TARRYTOWN, N.Y — A N.Y. volunteer firefighter died because of unrecognized hazards involved with a confined space rescue, according to a NIOSH report.
A lack of standard operating procedures and an ineffective incident-management system for confined space technical rescue operations also contributed to the death of Tarrytown Firefighter John Kelly, 51, in Sept. 2010.
Firefighter Kelly died after being overcome by low oxygen and sewer gases while attempting to rescue a utility worker from a sewer manhole near the firehouse. The Department of Public Works employee also died.
On Sept. 6, village public works was notified of a sewer backup at the firehouse. A DPW worker entered a manhole, and firefighters soon found him lying at the bottom of the pipe.
Firefighter Kelly went to his pickup truck, put his boots on, and entered the manhole in civilian clothing with no PPE or SCBA, unbeknownst to his chief. He made it halfway down the access ladder and then fell to the bottom, according to the report.
Firefighters pulled both victims from the manhole and started CPR and emergency medical care. They were transported to the hospital, where they were pronounced dead from asphyxia due to low oxygen and exposure to sewer gases.
The resulting NIOSH report released Monday recommended that firefighters be properly trained and equipped to recognize the hazards of and to participate in a confined space technical rescue incident. Recognizing confined spaces in any occupation is the first step in preventing deaths, the report said, but operations and technician levels of training are ideal for public service employees.
NIOSH also recommended standard operating procedures regarding technical rescue capabilities and risk-benefit analyses to protect the safety of all responders.
“The incident escalated from assisting the public utility crews by moving apparatus to witnessing one of the workers become unconscious and fall inside the sewer,” the report said.
Once confined spaces are recognized and procedures for them are standardized, fire departments should also ensure that an effective incident management system is in place to support technical rescue confined space operations. A more organized and informed response to the emergency would have prevented a rescuer from becoming a victim, the report said.
NIOSH’s final recommendation to fire departments is to have a safety officer properly trained in the technical rescue field being performed on scene and integrated into the command structure.
“A fire department safety officer qualified in confined space rescue could have provided the incident commander with information that could have minimized the threat to other emergency personnel assisting in the operation,” the report said.