Group joins union, family in reacting to MSNBC report on investigations
By Bill Dedman
MSNBC.com
America’s fire chiefs joined with the firefighters union on Wednesday in calling for more vigorous investigations of firefighter fatalities.
Responding to a special report on MSNBC.com this week, a leader of the International Association of Fire Chiefs said the federal government should no longer delay sending its investigators to every firefighter fatality, and should improve the depth of its inquiries. In addition, the family of one firefighter who died, as well as a leading advocate of firefighter safety, said they want to see more done to look into firefighter fatalities.
MSNBC.com reported Monday and Tuesday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which Congress tasked with investigating firefighter deaths, blocked its expert’s inquiries into potential problems with firefighter equipment; usually takes more than a month to send investigators to the scene of a fatality; doesn’t investigate if the fire union or fire department refuses to cooperate; has cut back in the past three years on the share of firefighter deaths it looks into; and destroys information that could help identify patterns of problems with safety equipment, training or tactics.
Full Story: Fire chiefs call for action on firefighter deaths