By FireRescue1 Staff
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PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. — Excessive wind and weather should be taken into account in structural firefighting just as in wildland firefighting, according to a NIOSH fatality report.
Firefighter Kyle Wilson, 24, of the Prince William County Fire Department, died in April last year while searching for the residents of a burning home. Fellow firefighters began a search for him after they lost contact, but had to withdraw when the structure began to collapse.
According to the NIOSH report, Firefighter Wilson and his lieutenant were searching the master bedroom when strong winds caused the fire to shift unexpectedly. The lieutenant exited and attempted to signal Wilson unsuccessfully.
The report reminds incident commanders that firefighters may forget Mayday protocols and other survival skills as they leave basic training behind. These skills should be reinforced and reinforced in SOPs and SOGs, the report said.
In particular, it emphasizes the need for search and rescue operations to advance with a hoseline or behind a crew with a hoseline. Firefighter Wilson’s department's SOGs allowed him to advance for search as long as he was within sight of a crew with a hoseline. But rapidly changing conditions prevented him from being able to follow the hoseline to safety.
More generally, fire departments should ensure proper staffing at all incidents, according to the report. They should also ensure that water supplies are established before entering a structure fire. In the April 16, 2007 incident, low water pressure delayed the entry of an attack line and hoseline into the structure.
