DENISON, Texas — A NIOSH report on the death of a Texas firefighter last year urges firefighters to be aware of the potential dangers of building awnings.
Phillip Townsend, 31, from Denison Fire Department, died and his chief, Gordan Weger, was injured when they were struck and pinned by a collapsing awning in December.
The incident happened while they were hosing down hot spots at a shopping center fire.
The NIOSH report into the incident recommends that firefighters recognize the dangers of operating underneath or near overhanging awnings, porches and other areas susceptible to collapse.
It also recommends that fire departments should:
Establish and monitor a collapse zone for structures that have become unstable due to fire damage train all fire fighting personnel in the risks and hazards related to structural collapse Conduct pre-incident planning and inspections of buildings within their jurisdictions to facilitate development of safe fire ground strategies and tactics Ensure that adequate numbers of staff are available to immediately respond to emergency incidents Ensure that a separate Incident Safety Officer, independent from the Incident Commander, is appointed at each structural fire Ensure that the Incident Commander maintains the role of director of fireground operations and does not become involved in fire fighting efforts Ensure that switching from offensive to defensive operations are coordinated and communicated to everyone on the fireground Ensure that fire fighters wear a full array of turnout clothing and personal protective equipment (i.e. SCBA and PASS device) appropriate for the assigned task while participating in fire suppression and overhaul activities.
