fire science filed report responding
Dispatched to assist neighboring department on a 3 story garden style apartment building with fire reported on the third floor. Upon arrival of the first units there was a heavy fire load evident on the third floor of the structure. Crew advanced two 1" 3/4 handlines into the structure. The first crew went to the fire origin and the second crew starting cutting the fire off in the hallway, so not to spread to neighboring areas. The crew from the rescue entered the structure and reached the third floor when the ceiling came down. This caused evasive movements causing a firefighter to twist his ankle. The firefighter was taken to the hospital for further evaluation.
Lessons Learned
Although the IC did a terrific job at running this scene, communications within the structure were lacking. Having interdepartment training could have prevented this incident from occurring.
Demographics
Department Type: Combination, Mostly volunteer
Job or Rank: Fire Fighter
Department Shift: 12 hour days, 12 hour nights
Age: 34 - 42
Years of Fire Service Experience: 14 - 16
Region: FEMA Region III
Service Area: Suburban
Event Information
Event Type: Fire emergency event: structure fire, vehicle fire, wildland fire, etc.
Date and Time: Feb 17 2006 11:00AM
Hours Into the Shift: 5 - 8
Event Participation: Witnessed event but not directly involved in the event
Weather at Time of Event: Clear and Dry
Do you think this will happen again? Uncertain
Contributing Factors? Communication
What do you believe is the loss potential?: Lost time injury
