On May 8th 2023 we were dispatched for a residential structure fire our dispatch center was receiving multiple calls and upgraded to working fire. Due to the knowledge of the area our battalion chief for 2 additional engine companies and one additional ladder our first due engine arrived on the scene and confirmed working fire with smoke showing from the third floor and pushing out of the gable vents. The second due engine arrived and pulled past the first due engine. My company arrived as the first Ladder on the scene I instructed my driver to position the truck and go ahead and set up. We were riding four that night so when we were tasked with the primary search I told my two firefighters to come with me we searched the first and second floors and met both engine companies at the landing leading to the third floor. They stretched a 300 ft 1.75 hand line dry to the fire floor and was requesting more pressure on the line after it was charged. I made contact with the officer from the engine and told him we were going to pass on his left to conduct the search of the third floor at this time visibility was just like any other attic fire we have all been in until we reached the third floor it was banked to the floor and was not that hot yet we passed and myself and one of my firefighters searched the third floor after the primary search was completed I notified command and then we were tasked with assisting the engine open up and locate the fire this is when stuff starts going sideways the firefighter that was with me was hit in the face piece by the stream and his mask became dislodged he was pulled into the stairwell and down to the second floor I did not know about this until days later so there is my first mess up as a company officer I did not keep accountability of my crew. Another company was tasked with vertical ventilation during this I called command and asked how the hole was coming because we still had zero visibility and started to get high heat due to not locating the fire yet. He stated the hole was cut on the bravo side of the structure and he had heavy smoke pushing from it. I was standing near the delta side of the structure. Shortly after this, the nozzle man started banging so the engine company stated they were leaving and the second engine company that was with them was taking over suppression. Communication was not made that the second engine crew was also running low on air and they left along with the first engine crew so all suppression tactics stopped at this time. I turned and thought I was talking to my firefighter and said “hey man we need to move back to the second floor and regroup because we don’t have it right now” I turned to go through a door I thought was the stairs and ended up in a closet which at the time seemed like no big deal because we’ve all done it before I turned and walked back out and tripped over the couch and fell over the back of the couch my helmet came forward and dislodged my mask for a brief second I pushed my mask back up and reset my seal the best I could and turned my purge on to clear my mask out that I when I called my mayday I ended up back at the closet and came out when left and just started basically a wall search I ended up behind a bar that was located in this room when I started seeing some rollover it was still zero visibility and by this time the heat was pretty high I lifted my tic and my screen was whited out my mask had the brown film over it that would not rub off and I could feel the burns on my head, arms, and hands start. I said out loud man this is where I’m going to die because the panic started to set in I was yelling out for my guys trying to figure out if they were still on the 3rd floor with me and that’s when my firefighter came to the top of the stairs and yelled out for me and I ended up running into him and we made our way out of the structure and the mayday was cleared from time of the mayday being called to time of me exiting the structure was about 3 minutes and as we were exiting the front door that is when the third floor flashed according to command. I was transported to our level one trauma center and was treated for second degree burns to all ten fingers both wrists and burns to my chest ears and the back of my head.
