Funeral Details for Fallen Dallas (TX) Firefighter

Funeral details for Lt. Todd Krodle are as follows:

Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 10:00am
Funeral Service:
Highland Terrace Baptist Church
3939 Joe Ramsey Road East
Greenville, TX 75401

Burial following the service:
Memoryland Memorial Park
808 W. Jack Finney Blvd
Greenville, TX 75402

Asheville (NC) Fatal Fire Update: Water Pipes Appear to Have Worked

From citizen-times.com:

A pipe system designed to carry water from a street hydrant to the inside of an office building where a firefighter died battling a blaze appears to have been working, the Fire Department's commander said Friday.

In his first interview since the July 28 fire, department Chief Scott Burnette said the standpipe system at 445 Biltmore Avenue will be investigated, though he has no indication of problems.

“It is critical to us to understand whether or not that was functioning as it was designed,” he said. “We have no information, as of today, that there were issues with that standpipe system.”

Nearly 25 minutes passed from the time the first trucks left their stations about 12:30 p.m. until a crew reported they were finally putting water on the blaze from a ladder truck, according to recordings later published on a website.

Firefighters, in a recording of their transmissions during the fire, repeatedly made references to a lack of water.

Capt. Jeff Bowen, a 13-year department veteran, died from cardiac arrest after exposure to heat and smoke.

Federal investigators said Thursday that the fire had been deliberately set.

Read more HERE.

NIOSH Report on Chicago (IL) LODDs in Collapse at Abandoned Building

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation site has released a report on the fire and collapse that killed Firefighters Cory Ankum and Edward Stringer in December 2010. View the complete report HERE.

Fire That Killed Asheville (NC) Firefighter Was Arson, ATF Says

From WSPA.com:



The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), along with criminal investigators from the Asheville Fire and Police Departments and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI), have determined that the fire on July 28th, at the Medical Office Complex Building in Asheville was deliberately set. Asheville Fire Department Captain Jeffrey Scott Bowen was killed in that fire and several other firefighters had to be treated at area hospitals.

Over $20 million in damage occurred as a result of the fire. The investigation is being conducted jointly by ATF, the Asheville Police and Fire Departments and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI).

For more details go HERE. For more on this fatal incident, CLICK HERE.

LODD: KY Firefighter, Instructor, Former Fire Marshal Dies at Fire Scene

Veteran Firefighter Charles Sparks of the Columbia-Adair County Fire Department in Kentucky, died at approximately 6:30 a.m. Friday morning after suffering cardiac arrest while operating on the interior of a house fire. Sparks, 49, was treated on-scene then air-lifted to Norton’s Audubon Hospital in Louisville for additional treatment, but died during his stay, according to a report from the Courier Journal.

The report stated that "Sparks worked for the Columbia-Adair County Fire Department for 32 years. He was also a deputy state fire marshal and a state fire rescue training instructor."

In addition the report said, "He is survived by his wife, Tammy, and 15-year-old son, Trent."

The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has released an announcement of the firefighter's death. The announcement has confirmed that funeral arrangements are pending and has provided the following additional information:

Arrangements will be made available on the Stotts-Phelps-McQueary Funeral Home website at: http://www.stottsphelpsmcquearyfh.com/html/

Tribute is being paid to Firefighter Charles “Sparky” Sparks at http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/fireservice/fatalities/

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/.

NIOSH Urges New Rules After Chicago (IL) Firefighter's Fall from Fire Escape

From the Chicago Tribune:

The Chicago Fire Department should create and implement standard rules regarding the use of fire escapes and review its safety policies, especially those concerning carrying heavy equipment, a federal report has concluded following an investigation into the falling death of a firefighter from a fire escape 10 months ago.

Christopher Wheatley died Aug. 9 when he fell 53 feet from the the fire escape behind a four-story West Loop building that housed an upscale restaurant.

Dressed in his full firefighting gear and clutching a 63-pound manual hand pump in his right hand, the firefighter/paramedic lost his grip on the metal structure as he tried the climb a vertical fire escape ladder leading to the roof, officials said.

Read it all HERE. Download the NIOSH report HERE.

Two Firefighters Killed Fighting FL Wildfire

From msnbc.com:

Two firefighters died and two others were injured Monday while fighting the Blue Ribbon wildfire in northern Florida, officials said.

The deaths occurred in Hamilton County near the Florida-Georgia border, the Division of Forestry said late Monday.

WJXT-TV reported that according to its sources the two men were on tractors trying cut fire lines in the ground to stop the fire from spreading when the flames overtook them.

The names of the firefighters have not yet been released pending family notification. Read more HERE and HERE.

TX Firefighter Found Dead After Fire

From the AP, via chron.com:

A veteran East Texas volunteer firefighter has been found dead after a blaze in a wooded area near his residence.

Angelina County Sheriff Kent Henson says an autopsy has been ordered on 47-year-old David Goins. Goins was assistant chief of the Huntington Volunteer Fire Department

Get more details HERE.

New Details Emerge About Fire That Killed San Francisco (CA) Firefighters

From The Examiner:

More details emerged Monday about last week’s fatal Diamond Heights blaze, as fire officials said an emergency alert accidentally went off on a nearby fire engine about the same time two firefighters’ personal alarms sounded inside the burning building.

...

While fighting the fire, one or both of Valerio and Perez’s personal alert safety system devices went off. A PASS device sounds an alarm whenever a firefighter has been immobile for a certain period of time.

Around the same time, a firefighter on Engine Company 20 — which had yet to arrive on the scene — had inadvertently hit the emergency button on the engine.

The significance of the inadvertent emergency alert was unclear, although firefighter union President Tom O’Connor said he doubted it added to any confusion.

Read the entire report HERE.

Funeral services for the two fallen firefighters, Anthony Valerio and Vincent Perez, will be held on Friday. Full details on the services, donations, etc. can be found HERE.

LODD: Texas Firefighter Elias Jaquez, Dead at 49

The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has reported the death of Volunteer Firefighter Elias Jaquez, 49, of the Cactus Volunteer Fire Department of Cactus, Texas. Jaquez died as a result of serious burns on Wednesday, April 20, 2011.

The USFA notice states:

"Firefighter Jaquez, and three other firefighters were injured after a Dumas and Cactus, TX, fire truck became stuck in the rough terrain while operating on a wildland firefight. Jaquez suffered 3rd degree burns over 60% of his body and was rushed for treatment to the Lubbock Burn Center where he remained in critical condition until his passing."

The USFA notice continues to advise that funeral arrangements are pending and that a benefit fund has been established in honor of Firefighter Elias Jaquez at the Happy State Bank at https://www.happybank.com/.

A tribute is also being paid to Firefighter Elias Jaquez at http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/fireservice/fatalities/

The USFA reports that to date, 31 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2011.

MS Volunteer Firefighter Killed in Crash Responding to Fire

From cdispatch.com:

An 18-year-old volunteer firefighter on his way to a fire died Sunday in Monroe County after his SUV ran off the road and hit a tree.

Jacob Anthony Carter, of Amory, was eastbound on McCullen Road in a 2002 Ford Explorer when his vehicle left the road and overturned at about noon Sunday, according to Monroe County Coroner Alan Gurley. He was not wearing a seatbelt.

Read more HERE. The USFA fatality notice is HERE.

Study: Cultural Factors Lead to Increase in Firefighter LODDs

From esciencenews.com:

While the number of fires is on the decline, firefighter deaths are not —and a new University of Georgia study helps explain why. Researchers in the UGA College of Public Health found that cultural factors in the work environment that promote getting the job done as quickly as possible with whatever resources available lead to an increase in line-of-duty firefighter fatalities.

...

The research, published in the May edition of the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention, examined data gathered from 189 firefighter fatality investigations conducted by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health between 2004 and 2009. Each NIOSH investigation gives recommendations directed at preventing future firefighter injuries and deaths. The researchers looked at the high-frequency recommendations and linked them to important causal and contributing factors of the fatalities.

Read the whole thing HERE. For more on the human factors affecting firefighter safety, check out this piece on learning from firefighter near-miss data by Dane Carley and Craig Nelson.

Retrial in Death of Phoenix (AZ) Firefighter

From KPHO.com:

The retrial of Christopher Benitez began Thursday. Benitez is accused in the death of a Phoenix firefighter. His first trial ended in a hung jury four months ago.

Firefighter Brett Tarver was killed on March 14, 2001, at the Southwest Supermarket, when he got trapped by falling debris.

Prosecutors say Benitez, who was a teenager at the time, set the fire as revenge, days after getting caught stealing beer from the store.

Read more HERE. For more on the RIT response in the Tarver LODD case, read Steve Kreis's 'Rapid Intervention Isn't Rapid,' and here is a link to the NIOSH report: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200113.html

Investigation Begins into Fire that Killed 2 Ontario (Canada) Firefighters

Via CTV, a investigation has begun into the fire that killed two firefighters yesterday:

The Ontario Fire Marshal is investigating a fire at a dollar store in Listowel, in southwestern Ontario, that claimed the lives of two volunteer firefighters.

The blaze broke out around 3:30 p.m. at the Dollar Stop in the town's centre. Listowel Volunteer Fire Department members Raymond Walter, 30, and Kenneth Rea, 56, were killed when they entered the fire-engulfed store to search for any shoppers left inside.

Read more and watch video HERE.