CT Firefighter Treated for Possible Chemical Exposure

From the Hartford Courant:

A firefighter was treated for possible chemical exposure after a chemical reaction at a metal-treating company early Wednesday.

Firefighters responded to a report of heavy smoke at Metal Specialties Inc., 515 Commerce Drive, shortly after midnight, fire officials stated in a press release. When they arrived, they encountered heavy smoke but no fire, they said.

Crews were ordered out of the building when it became clear that hazardous materials might have been involved. Hazardous materials resopnse teams and the state Department of Energy & Environmental Protection were called to the scene.

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5 Firefighters Injured in Bridgeport (CT) Fire

From nbcconnecticut.com:

Five firefighters were injured in a fire at a multifamily home in Bridgeport early Friday morning.

One firefighter suffered a shoulder injury when the roof of 143 Coleman St. collapsed. Four other firefighters suffered heat exhaustion.

The fire broke out in the 19th century boarding house at 3:50 a.m. and it was escalated to two alarms.

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Firefighters helped the residents who were not able to get out on their own.

“We had people in the windows. We were pulling them out, one after another,” Deputy Chief Bruce Porzett, of the Bridgeport Fire Department, said. “These guys were walking through walls of fire. They did a great job. Nobody died, which I'm really surprised (about).”

Fire officials said the building had half a dozen roofs on the building, but should not have had more than three.

New Haven 20 to Settle for $2M in Reverse Discrimination Suit

From the Hartford Courant:

Seven years after suing New Haven in a reverse discrimination case that was affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court, 20 white firefighters who claimed their promotions were blocked by city affirmative action policy were poised to settle for about $2 million Thursday.

A city official said New Haven would formally announce a settlement later today. Karen Lee Torre, the Branford attorney who sued and won the case at the nation’s highest court in 2009, was not immediately available Thursday morning.

Although the firefighters, one of whom was both white and Hispanic, won at the Supreme Court, additional issues continued to be litigated as recently as last week in U.S. District Court in New Haven. Offers of settlement filed by the city late Wednesday appear to have ended the case.

CT Firefighters Rescue Woman Who Fell Over Waterfall

From the Hartford Courant:

Firefighters rescued a Manchester woman who slipped and plunged 15 feet over a waterfall Sunday night.

The 41-year-old woman was walking with her 14-year-old daughter across the top of the waterfall off a trail on Case Mountain when she slipped and fell, landing in rocks at the bottom of the falls, according to the fire department.

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Upon arrival, firefighters found the woman injured and trapped in the rocks at the bottom of the falls. Using ropes, the department was lowered firefighters to the bottom of the falls, where they reached the woman at 8:45 p.m.

The woman, who remained conscious throughout the ordeal, was freed from the rocks and pulled to safety with a rescue basket, according to the department. She was transported to the hospital, where she was treated for non-life threatening injuries.

Firefighters said that the rescue, done in the dark, was a difficult maneuver because of the combination of poor visibility, accessibility issues, the water and the heat.

For more info on such rescue situations, read "Establishing the Rope Rescue Anchor System", "Patient Packaging for Rope Rescue Operations", and "Rope Rescue Saves Stranded Hikers".

NIOSH Report Faults Bridgeport (CT) Fire Department in Firefighter LODDs

From ctpost.com:

Bridgeport fire officials' failure on nearly every level led to the deaths of two firefighters battling a West Side blaze last July, a federal report has concluded.

Among the findings of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health report released Wednesday: The deputy fire chief and his assistant at the scene of the Elmwood Street fire had a discussion about whether they heard a mayday call from the two fallen firefighters instead of taking immediate action to rescue them.

There was no rapid intervention team readily available to come to the firefighters' aid.

The report stated firefighters failed to immediately treat one of the firefighters who managed to make it to relative safety before collapsing.

Officials also did not properly manage firefighters' air supplies -- both firefighters' air cylinders were empty when they were found, the report stated.

The department's incident safety officer, who is required to be on scene for assistance in a fire, did not arrive until more than 20 minutes after the initial dispatch.

Lt. Steven Velasquez and firefighter Michel Baik died while checking out hot spots in the third floor of the wood-frame home at 41 Elmwood Ave.

Read the entire paper write-up HERE. To download NIOSH firefighter LODD reports, go to http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/.