened at this incident. It really isn't a near miss because firefighters did get injured.

Once you've read through the report, imagine your fire department responding to this incident and handling all of the complications. How would your department do? Would you get the job done without any injuries?

Near Miss: Oxygen Deficient Atmosphere

Here is this week's installment of a near miss from the National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System.

This incident happened in an MRI room at a local hospital.

We opened the door to check the exam room and noticed that the whole room was shimmering like a mirage. We realized that there was a helium leak in the room. I told my driver to close the exam room door and had the entire crew exit the building, ~1200sq.ft. My voice had that squeaky helium pitch to it. We re-entered with SCBA and a 4-gas monitor to ventilate and check O2 levels. The oxygen level just inside the door was 14%. A few steps into that atmosphere could have caused asphyxia.

Does your local hospital have MRI equipment? Are your firefighters educated on the hazards associated with this equipment?

Near Miss: Roof Collapse Ignites Room

This is a little longer near miss report, but it is worth the reading:

I advised the crew that I was going to check the room for any occupants. I went down the hall alone still w/PPE and SCBA and entered the room. As I was on the far end, I heard a freight train sound and all of a sudden, I was standing in a fully involved room, roof collapse. I knew the door was to my left so I dove for the doorway but went headfirst into the wall. I knew there were two windows in the front of the room that faced Side A of the building. Even though I was on the #3 floor and would suffer injuries, I decided to dive for the windows because I was burning up. When I dove for the windows, I went head first into a dresser. After this, the pain was getting so bad, I was getting very confused, and I thought it was over.

This firefighter made it out OK, but it was a very close call.

Working alone, even for that short period of time, was probably a mistake, but how many times has this happened at one of your incidents? Do you always work with a partner?

Having his PPE on properly probably saved him a lot of pain and rehabilitation. Do you always don your gear properly before beginning operations?

This report would be a great 10 minute training session at your next coffee break.

Near Miss: Defensive Driving

Good description of a response by an apparatus with two near misses. Here is the money quote:

It is our responsibility to always drive defensively with complete due regard for the public without exception. Never expect citizens to do what you think they should, despite the laws and rights. The few seconds lost by taking a cautionary approach can save hours of grief. When confronted with the decision to yield to emergency traffic or continue on their original path, some people will make the wrong choice.

Every apparatus operator should carry this in their wallet and read it once in awhile. I know that some of the volunteers on our department need to remind themselves of this concept.

Take a moment and think about how you drive when responding to an emergency. Do you drive with "complete due regard for the public without exception"?

Near Miss: Extrication Tool Mishap

It's time for our next near miss post from the Near-Miss Reporting System.

This is a great description of an event that could have seriously injured the firefigher. Here is an excerpt:

Fortunately that day I was wearing full protective gear, including a helmet with full face sheild. The tool struck my face shield and the brim of my helmet. The mounting brackets for the face shield were knocked backwards and the helmet outer shell cracked due to the force. Had I not been wearing my helmet and face shield I would have surely received a serious head injury. I also feel that had I been wearing just extrication goggles and my lighter extrication helmet, instead of my fire helmet, that I could have received facial injuries as well as possible head trauma.

Print this story and the next time a firefighter fails to wear their PPE, let them read it.

Near Miss: Apparatus Struck by Vehicle

Here is the second installment of our Near Miss feature. Read this short report on an apparatus that was struck by a vehicle.

I think it is fine that the apparatus was hit. It did some damage, but better the truck than a firefighter.

Discussion:
Does your department position apparatus at a vehicle accident to protect the firefighters at the accident scene?
Do you position the apparatus far enough away from the accident scene?
What other traffic control measures does your department take at an accident scene?
Are those traffic control measures sufficient to ensure a safe working environment?

National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System

We are starting a new weekly feature here at Firewhirl. Each Thursday we will post on a near-miss report from the National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System (listed as NFFNMRS on the sidebar on the right). I'll go through the reports for the last week and pick one. So...here goes:

Here is the link to the report - Crew Integrity Problem.

After reading the report (it's short), I would challenge you to discuss it with some of your fellow firefighters. Here are some questions to get you started.

Could this happen in your department?
What steps should be taken to keep this from happening?
Does your department stress to new firefighters that they need to work in teams?
Whose responsibility is it to ensure that this doesn't happen?