At 2454 hrs on September 6, 2010 the Matteson Fire Department responded to a reported structure fire in a single story residence with walk out basement. First arriving crews found a well involved fire in the attic that had self vented. Visible fire involved 2/3 of the roof. There was no one home at the time of the fire and due to conditions command took a defensive position for fire attack. Mutual aid was requested from neighboring communities and officers were assigned to supervise Divisions A, B, C, and D. Operations Section Chief, Safety Officer, and a RIC team were also established. During fire attack crews operating on the C side of the building made a tactical decision to attempt entry to the main floor via a porch roof that covered a section of the C side walkout basement. Two firefighters were standing on the porch roof when it collapsed sending them to the ground. A mayday was immediately called and the RIT crew and staged ambulance immediately began mobilizing. Each firefighter was able to self rescue without injury.
LESSONS LEARNED: Division and Group supervisors must relay the IC’s objectives to crews working under their supervision. The IC must also relay his/her tactical plan to all Division and Group supervisors in order for everyone to operating under the same principles. Finally a risk benefit assessment must be made prior to changing tactical priorities. Luckily there were no injuries during this incident.
