By FireRescue1 Staff
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TEAGUE, Texas — Failures to conduct a full 360-degree size-up and recognize potential collapse hazards were contributing factors in the death of a Texas fire chief, according to a NIOSH report.
Chief Robert Knight, 42, of the Teague Volunteer Fire Department, was responding to a commercial structure fire when the brick parapet wall at the front of the structure collapsed on top of him, buying him under the debris.
Among the key contributing factors that lead to the death identified in the NIOSH report are:
- The failure to conduct a full 360-degree size-up of the incident site
- The failure to recognize potential collapse hazards
- Inadequate staffing to effectively and safely respond to a structure fire
- Inadequate fireground communications
- As a result of the investigation, NIOSH recommends incident commanders evaluate incident scenes completely, including for potential structural collapse and continue to monitor the situation.
If there is a potential for collapse, firefighters should then establish and monitor collapse zones, the report said. Investigators also suggest the incident commander should not become involved in firefighting efforts. In addition, the report suggests every firefighter at incident sites has a portable radio with sufficient tactical frequencies to communicate and coordinate tactical operations.
The investigation found Chief Knight was carrying a portable radio at the time of the wall collapse, but other firefighters at the scene did not have portable radios.