On June 17, 2001, FDNY Firefighters Harry Ford and Brian Fahey of Rescue 4, and John Downing of Ladder 163, died while performing interior fire suppression and exterior ventilation activities when an explosion occurred in the cellar of a hardware store in the Astoria section of Queens that caused a structural collapse. Firefighter Fahey...Read More
Nine Boston Firefighters Killed in Collapse of Hotel During Overhaul – The Hotel Vendome Fire & Collapse – Boston, Massachusetts – Father’s Day, June 17, 1972 Nine Boston firefighters were killed during the final stages of extinguishing a fire at the Hotel Vendome on Father’s Day, June 17, 1972. The building was under renovation to...Read More
The City of Buffalo is set to pay $6 million to the widow of firefighter Jason Arno who died in an early 2023 fire. One reason the settlement is so high: The city’s use of “acting time,” a practice in which it allows lower-ranked firefighters to act as senior officers to avoid paying overtime. The...Read More
The below NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program (FFFIPP) report and slides were published this afternoon: F2026-02 PA: Career Firefighter Injured after Falling from Ladder while Self-Extricating from Boarding House Fire – Pennsylvania Report: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/firefighters/programs/pdfs/f202602.pdf Slides: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/firefighters/programs/pdfs/f202602RS.pdf The report was published exactly 64 days after the fire department submitted a request for a NIOSH investigation. FFFIPP continues to accept...Read More
The below NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program (FFFIPP) report was published this morning: F2025-12 IN: 53-Year-old Sergeant Dies from Cardiac Event While Asleep in Station During Duty Shift – Indiana Report: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/firefighters/programs/pdfs/f202512.pdf FFFIPP continues to accept requests for serious injury and line-of-duty death investigations through the NIOSH website. Firefighters and other interested parties can see what investigations...Read More
All, Just a reminder that tomorrow (WEDNESDAY APRIL 29 at 1300 EST) there will be a special webinar on one of the most important court rulings in recent fire service history: the Line-of-Duty Death of Lt. Garrett Ramos of the Sterling (IL) Fire Department. This single family dwelling fire and his Line of Duty Death resulted in a civil lawsuit that ultimately delivered...Read More
