FIREFIGHTER FATALLY BURNED AFTER BEING CAUGHT IN FLASHOVER WHILE SEARCHING FOR TRAPPED CHILDREN DURING RESIDENTIAL FIRE – CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – AUGUST 9, 1983

Firefighter Fatally Burned After Being Caught in Flashover While Searching For Trapped Children During Residential Fire – Chicago, Illinois – August 9, 1983

On August 9, 1983, Chicago Firefighter Sidney Brown of Engine 75 died in the line of duty after responding to a house fire on the South Side of the city where three children were reported to be trapped. Brown was assigned as the hydrant man and would have typically been the last firefighter from his engine company to enter a building, but as one of the first firefighters on the scene, he and two other firefighters raced into the burning house in search of the missing children. During his search of the second level, Brown opened a bedroom door and exposed a fire smoldering in the room to a rush of oxygen. Brown was badly burned in the subsequent flashover. He was rescued by his fellow members and removed from the building but died from his severe thermal injuries. Firefighter Sidney Brown was the first African American firefighter to die in the line of duty in the city.

The structure involved in the incident was a 1.5-story Type V Wood Frame single family dwelling located at 12114 South State Street between East 121st Street and East 122nd Street in the West Pullman area on the South Side of Chicago. Built in 1947, the exterior of the 1200 square foot residence was of brick veneer on all four sides with a steeply pitched roof covered with asphalt shingles. The home had four bedrooms and one bathroom. One of the bedrooms was located on the second floor in a converted attic space. The residence was in an area of similarly constructed single family dwellings. Side Alpha faced South State Street. On Sides Bravo and Delta were similar 1.5-story single family dwellings separated by narrow side yards. On Side Charlie was a small wooden deck attached to the rear of the structure. There were fire hydrants located at each end of the block.

Chicago is the most populous city in Illinois and the third-most populous in the United States, after New York City and Los Angeles. With a population of 2,746,388 in the 2020 census, it is also the most populous city in the Midwestern United States. As the seat of Cook County (the second-most populous U.S. county), the city is the center of the Chicago metropolitan area, one of the largest in the world. Located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, much of the residential housing that was built in the mid-to-late 1800s in the city is of balloon wood frame construction. Following the Great Chicago Fire in 1871 that destroyed an area four miles long and one mile wide, much of the city, including railroads and stockyards, survived intact, and from the ruins of the previous wooden structures arose more modern constructions of steel, stone, and brick. However, large neighborhoods of wood frame residences outside of the 1871 fire area remain.

Chicago is the most populous city in Illinois and the third-most populous in the United States, after New York City and Los Angeles. With a population of 2,746,388 in the 2020 census, it is also the most populous city in the Midwestern United States. As the seat of Cook County (the second-most populous U.S. county), the city is the center of the Chicago metropolitan area, one of the largest in the world. Located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, much of the residential housing that was built in the mid-to-late 1800s in the city is of balloon wood frame construction. Following the Great Chicago Fire in 1871 that destroyed an area four miles long and one mile wide, much of the city, including railroads and stockyards, survived intact, and from the ruins of the previous wooden structures arose more modern constructions of steel, stone, and brick. However, large neighborhoods of wood frame residences outside of the 1871 fire area remain.

Chicago is the most populous city in Illinois and the third-most populous in the United States, after New York City and Los Angeles. With a population of 2,746,388 in the 2020 census, it is also the most populous city in the Midwestern United States. As the seat of Cook County (the second-most populous U.S. county), the city is the center of the Chicago metropolitan area, one of the largest in the world. Located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, much of the residential housing that was built in the mid-to-late 1800s in the city is of balloon wood frame construction. Following the Great Chicago Fire in 1871 that destroyed an area four miles long and one mile wide, much of the city, including railroads and stockyards, survived intact, and from the ruins of the previous wooden structures arose more modern constructions of steel, stone, and brick. However, large neighborhoods of wood frame residences outside of the 1871 fire area remain.

The city is protected by the Chicago Fire Department which has 96 stations staffed with more than 5,000 uniformed firefighters and paramedics divided into 5 districts with 25 battalions (battalion chiefs), 14 deputy district chiefs, and 8 district chiefs commanding 96 engine companies, 61 truck companies, 4 squads (heavy rescues which are two-piece companies). The department also operates 10 aircraft rescue firefighting apparatus, 5 engine companies, 2 tower ladders, and 3 ALS ambulances, and numerous support vehicles at 2 airports within the city. The EMS Division operates 80 advanced life support (ALS) ambulances and 25 EMS field supervisors. The Special Operations Division is the “special rescue” branch that is involved in homeland security activities and includes the Hazardous Materials Unit, the Air Sea Rescue Unit and the Technical Rescue Unit which operates 2 urban search and rescue units and is part of the Illinois Technical Rescue Teams and IL-Task Force 1. The department covers a land area of 228 square miles, 37 miles of rivers and waterways, serving a population of 2,697,000, and responds to nearly 900,000 calls annually.

West Pullman is a neighborhood located on the far south side of the city. It is one of the 77 official community areas of Chicago. The neighborhood was initially inhabited by workers of the Pullman Train Company looking to escape the grip of the company town but soon swelled with industrial workers of all stripes. The commercial corridor of Kensington/115th Street was one of many Italian communities within Chicago and now hosts a Hispanic enclave. The area is bounded on the north by 115th Street, on the east by the former Illinois Central Railroad, on the south by the Calumet River and Riverdale, on the west by Calumet Park, Blue Island and Ashland Avenue.

The West Pullman neighborhood is protected by fire units of the Fifth District of Chicago Fire Department:

• Engine 62, Truck 27, Battalion 22 – 34 East 114th Street – 1 mile from the fire building.
• Engine 115, Engine 75, Tower Ladder 24, Ambulances 5 & 76, Deputy District Chief 2-2-5, Field Officer 4-5-6 – 1024 West 119th Street – 1.6 miles from the fire building.

            Note: At the time of the fire in 1983, Engine 75 and Ambulance 5 were quartered at 11958 South State Street – 0.2 miles from the fire building.

On the afternoon of the incident the area weather conditions included air temperatures in the high 70’s F with a relative humidity of 48% with a northeast wind at 12 mph under mostly cloudy skies. Note: Research by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has shown wind speeds on the order of 10 to 20 mph are sufficient to create wind-driven fire conditions in a structure with an uncontrolled flow path (Madrzykowski and Kerber 2009). The wind condition likely had an impact on fire development and the outcome of the incident

On August 9, 1983, Chicago fire units including the members of Engine 75 responded to a still alarm reporting a fire in a private residence at 12114 South State Street in the West Pullman area on the South Side of Chicago. The crew of Engine 75 including Firefighter Sidney Brown arrived first at the location from their nearby station located only 1.5 blocks north. The crew was advised by bystanders that three children were reported to be trapped in the structure. Firefighter Brown who typically was assigned as the hydrant man on the engine crew entered the burning structure along with two other members of the engine company in search of the children. It is unknown if the search crew had stretched a hoseline into the structure as they began their search.

During the search effort, Firefighter Brown ascended to a bedroom on the second level in a converted attic space. As Brown opened the bedroom door and exposed a fire smoldering in the room to a rush of oxygen, a rapid fire event occurred. Brown was badly burned in the subsequent flashover. The severely injured firefighter was rescued by his fellow firefighters and rushed to a local hospital where he subsequently died from his injuries. The report of the three missing children trapped in the structure was later determined to be unfounded. Firefighter Sidney Brown was the first African American firefighter to die in the line of duty in Chicago.

Firefighter Sidney Brown, age 32, was a member of the Chicago Fire Department assigned to Engine 75. His funeral service with full fire department honors was held on August 13 at the chapel of the A.A. Rayner funeral home with interment following at Mount Glenwood Memory Gardens South in Glenwood, Cook County, Illinois.

In 1990, a city park in the Chatham neighborhood of the city was renamed Sidney Brown Park in honor of the fallen firefighter.

In 2002, a new apparatus for Engine 75 was dedicated to the fallen firefighter.

The name and badge number of Firefighter Sidney Brown has been added to the Wall of Fallen Heroes at the Robert J. Quinn Chicago Fire Academy.

The name of Firefighter Sidney Brown has been inscribed on the Chicago Firefighters Monument on West Exchange Avenue at South Peoria Street at the Union Stock Yards Gate.

The name of Firefighter Sidney Brown has been honored at the Illinois Fallen Firefighter Memorial located on the grounds adjacent to the State Capitol Building in Springfield, Illinois. The memorial features an original bronze work of art consisting of four life-size figures of firefighters in full gear, a child, a ladder, and hose. Each adult figure is approximately 6 feet 2 inches tall if in a standing position and represents the firefighters in full protective clothing, in action.

The name of Firefighter Sidney Brown has been inscribed on the 1983 plaque displayed at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial on the campus of the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

Commentary:

Unfortunately, there are few details regarding the fireground operations at this incident. We can only gather from available sources that Firefighter Brown encountered a rapid fire event while searching the second level of the residence looking for the reported trapped children. Recognition of extreme fire conditions and the likelihood of a flashover occurring during fire attack and search operations inside a structure is a basic firefighter survival skill. Being able to read the warning signs of an impending rapid fire event is a critical skill that should be taught to all firefighters. The weather at the time of the incident with moderate winds may also have played a role in the rapid development of the fire.

This incident shares similarities with another firefighter fatality involving a rapid fire event:

On November 2, 2012, Chicago Fire Captain Herbert Johnson of Engine 123 sustained fatal injuries at a 2.5-story apartment building fire in the Englewood section of the city. The fire occurred only blocks from Johnson’s fire station. Battalion 19 was the first to arrive on scene and reported heavy smoke coming from the rear and front of the structure’s attic. Battalion 19 surveyed the interior of both floors, while the Captain and a firefighter from Engine 123 stretched a hoseline to the second floor. Battalion 19 radioed Captain Johnson from the rear of the first-floor apartment that there was heavy fire in the rear covered porch and stairwell. Captain Johnson and the firefighter stretched the hoseline towards the rear of the second-floor apartment. Before water could be applied to the fire, Johnson told the firefighter they had to “get out.” The second-due engine, Engine 49 had stretched a 2.5-inch hoseline down the alley to the rear and was in position to put water through the attic window. Captain Johnson moved halfway back in the hallway towards the kitchen and yelled out that he needed help. As the firefighter dragged the Captain to the kitchen, additional firefighters who reached the second floor heard Captain Johnson and the firefighter collapse on the floor in front of them. A Mayday was called by the Squad 5 Lieutenant on the second floor and Captain Johnson was carried down the stairs to the front yard. The Captain responded to basic life support measures and was moved to Ambulance 19 for advanced life support. Johnson was transported to the local hospital where he had complications during airway management and died. Fire investigators determined that the fire originated in the attic and was accidental in nature: https://www.facebook.com/groups/192218352449074/permalink/1368962154774682/

We have attached photos from the incident. We have also included the link to a free training course offered by the Fire Service Research Institute of Underwriters Laboratories on evidence-based structural firefighting:

https://training.fsri.org/course/109/evidence-based-structural-firefighting

We have also attached the link to an article by George H. Potter on flashover survival published in Fire Engineering magazine: https://www.fireengineering.com/firefighting/flashover-survival/#:~:text=Firefighters%20should%20take%20active%20and%20dynamic%20part%20in,innovations%20and%20variations%20as%20each%20individual%20case%20demands.

Thanks to multiple media sources for additional information for this article.

Honor the service of Chicago Firefighter Sidney Brown by reviewing flashover recognition signs and by scheduling a hands-on flashover recognition live-fire exercise with your crew members today.

Remember Fallen Brothers.

Get Out There And Know Your Local!!!