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DIVISION OF SAFETY SAFETY

OPERATING BATTALION

INVESTIGATIVE REPORT FATAL FIRE AT

79 WORTH STREET, MANHATTAN June 5, 1994 Case No. 35/94

VOWME I

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SUMMARY

On June 5th , 1994 a t the 1819 hours , th e New York c i t yFi re Department Bureau of Communications fo r th e borougho f Manhattan rece ived a E.R.S. ( Emergency Repor t ings y s t e m ) alarm from an unident i f i ed male c a l l e r , repor t inga f i r e in th e lobby o f a commercial bui ld ing a t 79 Worthst.

Units of the P.D.N.Y. were dispatched to the loca t ionand found mul t ip le f i r e s with in the bu i ld ing . On th e f i r s tf l o o r main ent rance h a l l there was tw o separa te f i r e s , onewas in some rubbish and the o the r was in some c lo th ing ando t h e r mater ia l s . These two separa te f i r e s wereext ingui shed by the opera t ing spr ink le r system and thefirst a r r i v ing Fi re Department members.

The f i r e f igh t ing forces then d i scovered seve ra l f i r e son the four th f loor , which required the use of two handl i ne s and th e c h a r ~ i n g of th e spr ink le r system toext ingui sh those f l r e s . During the process of t aking upfrom the fourth f loor , f i r e was discovered in thes u b - c e l l a r area o f th e commercial bu i ld ing . It was in thecour se o f th e ext ingui shment of the s ub - ce l l a r f i r e , t h a tLieu tenan t George W. Lener in command o f Ladder Co. 6sus ta ined f a t a l i n ju r i e s .Lieutenant Lener was found unconscious , f loa t ing facedown in approximate ly eleven inches of water , in the r ea rof t he s ub - ce l l a r . He was removed from the f i r e bui ldingto th e r ea r yard , where cardiopulmonary r e s us c i t a t i on wasi n i t i a t e d . He was t r anspor t ed to Downtown Beekman hos p i t a lby Emergency Medical Service personnel where he was

i n i t i a l l y t r ea t ed . Lieutenant Lener was l a t e r t r ans fe r redto Jacobi Hospi ta l i n t he Bronx where he was t r ea t edwi th in the hyperbar ic chamber. He remained a t Jacobih o s p i t a l u n d e r ~ o i n g l i f e sus t a in ing t rea tment u n t i l hesuccumbed to hlS f a t a l i n j u r i e s on Ju ly 20, 1994.

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FINDINGS:On the evening of June 5th , 1994 a t 1819 hours a f i r ein th e lobby of 79 Worth s t . Manhat tan was reported to theManhat tan Bureau of Communications o f f i c e by an EmergencyRepor t ing System ca l l e r . un i t s were dispatched to the

scene and the f i r s t a r r iv ing u n i t , Ladder Co. 8t r a ns m i t t e d a 10-75 fo r th e f i r e .The un i t forced entry and d iscovered t h a t they had twos epa r a t e f i r e s on the f i r s t f l o o r of th e main hal lway. Afew s p r i nk l e r heads had fused and they conta ined th e f i r e .A l i ne from Engine Co. 7 was s t r e t ched to th e ent rancedoor , bu t not used. The Off i c e r o f Ladder Co. B se n t oneo f h i s members to the c e l l a r to s hu t down the s p r i nk l e rsys tem. The member proceeded to the s p r ink l e r contro l roomloca ted in the c e l l a r and shu t down th e water supply toth e system.As members were checking th e upper f loors of th e

bu i l d i ng , they discovered a f i r e on th e four th f loor .C i v i l i a n s with in the bu i ld ing , almos t s imul taneous ly ,n o t i f i e d other members t ha t t he r e was a f i r e on the four thf l oo r . The f i re on the four th f l o o r required thes t r e t c h i n g of two hand l i ne s , and th e charging of th es p r i n k l e r system by Eng. Co. 7 to con ta in and ext inguisht he f i r e . A ll Hands was t r a ns m i t t e d , and addi t ional un i t swere spec ia l ca l led to th e scene .The f i r e was knocked down and t he s p r i nk l e r l i ne beingsuppl i ed by Engine Co. 7, was s h u t down. The upper f loorswere searched and examined for ex tens ion , and the f i r e onth e four th f loors was ex t ingu i shed . The f i r e was now int h e overhaul ing s tage and under con t r o l . Units weres t a r t i n g to take up the l i ne s and th e r e s t of the bui ld ingwas be ing checked.Two members from Ladder Co. 8 descended to the c e l l a r

t o - - s h u t G G w n - t h e - s p r . i . n k l ~ r : - -s,stem. T h ~ - shu t down two o t h e r va lves on the system and were eXl t ing the c e l l a r ,when t he r not iced some smoke coming from the s l ib -ce l la r .They not l f i ed Divis ion 1 and th e o f f i c e r o f Ladder Co. 10o f th e condi t ions in the sub -ce l l a r . Ladder 10 wasd i rec ted to search the s ub - ce l l a r fo r f i r e . Rescue Co. 1was di rec t ed to re turn to th e bu i l d i ng and Ladder Co. 6was spec ia l cal led to the f i r e .The of f i ce r of Ladder 10 and h is u n i t descend to thesub -ce l l a r s t r e tch ing a search l i ne from th e f i r s t f loordown. There was heavy smoke and no he a t in the s l ib -ce l la ra r e a . Using t h e i r search l i ne they f ee l t h e i r way aroundth e f ron t area of the c e l l a r when some of the members low

air warning devices sound. The o f f i c e r e x i t s thes u b - c e l l a r area with h is u n i t to change cy l inde r s .Page 62

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Rescue Co. 1 and Ladder Co. 6 a r r i ve a t th e scenea lmos t toge ther . The Rescue u n i t i s ass igned to loca te th ef i r e in the s ub-c e l l a r and Ladder 6 i s ordered to s tandf a s t . The Rescue Co. , with a search l ine and t h e i r thermalimaging camera, descend t o the s ub-c e l l a r , and begin tosearch for the f i r e . The Divis ion order s t he sp r ink le rsystem to be recharged and an add i t iona l l ine hooked up toit. Bat ta l ion 1 i s a l so in th e c e l l a r along with theo f f i c e r o f Engine Co. 10.

Rescue Co.1 l oc a t e s th e f i r e in th e r e a r o f th esub-ce l l a r in the sub-ce l l a r ce i l i ng and th e Off ice rn o t i f i e s the Divis ion . Divis ion 1 t ransmi t s a second alarmfo r th e f i r e and o rd e r s Ladder 6 to th e sub-ce l la r , towork with Rescue 1 and Bat ta l ion 1 . The s p r ink l e r s areopera t ing through some 29 fused heads in the su b -c e l l a r ,and they cool th e smoke and c re a t e s team. The f i r e i s notbeing ext inguished by th e s p r ink l e r system as the headsa re most ly s tandard u p r i g h t s . The f i r e i s burn ing in thebas o f the s ub-c e l l a r ce i l i ng beams, above th e t ince11 ing , and out o f t he e f f e c t ive reach o f t he sp r ink le rsd ischarge .

The Rescue Co. o f f i c e r has two o f h is men go th e r e a ro f th e bui ld ing on th e e x t e r i o r to open the i ron sh u t t e r s .The two rescue members a re jo ined by some members ofLadder Co. 1, they a l so opera te on th e i ron sh u t t e r s . Theopening of the rea r s h u t t e r s to ven t i l a t e th e sub-ce l l a ri s extremely d i f f i c u l t and r equ i res the use o f power saws.The smoke cond i t ion on t he f loo r i s still heavy.Lieutenant Lener and h is u n i t a re fol lowing the searchl i ne in to th e s u b - c e l l a r . The a re equipped with 30 minuteS.C.B.A. cyl inders and they search the f ron t o f the

s ub-c e l l a r . They e n t e r th e o i l burner room and then work t h e i r way back to th e r e a r . The chauffeur o f Ladder Co. 6 v i b ra a l e r t goes o f f and he ex i t s fo r another cyl inder . L ieutenant Lener and th e o t h e r th ree members work t he i r way to the r ea r . The v i s i b i l i t y i s a little be t t e r in the r e a r , as one o r two o f t he shu t t e red windows have been opened, and Ladder 6 s t a r t s to p u l l c e i l i ngs . Lieutenant Lener t e l l s h is members t h a t if they g e t in t roub le , the window to ge t out i s r i g h t t h e re . He phys ica l ly shows a t l e a s t one member where th e windows a re . Division 1 has ordered Engine 10 to th e sub-ce l l a ra rea -v ia th e i n t e r io r ' s t a i r s , they a-re-helped by En9ine7 's members who a re sp read ou t on th e s ta i rway feed1ng thel i ne down. Engine Co. 55 i s d i rec ted to s t r e t ch a l i nedown to the s ub-c e l l a r to t he rea r . They s t r e t ch t he i rl i ne down the main i n t e r i o r s ta i rway to th e c e l l a r l eve land o ut to the back o f th e c e l l a r to th e r e a r f i re escape.

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The Divis ion ordered fans to be used as smoke e j e c to r s , bep laced in operat ion a t th e f ron t f r e igh t e l e v a t o r sha f t ,to he lp ve n t i l a t e th e s ub-c e l l a r .Bat ta l ion 4 i s opera t ing on th e c e l l a r l e v e l andd i r e c t s Eng. Co. 55 to th e r e a r . He a l so opera tes withLadder Co. 10 who i s s t a r t i ng to cu t the f loor ing in th e

r e a r o f th e ce l l a r l eve l close to exposure four s ide ofth e bu i ld ing . Engine 24 s t r e t ches a l i ne to the c e l l a rl e v e l and works with Ladder Co. 10.Two members o f Engine Co. 10 run lo w on t h e i r a i rsupp ly and they l eave to change t h e i r c y l i n d e r s . Theyl eave th e sub-ce l l a r without no t i fy ing t h e i r o f f i c e r . Sawsa re being used to c u t th e f loor ing o f th e c e l l a r to ventt he s ubc e l l a r and saws are also being used to vent ther e a r i ron shu t t e rs . The noise of -the saws, s ~ r i n k l e r s , hose l i nes and noise common in f i r e f i gh t i ng 1 S extremelyloud and d i so r i en t ing .Members of Ladder 6 opera t ing in th e s ub-c e l l a r have

run o u t o f a i r and go out the r ea r windows in to th e rea ry a r d . They go in and out of th e s ub-c e l l a r t o pu l lc e i l i n g s . The smoke i s very heavy and they c a n ' t s t ay invery l ong . Engine 10 has th e l ine in the r e a r and i sopera t ing on the ce i l ing f i r e as th e t ruck pu l l s th ec e i l i n g . The members of Ladder 6 who are out of a i r decideto g e t f resh cy l inder s and go to th e f ron t of th e f i rebu i ld ing fo r fu l l cy l inders . Lieutenant Lener did note x i t th e ce l l a r with h is members and remained o ~ e r a t i n g int he s ub-c e l l a r . There is still l imi ted ven t i l a t l on in thesub c e l l a r . only two windows can be opened fu l ly and thet h i rd j u s t par t l a l l y .Engine 10 moves t he i r l i ne ou t to the r ea r windows andd i r e c t t h e i r stream inward toward th e f ro n t of th es u b - c e l l a r and up in to th e ce i l i ng bays .Lieutenant Lener becomes d i so r i en ted and t r ansmi t s a

MAYuDAY fo r bel p. Members-=_who hear the t ransmi ssioDuhearmany messages t ha t run from ( I am out of a i r ) , ( I aml o s t and don ' t know where I am ) , ( I am by th e f i r e andburn ing) , ( I am in the s ub-c e l l a r ) , (oI am in th es t a i r w a y ) . Members hearing th e MAY DAY t r y t o loca tewhere he i s and begin searching the bu i ld in9 . The noisel e v e l from saws, genera tors and opera t ions 1S high. Itadds to th e d i f f i cu l t y of l oca t ing th e member and h isi d e n t i t y .Car 9 - A is on the scene and t r ansmi t s an add i t iona lalarm fo r the f i r e . J us t as the May Day i s heard a t th i st ime . The 7 th Bat ta l ion t ransmi t s a 4th alarm for thef i r e .

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Division 1 t akes over the ha nd ie - t a lk i e frequency andt r i e s to loca te the member in t r oub le and t r i e s to havehim ident i fy himse l f . He d i r e c t s Ladder Co. 15 the FASTt r uc k , to search sub-ce l l a r . They go down to the subc e l l a r l ev e l and work t h e i r way to th e r e a r . Vi s i b i l i t y i sstill poor and the Of f ice r removes h is mask momentarilyand He immedi-ately fee l the e f f e c t o f carbon monoxide. Herep laces h i s mask and caut ions h is Company no t to removet h e i r masks.

The 4 th Ba t ta l ion i s operat ing in th e sub-ce l l a rs t a i r s and th e c e l l a r f loor . He f inds a d iso r ien ted f i ref i gh t e r , s tumbling around the c e l l a r . He t ak e s him out o fth e bui ld ing to th e s t r ee t , and then Bat ta l ion 4 re tu rnsto th e c e l l a r . ( The member i s a d e t a i l e d member lookingfo r h is de t a i l un i t . )Eng. C o ~ 55 had s t re tched a l i n e through the c e l l a rf l oo r and ou t to th e r e a r f i r e escape . While on the c e l l a rl e ve l th e Off ice r o f Eng. Co. 55 heard o f a MAY DAY. Hehas h is u n i t s t r e t ch down th e r e a r to th e su b -c e l l a r l e v e land they d i rec t t h e i r stream th rough th e a window on toth e f i r e which was located in th e ce i l i ng j o i s t s in th er e a r of the sub-ce l l a r . Once th e f i r e i s darkened downth e o f f i c e r moves in to th e s ub-c e l l a r l e v e l to see i f hecan br ing h is l i ne in and g e t th e r e s t o f th e f i r e .Some members opera t ing in th e r e a r yard had heard th emember was found and the MAY DAY was cance led .As th e Off ice r of E n ~ i n e 55 moves in on th e sub-ce l l a rf l oo r he sees a l i g h t sh1nning th rough th e water , he

reaches down fo r th e l i g h t and f1nds Lieutenant Lenerf l oa t ing face down in about a foo t o f water . He gives aMAY DAY and then ca l l s fo r help . He has a d i f f i c u l t t imet r y ing to hold th e unconscious Lieu tenan t o u t of thewa te r . As he i s yel l ing fo r he lp , o t h e r members zero in onh im a n d _ h e ~ p __him-XelllOve' th e member o u t to-tlle--rear.

S.A. Deputy Chief of the 3rd Divi s ion a r r i v e s a t the r e a r to assume command o f exposure 3 , and he hears a MAY DAY. He d i r e c t s th e searches going on in t he rea r and c a l l s fo r medical as s i s tance .

Once Lieutenant Lener i s o u t in th e r e a r yard which i sve ry narrow and l i t t -e red-wi th rubbish and o t h e robs t ruc t ions , th e members begin to admin is te r f i r s t a id tohim. His mask i s removed and th e O ff i c e r o f Rescue Co. 1noted t h a t it was the number 4 mask and t h a t the cy l indergauge indica ted it was empty.

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There was some d i f f i cu l ty in determining who th e memberwas i n i t i a l l y and i f any o ther members were a l so missing.A r o l l c a l l was i n i t i a t e d and the s ub-c e l l a r thoroughlysea rched . The in jured member was removed through ana d j o i n i n g bui ld ing to the f ron t and was t r a n sp o r t e d toDowntown Hospi ta l for t rea tment .The mul t ip le f i r e s within the bu i ld ing a re arsonr e l a t e d and the automatic alarm system had been sabotagedpreven t ing e a r l i e r de tec t ion . An a l leged p e r p e t r a t o r hasbeen a r r e s t e d and charged with the cr1me.

A f t e r conduct ing many in te rv iews , reviewing evidence andan a ly z in g opera t ions severa l i tems o f concern were noted.They a re as fol lows:(1) The Personal Alarm Safe ty System device o f member was func t iona l bu t not on. (2) Two SCBA face pieces were found f loa t ing in the water a t th e s ub-c e l l a r l evel (3) A p la s t i c SCBA adapte r Cheater was found f loa t ing in th e wate r in the sub -ce l la r . (4) Severa l o f the in te rv iews indica ted t h a t the re were many members in the c e l l a r and sub-ce l l a r areas without t h e i r SCBA being used c or r e c t ly . Some members opera ted w i th o u t t h e i r face pieces on, some took h i t s from t h e i r f ace p ieces and evident ly some were us ing chea te rs . (5) Members were not leaving th e contaminated area when t h e i r masks ran low. Many continued to s tay and work wi thou t the p ro tec t ion of th e SCBA. (6) Some members l e f t the area when t he i r a i r supply ran low and d id not no t i fy ~ h e i r of f i c e r . (7) Severa l members ind iv idual ly repor t ing to th e scene d id n o t r e por t in to th e command pos t . Members went to f ind d e t a i l uni t s within the f i r e bu i ld ing . This ac t ion places members in se r ious jeopardy_ (8) There was a high l eve l o f noise during th e MAY DAY c a l l s . They m a y ~ _ h a v e s ign i f i c a n t ly i n t e r f e r e d with the rescue e f f o r t s . (9) There was a cancel la t ion o f the MAY DAY by members int h e r e a r , and it may have been pre-mature andunau thor ized .

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(10)There was some confus ion because of d i f f e r e n tt e rminology . ( Basement, c e l l a r , sub- basement,sub-ce l l a r ) .(11)During th e member in te rv iews , some members commentedon th e l eve l o f Carbon Monoxide in the s ub-c e l l a r l evel ,and th e e f f e c t s t ha t it had upon them. Blood gases takenon L t. Lener ind ica ted a Carbon Monoxide l eve l o f 41 %t aken a t th e N.V Downtown hos p i t a l and according tocap ta in Fago o f Eng. Co. 7 he had a Carbon Monoxide l eve lo f 25 % when h is blood gas was taken. This was ind ica t iveto th e high l eve l s of CO. in th e s ub-c e l l a r .(12) Two members being in te rv iewed s ta ted t h a t they hadbecome entangled with some unknown ob jec t s in th esub-ce l l a r during th e ext inguishment operat ions and thet r a i n i ng of the mask conf idence course a t th e Division ofTra in ing helped them g e t o u t o f a precar ious s i t ua t ion

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CAUSESDIRECTMember ope ra t ing in below grade a rea ( subce l la r ) in ana tmosphere con ta in ing smoke, high concen t ra t ions o fcarbon -monoxi-de and t-oxic products o f combust ion.Lack o f compl iance , by member, with some prov i s ions ofAUC 220, S e l f Contained Breathing Appara tus Pol icy .PASS dev ice no t p roper ly u t i l i z e d by member.INDIRECTFlooded cond i t ion in s u b ce l l a r a rea (depth o f water 10" to 11") Ine f f e c t ive ope ra t ion o f s p r in k l e r heads in s u b ce l l a r , due to l o ca t i o n o f f i r e above th e heads .L imi ted ve n t i l a t i on a t subce l la r l e v e l due to i rons h u t t e r s and rubb i sh in r ea r yard .Arson r e l a t e d f i r e . Severa l sepa ra t e f i r e s on var iousf l o o r s .Size and conf igura t ion o f subce l la rTampering with automatic alarm system negated ear lydi scove ry o f f i r e . Premature shu t down o f e n t i r e sp r ink le r system. Bui ld ing cons t ruc t ion - prev ious f i r e damage r e p a i r E x t e r i o r ~ o p e - r a t i - o n . - O - f .nand - I ~ i - n Q s - - i n t o - s u b = c e l l - a r ar--e.awhile i n t e r i o r opera t ions were ongoing .EARLY May Day procedures Terminology . Communicat ions problems - noise l e ve l s .

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RECOMMENDATIONS1 . PERSONAL ALERT SAFETY SYSTEM1 .1 Persona l Aler t Safety System dev ices t h a t presen t lyare in s e rv i c e a re not being used to the e x t e n t t h a t wasin tended . The presen t device l eaves much to be des i red .New i n t eg r a t ed PASS devices a re being developed andhopefu l ly wi l l meet our needs. A -conmli-ttee should beformed to work with in te res ted manufacturers to develop aus e r compat ib le sa fe ty sounding device . Un t i l such devicesbecome ava i l ab l e it should be mandatory t h a t we use th eones we now have to the fu l l e s t e x t e n t . ( See Tools 18PASS s ec t i on 12 of appendix ) .1 .2 Provide th e t r a in ing for the use o f such devices toensu re t h a t a l l f ie ld members a re thoroughl fami l i a r withth e ope ra t ion , uses and t e s t i ng o f such dev1ces .(2) SELF CONTAINED BREATHING APPARATUS2 .1 Se l f conta ined Breathing Appara tus to be worn aspre s c r i be d in All Uni t Circu la r 220 ( SEE APPENDIX SECTION13 ) which es t ab l i shes the Departments pol i cy fo r suchus e . The Train ing Bul le t in Mask (SEE APPENDIX SECTION 11)i s s p e c i f i c in the use and l im i t a t i ons o f th e s e l fcon ta ined breath ing appara tus .2 .2 The improper use o f th e SCBA f acep ieces tak ing h i t s o r having th e regula tor disconnec ted from th e worn f acep iece can be extremely dangerous .

The use of adapters , (so ca l l ed chea te r s ) i s s t r i c t l yfo rb idden . Any i n f rac t ion of such requi rements s ha l l beconsidered a ser ious breach o f d i sc ip l ine .2 .3 Cons idera t ion o f modifying sec t ion 1 .5 of A ll Uni tc i r c u l a r 220. When members a re opera t ing in c e l l a r o rs u b - ~ c e i l a r - f i r e s , t : h s ~ - i - s scms-ideredas-operat inq. inconf ined spaces . I f any o f th e u n i t ' s personal g e t low ona i r , ( Vi bra l e r t Alarm s ounds ) a l l members of the u n i tinc lud ing th e of f i ce r s ha l l l eave th e contaminated a rea .

The necessary r e l i e f of such un i t s s h a l l be s t r i c t l y con t r o l l ed by the inc iden t o r s e c t o r commander. 2 .4 The es tab l i shment of a Mask Safe ty Off i ce r . Theexpress purpose of t h i s of f i ce r would be to monitor th emembers opera t ing in the confined space , or contaminateda r ea . The o f f i c e r would con t ro l t ime l i m i t s , and be awareo f what members t h a t are in the contaminated a rea .

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This des ignated of f i ce r could ~ r o v i d e a c lose s t ag inga r eas fo r r e l i e f and a i r supp l le s , in add i t ion to keepingth e Inc iden t Commander informed of r e l i e f and supplyneeds .2 .5 u n i t s ass igned to th e 1 s t and 3rd Divis ions a resuppl i ed with 45 minute cy l inde r s except , th e 4th and th e10 th Bat t a l ions . u n i t s in those bat ta l ions a re equippedwith 30 minute cy l inde r s . It i s recommended t h a t fo r f i r e sin c e l l a r s and sub c e l l a r s in commercial bu i ld ings int hose d i v i s i ons , only 45 minute cyl inder equippedFi re f igh te r s be al lowed to work in those s t ruc tu re s .2 .6 Establ ishment o f r e a l i s t i c t ime ra t ing for the SCBAcy l inde r s . The 30 minute cy l inde r does no t l a s t 30minutes , th e 45 minute cyl lnde r does no t l a s t 45 minutesand t he 6D minute c y l i nde r does not l a s t 60 minutes ,dur ing f i r e f igh t ing use .

The escape t imes a re a l l d i f f e r en t and ca lcu la t ed a t20 % of the ra t ed t ime. ( viz . 30 min cyl inde r has 6minutes escape t ime, 45 minute cyl inder has 9 minutes o fescape t ime and th e 60 minute cyl inder has 12 minutes o fescape t ime. )Man i nd iv idua l s use d i f f e r en t amounts o f a i r becauseof phys l ca l and psychological make up, and th e ra t ed t imesa re of t en confus ing and misleading.

2.7 Repeated formalized t r a in ing in the use of SCBA i s a ne c e s s i t y . The use o f th e Fi re Academy's mask t r a i n ing courses to be used when ever poss ib le . The provid ing of t r a i l e r s to be used as por tab le mask conf idence courses t h a t could be ro ta ted throughout the Divis ions i s sugges ted . The pr imary purpose i s to increase the members pro f ic iency in the use of the SCBA. 3 . COMMUNICATIONS3 .1 The i n s t a l l a t i o n o f voice actuated recorders in a l l Bat t a l ion veh ic l e s fo r th e purpose of au tom at ica l ly record ing a l l handie- ta lk ie communications ( Tac t i ca l channel ) a t th e f i r e / emergency scene. This could provide invaluable in format ion by al lowin9 th e Inc ident Commander to review c r i t i c a l t a c t i c a l radlO messages, genera l ly r i g h t from th e ea r ly s tages o f the opera t ion .

This would a l so be a valuable too l when i nves t iga t ingf i r e ground mishaps.3 .2 Purchase of s ~ a r e recording device fo r the F ie ld Communications Unlt to be used as a back fo r t h e i r regula r r eco rder and to be u t i l i zed in t h e l r spare

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appara tus when necessary .3 .3 Consul t wi th Bureau of Communicat ions and have themr e sea rch th e f ea s ib i l i t y to :(A) Prov ide e l ec t r on i c i den t i f i e r on our handie - t a lk i erad ios t h a t would allow us to i den t i f y th e un i t andpos s i b l e t he user under emergency c o n d i t i o n s .(B) Provide a d i s t inc t ive tone a l e r t to be used by ChiefOff i c e r s when t ak ing contro l o f th e rad io frequencybecause o f an emergency.4 . MAY DAY PROCEDURES4.1 The no ise l eve l a t the opera t ion was extremely h ighbecause o f th e use o f severa l saws and th e running of afew

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unfami l ia r a reas of the c i ty . The Off i ce r takes care o fand accounts fo r h is members, who i s tak ing care o f andaccount ing for the of f i ce r? This s i tua t ion i s ap t tohappen when th e of f i ce r i s not f ami l i a r with th e members,o r th e members are no t fami l i a r with th e o f f i c e r , be itcover ing or over t ime .5.4 Disc ip l ine should be s t re s sed a t our opera t ions ,because t he re i s to much f ree l ancing going on ie . .(A) Members dec ide to change cy l inde r s and l eave the areaw i t h o u t not i fy ing t h e i r of f i ce r .(8) Members ended up repor t ing to the f i r e ground andgoing in to the s t ruc tu re on t h e i r own accord .5 .5 Provide t ra in ing on th e e f fec t s of gases and chemicalst h a t we frequent-ly encounte r while opera t ing a t f i r e s . Thee f f e c t of carbon monoxide and how it e f f e c t s you6 MISCELLANEOUS6 .1 This and in previous i nves t iga t ions the cooperat ionfrom Emergency Medical Serv ices has not been for th coming.Informat ion t h a t could provide us with va luab le da ta i sn o t given . The l i a i son should be handled a t the execut ivel eve l s , or a procedure s e t up in place to gain th ein format ion t h a t i s needed to conduct a thoroughi nves t iga t ion .6.2 Provide Divis ions with Carbon Monoxide meters to havethem more read i ly ava i l ab l e fo r use a t f i r e and emergencyscenes .

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