THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, May 4, 1996 TAG: 9605040348
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JON FRANK, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium: 62 lines
The nation's largest firefighters association said Friday the Chesapeake Fire Department violated federal rescue regulations when two firefighters died on March 18.
The International Association of Fire Fighters also said Chesapeake firefighters were poorly equipped and improperly trained to handle the kind of fire that killed Frank Young and John Hudgins Jr.
In a press release, the IAFF
criticized a 33-page report on the fire at the Advance Auto Parts store on Indian River Road released Friday by the Chesapeake Fire Department.
That report said a poorly constructed roof that collapsed and a faulty electrical system that allowed the fire to spread were the major reasons the firefighters died.
But the IAFF said it came to a different conclusion:
``The lack of adequate personnel to account for and conduct a rescue operation is the leading cause of the deaths of these two firefighters,'' the IAFF said.
The IAFF cited an Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulation requiring rescue personnel be on hand outside a hazardous area where firefighters are working.
But on March 18, ``there were no individuals available to account for and initiate a rescue,'' the IAFF release said.
In fact, the IAFF said, a civilian who was employed by Advance Auto Parts helped Hudgins and Young pull a hose line through the rear doorway of the store.
``This use of an untrained and unequipped civilian is not addressed in the Fire Department report, leading us to suspect its completeness,'' the release said. ``The lack of adequate personnel prior to initiating an interior attack by the Chesapeake Fire Department is inexcusable. . . .''
The IAFF also said there ``was a severe lack of communication'' that contributed to the deaths.
``A number of transmissions, including those from Fire Fighter Hudgins, were transmitted with no acknowledgment,'' the release said. ``Radio communication procedures and communications training for Chesapeake fire personnel was clearly inadequate.''
The IAFF agreed that the light-weight, wood-truss construction of the Advance Auto Parts store roof contributed to the deaths of Young and Hudgins.
``However, the notation that such is a contributing factor without making recommendations is a major deficiency in the report,'' the release said.
``There are numerous properties containing such roof construction . . . throughout the city of Chesapeake. Fire fighters and command officers must be trained to identify such construction.''
The IAFF release said it will review the results of three other investigations of the fire, being conducted by the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; the Virginia Division of Labor and Industry; and the National Fire Protection Association. MEMO: Main story about official report is on page A1.
KEYWORDS: CHESAPEAKE FIRE DEPARTMENT FATALITY FIRE DEATH by CNB