The death of nine male career firefighters in their line of duty

The death of nine male career firefighters in their line of duty

The death of nine male career firefighters in their line of duty at a commercial furniture showroom was an unfortunate occurrence, which happened due to some dysfunctions. It could be avoided if several factors were improved. The crucial tactical factors that contributed to the death of these nine firefighters were radio communication problems experienced during the firefighting, lack of a central dispatch center for communication of rescue activities involving departments from multiple administrations, inadequate water supply, lack of safety ropes and other exit locators to guide the disoriented firefighters out of the building, and exhaustion of air supply which led to the firefighters running out of air.

Radio communication problems were encountered in the incident whereby some mutual help departments lost communication with the municipal dispatch center with their radios. The mutual aid crew was sent to rescue the missing firefighters. Thus, efficient communication was necessary for them to get help if the conditions inside the building needed more personnel. If the fire chief were receiving responses from the mutual aid group, he would have instructed more fighters to rush in and help. According to the NIOSH report, most of the firefighters in the building ran out of the air, including the nine who died (NIOSH, 2009). Lack of oxygen and air for the firefighters contributed to their death since the results show that they inhaled smoke and a lot of carbon monoxide. Having different dispatch centers for the municipal fire department and the neighboring departments delayed the communication of any help needed or any response received. In such incidents as fire accidents, a fast connection of instructions and answers is very important. The firefighters that managed to come out of the rescue mission alive stated there were no exit locators, and some of them traced their way out of the building by moving towards the sound of engine 11 that was rushing to the parking lot. Exit locators such as safety ropes would have helped the disoriented firefighters find their way out when the situation got worse. In a fire incident, an adequate supply of water is significant. Inadequacy of water supply was experienced during this incident, whereby the 2 ½ hand line lacked water pressure as a result of engine 11 pump difficulties (NIOSH, 2009). Engine 10 and 11 required an increase in water supply, which would have helped in putting out the fire that was intensifying at a very high rate.

The increase in black smoke, as well as pump issues for engine 10, were signs that more engines were needed because delay in this activity would worsen things. More firefighters were also required since there were experienced incidences where firefighters worked individually in this incident. Responsible jurisdictions should ensure that fire departments are equipped with easy-to-use radio systems as well as instruments that can handle the volume of radio traffic for efficient and continuous communication. Efficiency in conversation would have helped the mutual aid crew in getting more help to look for the missing firefighters. Fire departments, through the municipal jurisdiction, should ensure that the self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) air cylinders are always 100% refilled and ready for use (NIOSH, 2009). This will help reduce the cases of air exhaustion for the firefighters. The hosepipes sourcing out water from different engines should be of both large and small diameters to ensure that there is enough pressure of water in cases of a big fire. Also, the fire departments should ensure that they install exit locators to help the firefighters find their way out of the fire ground, especially when the conditions get worse to avoid death cases. Finally, all departments available to assist in the fire hazard should have one central dispatch center for accessible communication of the sequence of events.