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.

CFD FF 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 PPE 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.

The report, issued by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and released Tuesday, implies that Wheatley’s life could have been saved but for a few tweaks or additions to department policy.

The Chicago Fire Department, for example, lacked a formal written policy on using fire escapes at the time of Wheatley’s death, though there was an “unwritten policy” to only use them as a last resort, according to the report. The report suggests that either the aeriel ladder or an interior stairway would have offered Wheatley a safer route to the roof. The report added that many big city departments avoid using fire escapes altogether because they often corrode over the years.

The 14-page report shies away from any direct criticism of fire staff directly involved, though it does single out decisions that it believes were contributing factors in his death.

Wheatley and his fellow firefighters attempted to get to the roof of the Avec restaurant, 615 W. Randolph St., after fire officials saw sparks coming from an exhaust duct, the report states.

Despite an order by a ranking officer to use an aerial ladder to get to the roof, Wheatley opted to use the fire escape, prompting a candidate firefighter to come physically to his aid in the climb, the report stated.

As he tried to scale the uppermost portion of the fire escape, Wheatley – apparently struggling to maintain his grip on the ladder and the hand pump – kicked off the candidate firefighter’s helmet, the report stated. Wheatley dropped the hand pump on the second firefighter before falling to the ground. He was rushed to Stroger Hospital where he died. The second firefighter wasn’t injured by the falling pump.

The report calls for fire officials to implement and enforce “tactical level accountability” by ranking officers, noting that Wheatley continued up the fire escape despite the order to use aeriel ladders. “Accountability is each firefighter’s responsibility on the fireground and is a key component to keeping firefighters safe while operating on the emergency scene,” the report stated.

The report also suggests the department ensure that department members are rigorously trained in roof operations, climbing ladders of any type and carrying and hoisting heavy equipment. Firefighters are required to carry between 80 and 100 pounds of equipment while simultaneously making rescues, officials said. Instead of carrying the heavy metal pump up a narrow fire escape ladder, Wheatley could have been better served by hoisting the device to the roof from the fire escape landing below using either rope or a long sections of  fabric called webbing, the report stated.

LINK TO REPORT: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face201025.html