Monday, January 10, 2011  On December 20th at 1820 hours, our units were called for a motor vehicle accident requiring extrication. The assignment included two engine companies, a ladder company, an ambulance, and a Battalion Chief. Both engines were used to block the scene from oncoming traffic. The ambulance and ladder were parked downstream of the accident in the lanes that were blocked by the engines. Traffic cones were set out to guide traffic around the accident and the working crews. Crews were able to safely extricate and treat the patients. After the extrication was complete, our ladder crew began to put the equipment away. While one of the fire fighters was returning to the truck with the spreaders, he walked with his back to the flow of traffic. He felt something strike him in the center of his back, which knocked him against the ladder truck and then to the ground. He was able to look up from the ground and see a white pick-up driving away, either unaware or aloof that they had hit someone. Luckily, our fire fighter sustained only minor injuries and was able to return to work his next shift.

Since the driver of the vehicle did not stop, we can only speculate as to the cause of the accident. Whether intoxication, sleep deprivation, rubber necking, or just not paying attention, does not matter. What does matter is one of our guys, working in a well protected scene, was hit by a by-passing truck and could have been severely injured or killed. In addition to the precautions taken at this scene, what else can we do to avoid this reoccurring? Always operate facing traffic. Use a spotter to help if you must turn your back to traffic. Increase distance between you and traffic. Use additional blocking if needed. During daytime operations, leave all emergency lights on whenever possible. During nighttime operations, turn off headlights and reduce other emergency lights to yellow lights and emergency flashers when possible. This will help reduce the blinding effect to oncoming motorists.
 

Tuesday, January 4, 2011  While on standby with a lot of other units at an airport for an airliner with multiple unconscious passengers reported, I noticed I had a headache. It was a large response and all the vehicles were idling while we waited for the HazMat crew to assess the planes atmosphere. Several others replied they had headaches too and I realized that we were all getting CO poisoning. We cleared soon after but I got nauseous when returning but we got picked up for another call. Just wonder how close we came to a real mass casualty event. Only 1 passenger had passed out after vomiting the rest were sympathetic vomiters.

LESSONS LEARNED:We need to shutdown or stay upwind of our vehicles in staging areas.
 

Monday, December 27, 2010  My 17 year old daughter, a member of the South Windham VFD in Windham CT, was responding to a call this morning--in her POV--during the tail end of a blizzard. Though she was driving a Jeep and had it in 4 wheel drive, she hit a slippery spot and went head-on into a telephone pole. She was wearing her seat belt, the air bag deployed, and she's fine. We had her checked at the local hospital and she was released within a few hours.

When I asked her if she was wearing her seat belt, she was incredulous that I would even ask; she always wears it.

Seat belts. Saved my kid from injury. Wear them.
 

Sunday, December 26, 2010  The chief of the Oxford Fire Department was uninjured but two others were during a two-vehicle crash on Highway 78 Friday afternoon.

Fire Chief Gary Sparks was driving in a white Ford Expedition shortly after 12:30 p.m. on his way to a small structure fire on Pace Street when he collided with a silver Dodge Ram pickup truck at the intersection of U.S. 78 and Barry Street in Oxford.

Oxford Police Chief Bill Partridge said a firefighter traveling with Sparks was injured during the wreck, which shredded the fronts of both vehicles. Partridge said the driver of the second vehicle was injured as well.

The firefighter was transported to Regional Medical Center while the other driver was sent to Stringfellow Memorial Hospital. The names of both victims were not available by the time of The Star’s early deadline Friday. Details about the extent of their injuries were also unavailable.

Partridge said he did not know the cause of the wreck.

“We are still trying to determine what caused it,” he said.

Read more: Anniston Star - Oxford fire chief in accident on way to call but not injured

Sunday, December 12, 2010  While performing an unmanned water tower drill for our upcoming company evaluation, our probationary FF had a close call and avoided a serious injury due his veteran Engineers quick and appropriate actions. This evolution requires the use of guide rope bags to be attached to the ladder pipe at the end of the aerial and dropped to the ground. One of these bags is to be dropped through the third and fourth rungs of the fly section of the aerial. In order to accomplish this, the FF and Engineer need to coordinate their efforts to extend the fly section out enough to drop the bag through the rungs. During this part of the evolution, our FF mistakenly passed his hand THROUGH the cross members of the aerial instead of OVER the railing while holding the and bag preparing to drop it. As the ladder extended, our FF’s arm/wrist was pinned in between the multiple sections of the ladder and he promptly yelled to halt the ladder. The Engineer stopped and retracted the ladder, freeing our FF’s arm before any injury occurred.

LESSONS LEARNED: Remember that any large piece of equipment with mechanical advantage is dangerous. Safety is paramount when working on and around the aerial ladder. Always confirm that the ladder is clear from yourself and other FFs or any other hazards. Because our Engineer had the speaker turned on, extended the fly section in a slow and safe manner, and was very diligent in his focus, he was able to communicate and respond quickly and correctly.
 

Thursday, December 9, 2010  Engine 2 responded to a vehicle fire at W. 25th Street and Guadalupe. An APD officer was first on scene and recorded this dashcam video. The rear hatch on the vehicle is initially in the open position because the occupants unloaded contents from the vehicle. The heavy fire caused the struts to fail and the rear hatch to fall back to the closed position. The fire then caused the rear window to break and fall out of the vehicle. Shortly after AFD arrival, the two rear hatch struts violently explode and shoot from the vehicle. Both struts shot a distance of approximately 40 feet and with enough force to injure the firefighters. Fortunately, the firefighters from Engine 2 were not located in the path of the exploding struts.

LESSONS LEARNED: The lessons learned from the incident include:

We will often be arriving at a vehicle fire just as struts have had enough fire exposure to explode and shoot from the vehicle.

Position the apparatus at least 75 feet from the burning vehicle.

Wear full PPE as protection.

Extinguish as much fire as possible from as far away as possible then approach the vehicle cautiously. While there isn't a completely safe angle, there are safer angles to approach from. The 45 degree angle is recommended because airbags and bumper struts have traditionally had a front/rear deployment path when they explode.

Set up exclusion zone of approximately 100 feet and remove all bystanders.

Cool struts with water if they are still intact after the fire is extinguished.

Thursday, November 18, 2010  I work for a combination department right outside a small town with one manned station and four outlying stations. We have the largest coverage area for our parish. I had come into work on the mourning of 11/16 and our engine and "light" rescue were already on a medical call. As I sat my gear down we were dispatched to an alarm activation w/smoke in the bathroom. Another on-coming firefighter and I grabbed the two remaining trucks (Tanker and "Heavy" Rescue). The alarm activation was a dual coverage call with the city department. Enroute to the call; on a four-lane hwy with 2 lanes east-bound, 2 lanes west-bound, and a middle turning lane; traffic was dividing into the right lane. As we came near one the city stations their responding engine decided to pull out into traffic in front of us. This caused all the traffic in the right lane to move over to the left lane (our lane). Three cars swerved into the left lane in front of the tanker. The tanker swerved into the turning lane, narrowly missing the three vehicles. I was in the heavy rescue and was forced to slam on my brakes by two vehicles swerving into my lane. Before we could arrive on scene we were cancelled by the city's dispatch center. When asked if they had anyone on-scene yet their response was that they had a medical sprint truck nearly there!
LESSONS LEARNED: I understand that competition can be a good thing but when it comes to endangering the lives of the people we are tasked to serve and the lives of our fellow firefighters then departments need to seriously look at their priorities. In one minute so many lives could have been lost all because of a bad decision and the worry of making it to a call before another department.

Sunday, October 17, 2010  Florida Highway Patrol officials said the southbound lanes of the Florida Turnpike were closed in Osceola County Saturday evening due to a car fire.

Osceola County government official Nickie Whisler said the car caught fire and ammunition inside the vehicle began to discharge near state Road 91 just after 6 p.m.

Whisler said no special techniques or equipment were needed to put out the fire and stop the ammunition from going off.

Officials said the incident began as a vehicle rollover, and the fire started at some point after the crash.

Saturday, October 9, 2010  On Saturday 10-09-10 at about 1400 hrs the crew at one of our stations was back the engine back into the bay which is narrow for the equipment stored there at the station. Following department SOPs one of the firefighters was behind the engine on the drivers side as a backer guiding the driver into the bay, when the firefighter noticed the station was about to be hit he stepped out between the corner of the station and the fire apparatus and in turn got his head pinned between the fire truck and the station. The driver not able to see his backer due to the glare of the sun luckily had his window rolled down and heard the firefighter scream for him to stop. The firefighter did not suffer serious injuries but only minor cuts, swelling and a really bad headache. This could have turned out alot worse.

LESSONS LEARNED: Most important lesson learned is not to put yourself between moving equipment and anything else. Also we are now looking into extending our painted lines in the bay and taking them out onto the pad to assist the driver with lining up the truck. Maybe something specific to that station for us is to have the backer on the officer side of the truck where he has a way to escape if needed.

Saturday, October 9, 2010  While operating at the scene of a possible commercial fire, a drunk driver went past the police barricades and came into the scene where he was stopped after hitting a curb.  The barricades where approx. 1/2 mile from the scene but the driver managed to get around and encroach the scene before being stopped and arrested.

EVEN WITH THE ROAD SHUT DOWN YOU AREN'T TOTALLY SAFE - ALWAYS BE AWARE!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010  While returning from work on the afternoon of August 16th in my Department issued Ford Expedition I was struck by a large Waste Recycling vehicle. I was traveling through an intersection in which the traffic approaching from my left had a stop sign. As I approached the intersection I saw a large truck sliding towards the intersection off of the roadway at a high rate of speed. I immediately recognized that the truck would not be able to stop and at my current speed (aprox. 45 M.P.H.) I was not going to be able to avoid being struck. To further complicate the situation there was no shoulder of the roadway and a drop off of about 10 feet to the right side of my vehicle. In a last minute effort to avoid the direct T-bone collision I swerved to the right. The truck hit my expedition at the drivers side rear door which caused me to roll down the embankment and flip three times. The vehicle came to rest upright about 30 feet from the point of impact. Every door of the vehicle was crushed as was the entire passenger side of the roof. Rather than being ejected as most certainly would have been the case I was extricated through the rear storage area window. I was ALIVE because I was WEARING MY SEATBELT! Our Department has and enforces a zero tolerance policy about seatbelt usage. If anyone on the rig is caught not wearing a seat belt EVERYONE on that rig goes home. This is an example of why it must be worn every time.

LESSONS LEARNED: Always wear your seatbelt. Seatbelts DO save lives. We are always at risk. Reduce that risk anyway you can.