NFPA Journal - Fall 2023 - 77

Members of the initial engine company
stretched an attack line and were operating
with four members on the second
floor of the three-story wood-frame residential
structure when conditions began
to deteriorate. The incident commander
was ordering all firefighters to evacuate
the building when conditions rapidly
deteriorated, causing a sudden collapse of
the second floor. Of the four-person crew,
three were able to escape through windows
and using ladders at other egress points. A
31-year-old firefighter was caught directly
under the collapse and was unable to
escape. A mayday was transmitted, and a
third alarm was requested, bringing the
total number of firefighters on scene to
more than 130. The trapped firefighter was
subsequently removed from the building
but died from his injuries.
According to the medical examiner,
the cause of death was listed as smoke
inhalation. The cause of the fire remains
under investigation.
Chief dies after fall in station
At approximately 6:30 p.m., a 54-yearold
fire chief was using a hydraulic lift
while performing routine cleaning and
station maintenance. The chief was working
on the elevated lift close to one of
the station's bay doors when the door
was inadvertently opened, striking the
lift and causing the chief to fall approximately
25 feet to the floor below.
He was immediately treated for his
injuries and transported to the hospital
by other on-scene members of the department.
He died from blunt-force trauma
one day later.
Lieutenant killed when struck
by tractor-trailer
At approximately 3 p.m., fire and EMS
units were dispatched to a motor vehicle
accident with injuries. Road conditions
were reported to be wet on the two-lane
highway. Crews extricated and treated
the vehicle occupants.
After the incident was mitigated and
the injured civilians were transported to
the hospital, the engine company and
sheriff's deputy remained on scene to
complete administrative duties.
As the incident was concluding, a semitruck
struck the rear of the engine that
was positioned to protect the scene. The
tractor trailer then veered off to the right,
striking the original accident vehicle and
a sheriff's deputy. The truck then rolled
over and came to rest on its side, trapping
a 35-year-old fire lieutenant underneath.
Additional emergency units were brought
to the scene to tend to the injured sheriff's
deputy and to extricate the fire lieutenant
from under the cab of the truck.
Once the fire lieutenant was extricated,
it was determined he had died from his
injuries. He was pronounced deceased at
the scene by the medical examiner.
Two firefighters killed when
apparatus struck by truck
A 43-year-old fire captain and a 69-yearold
firefighter were responding to a
motor vehicle accident scene shortly
after midnight when the fire apparatus
they were riding in was struck by a semitractor-trailer
truck.
The fire apparatus, a 2,000-gallon
water tender, was attempting to turn into
an emergency crossover from a four-lane
highway when it was struck by the semitruck
traveling in the same direction. The
collision caused the tender to roll and subsequently
catch fire. The tender had all of
its emergency lights activated at the time of
the crash. The captain and firefighter both
died of thermal and traumatic injuries. The
driver of the semi-truck was uninjured.
Helicopter crash kills fire
lieutenant and three crew
At approximately 2 p.m., a helicopter left
from its home base to respond to a wildfire
and assist with bucket drops and other
aerial support for fire crews on the ground.
The flight crew consisted of a pilot, two
tactical observers, and a 44-year-old career
fire lieutenant who was serving as a rescue
specialist. After performing approximately
20 bucket drops, the crew returned to the
staging airport to refuel. The missions for
the day were complete, and the aircraft left
the staging area at approximately 6:40 p.m.
to return to its home base.
At about 7:20 p.m., automatic dependent
surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) data
indicated the craft was traveling west;
it crashed shortly afterward. Witnesses
reported seeing the helicopter rapidly
descending without making any turns
and described seeing a large cloud of dust
above the suspected crash site.
Police dispatch received reports of a
downed aircraft in the area. While en
route to the site, dispatch reported one
of the occupants of the helicopter was on
the phone providing the location of the
crash. The caller stopped responding just
prior to the arrival of the first officers. It
was later determined that the fire lieutenant
was able to call 911 and provide
information regarding the crash site.
The initial responders attempted
to provide life-saving measures but
determined all four occupants had succumbed
to their injuries. It was reported
that the lieutenant died from blunt-force
trauma caused by the helicopter falling
greater than 500 feet. The crash remains
under investigation.
Firefighter dies of apparent heart
attack at structure fire
Just after 1 a.m., the fire department was
dispatched to a reported fire at a threestory,
wood-frame multifamily structure.
Arriving companies were met with heavy
black smoke and fire in the rear of the
building. The fire had already extended
into the attic space of the large structure.
As crews were attacking the fire, a
46-year-old firefighter who was assigned
as the apparatus operator and was outside
the building suddenly became ill.
The firefighter was able to transmit his
own mayday to alert the firefighters still
battling the two-alarm blaze of his condition.
Firefighters on scene immediately
found the firefighter unresponsive and
began life-saving measures, including
CPR and defibrillation. The firefighter
was transported to the hospital where he
died a short time later from an apparent
heart attack.
-J.T.P.
NFPA.ORG/FIREFIGHTERFATALITIES
Read the complete report on
firefighter fatalities in the United
States in 2022.
http://www.NFPA.ORG/FIREFIGHTERFATALITIES
NFPA Journal - Fall 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - Fall 2023
