HERE IS A CLOSE CALL ON WHY WE
MUST
My department was dispatched to a RV fire next to a home. Upon arrival the
RV was totally involved and the fire started to spread to an attached garage.
After donning full protective equipment with SCBA I advanced an 1 3/4 handline
into the garage. Unknown to anyone the propane lines on the RV had broken and
was filling the garage with propane. After about 30 seconds inside the garage
the propane ignited and an explosion occurred projecting me to the front yard
about 30 feet through the air. The firefighter that was backing me up had not
entered the garage as of that point because he did not have his glove on. He
suffered 2nd and 3rd degree burns on his hand where his coat didn’t cover. I
landed in the front yard on fire and was extinguished by my brothers. I
suffered no injuries due to the fact I had all of my protective equipment on
properly. NOTE: I was sore for a couple of days.