By Ken Robinson
FireRescue1 Staff
ATLANTA, Ga. — Fire departments, municipalities and organizations like NFPA that set standards should consider developing and implementing a system for identifying and marking unoccupied, vacant or abandoned structures to improve firefighter safety, a NIOSH report recommends.
The firefighter fatality report was released Monday almost three years after a firefighter from Atlanta, Georgia, was fatally injured during a fire in an abandoned house, prompting the NIOSH investigation.
Firefighter Steven Solomon had been working the interior of the structure when a flashover or flameover occurred, leaving him disoriented and in need of rescue.
After spending several days in critical condition at a trauma center, he succumbed to his injuries.
According to the report, structural hazards may be present at abandoned buildings if owners or salvage workers remove parts of the building such as doors, railings, windows, electrical wiring and piping.
"Hazards should be identified and warning placards affixed to entrance doorways or other openings to warn fire fighters of the potential dangers," the report said.
The report provides an example of a 12-square-inch warning placard made of reflective material that glows in the dark and a marking system used by FDNY to warn firefighters of potential hazards.
Other dangers highlighted include flammable or hazardous abandoned materials and collapse hazards like chimney tops and parapet walls.
The report also outlines key contributing factors to the death such as failure to conduct initial size-up, no recognition of signs indicating an impending flashover or flameover as firefighters entered the structure, inadequate fireground communication, and possible acceleration of fire progression due to ventilation.
In conclusion, NIOSH investigators recommend fire departments minimize similar risks by:
• Conducting initial size-up of the scene before beginning interior firefighting operations.
• Ensuring that the first arriving company officer does not become involved in firefighting efforts when assuming the role of incident commander.
• Establishing and positioning a Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) with a backup hoseline prior to initiating an interior attack.
• Closely coordinating ventilation with interior fire suppression operations.
• Maintaining crew integrity and accountability during fire suppression operations.
• Equipping all firefighters with a radio and training them on how to initiate emergency traffic.
• Training firefighters to recognize clues of an impending flashover or flameover and communicating fire conditions to the incident commander as soon as possible.
• Training firefighters on actions to take if they are trapped or disoriented inside a burning structure.
• Adequately training firefighters serving as acting officers.
