MOUNT MARION, N.Y. — Two New York departments have been issued 14 violations regarding the 2015 on-duty death of a volunteer firefighter.
Mount Marion Fire Lt. Jack Rose, 19, was killed while battling a house fire Dec. 19, 2015. Rose’s department responded to the call under a mutual aid agreement with the Centerville Fire Department.
The Public Employee Safety and Health Bureau issued the violations in May, but the Times Herald-Record recently obtained the reports via a request under the Freedom of Information Law.
The reports link Rose’s use of another firefighter’s SCBA and failure to maintain contact with firefighters inside and outside the house as two possible factors leading to his death.
The report stated that Rose used SCBA gear from another department’s truck, which he had not been fitted for or trained to use.
The PESH report also stated that although it is unclear why he got separated from other firefighters, “due to the presence of thick smoke and high-temperature conditions, it is believed that Lt. Rose became disorientated as to his position relative to the exit door.”
The department’s report stated that Rose did not inform the firefighters he was with in the basement that he was leaving; and no one kept track of him thereafter.
Safety and health officials issued eight violations to the Mount Marion Fire Department, and six to the Centerville Fire Department.
Both departments are expected to correct the violations, and failure to do so could result in fines of up to $200 a day per violation.