Union College Fire Safety

June 25, 2006 - LODD
Deputy Chief Steven Smith, 34
Wea Township Community Fire Department. Tippecanoe County, Indiana
Deputy Chief Smith and the members of his fire department were dispatched to a report of a structure fire. Lightning struck a house and ignited a fire in the basement. Deputy Chief Smith was the first firefighter on the scene of the incident and found a working fire. Wearing full structural firefighting protective clothing and an SCBA, Deputy Chief Smith and another firefighter entered the structure and found the floor to be spongy. Deputy Chief Smith ordered the other firefighter to apply water to the basement through a side window. Deputy Chief Smith advanced an attack line through the front door of the residence. Immediately upon re-entering the structure, Deputy Chief Smith fell into the basement through a fire-weakened floor. Other firefighters arriving on the scene found the attack line leading into the basement. Deputy Chief Smith called to firefighters from the basement and told them that he was trapped and in need of rescue. Firefighters attempted to enter the basement through the hole utilizing a ground ladder, but were unable to make access. The homeowner directed firefighters to the basement stairway and 2 firefighters entered the basement to search for Deputy Chief Smith. Firefighters followed the sound of Deputy Chief Smith's PASS device and located him; he was unconscious and his facepiece was not in place. Firefighters began to drag Deputy Chief Smith toward the stairs. Deputy Chief Smith became entangled in debris and firefighters attempted to remove his SCBA and provide air from their SCBA's. Deputy Chief Smith was removed from the building and transported to the hospital by ambulance. He was pronounced dead after his arrival. The cause of death was listed as smoke inhalation. At autopsy, Deputy Chief Smith's carboxyhemoglobin level was 57 percent. The flooring system that collapsed was an engineered product consisting of solid wood top and bottom plates and a chipboard web. This type of truss has been involved in several firefighter fatalities. The Wea Township Fire Department was cited by the Indiana Department of Labor for 5 serious violations of standards including facepiece fit testing, lack of medical evaluations for firefighters, and two-in/two-out protocols.