r/Firefighting • u/The_Road_is_Calling NH FF • Nov 25 '24

News Ohio fire department confronted about response to double fatal fire

https://chroniclet.com/news/411559/wakeman-fire-board-meeting-ends-in-shouting-match-over-fatal-fire/
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u/UCLABruin07 Nov 25 '24

Let it be known to all firefighters…. If there is a victim that is screaming for help on the phone, can be heard on scene, you get you ass in that building and get them. Without a hose line if you can get one charged and advancing in the time it takes you to finish a 360. You get on the radio and say confirmed rescue, start an ambulance and a second alarm. Then you get your ass in there. Unless you don’t have training. In that case DEMAND from your department that they get you trained. That is the main reason we’re here in this job, life safety.

No debate, no argument, get your ass to those victims or live with the fact you didn’t forever.

5

u/Big_River_Wet Nov 25 '24

Not sure while you’re being downvoted. 100% accurate. A career department I used to work for had a fire with a rescue. We never trained on search. Never assigned search. Hadn’t had a rescue or fatal fire in over 50 years before this fire.

The person was heard screaming by the 911 caller and first arriving officers. Never initiated a search because of heavy fire involvement. About 15 minutes into the fire, the victim was found deceased right behind the front door. Absolutely atrocious. I wasn’t on the fire, but I was embarrassed. A bunch of high fives and everyone went home, chocked it up to the person was already dead when they arrived.

I spent years working on reforming our search and rescue techniques and protocols. It all got brushed off by our admin and training chief. After I wrote several papers with hard facts about search, rescue, and survival, the very next “search” training we did was in a wide open bay, lights on, with a dummy. The exact same training we did once a year every year. The training chief proceeded to say if there was any smoke in the structure, the person was dead, and there was no point in searching.

Fuck that place. I left it with no regrets. Total embarrassment.

3

u/UCLABruin07 Nov 25 '24

Apparently they all want the job for the clout but not for what we’re really here to do.