The Associated Press
BALTIMORE — A state agency has cited the Baltimore fire department for intentionally violating regulations during a training exercise that killed a fire cadet.
Racheal Wilson died Feb. 9 after she was trapped in a rowhouse that had been set on fire as part of a training exercise.
After a five-month probe, Maryland’s Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation charged the fire department on Tuesday with 33 safety violations. It also said two fire commanders were responsible for the poor planning and execution of the fire that killed Wilson and injured two others.
The report blamed some of the violations on the burn’s safety officer and its instructor in charge. The fire department had previously said the two were Battalion Chief Kenneth Hyde Sr., who has been fired, and Lt. Joseph Crest, who was suspended and could be fired.
The charging document, obtained by The (Baltimore) Sun, said all 33 violations created “a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result.” Of those, 17 were deemed “intentional and knowing” violations.
Eight separate fires were set by three people in the rowhouse, the document said. National standards allow only one fire set by one person. It also said firefighters and trainees did not have proper safety equipment while fighting the fire.
The fire department must submit a written response by Monday showing how it will correct the violations.
Fire Chief William J. Goodwin Jr.'s spokesman, Rick Binetti, said the department has already taken steps to fix the safety issues and no longer stages fires outside academy grounds.