On this day in 1999, three members of the Keokuk (IA) Fire Department died in the line of duty while trying to rescue three children during a house fire.
According to the U.S. Fire Administration, on December 22, 1999, the Keokuk Fire Department was dispatched to a fire in a residential structure. The fire occurred at roughly 0825 hours. The structure was a house built in 1910 that had been divided into three apartments.
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The Department responded with an engine, a quint, and a chief’s vehicle with a total of three firefighters, a lieutenant, an assistant chief, and the fire chief. The response of the chief and one firefighter was delayed since they were returning from a previous incident.
On arrival, Assistant Chief Dave McNally, Firefighters Jason Bitting, and Firefighter Nate Tuck entered the building in full turnout gear and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) to perform search and rescue. A mother and child were trapped on the roof above the porch and three other children were trapped inside.
Firefighters rescued one infant child that was transported to the hospital by a police officer. Firefighters rescued a second infant child that was transported to the hospital by a police captain and the fire chief; the chief was away from the scene for approximately three minutes.
Firefighters were searching for the third child when a flashover occurred, trapping all three members. An aggressive fire attack was mounted by firefighters that were arriving due to a callback of off-duty members, but the effort was not able to save the lives of the three firefighters.
All three firefighters were wearing PASS devices that were integrated with their SCBA. The PASS devices failed to sound an alarm when the firefighters became incapacitated.
Assistant Chief McNally was found on the second floor at the top of the stairs with the third child. The cause of death was listed as smoke inhalation and exposure to extreme heat. Chief McNally’s carboxyhemoglobin level was 15 percent.
Firefighter Bitting was found in the front bedroom on the second floor of the apartment. The cause of death was listed as exposure to intense heat. Firefighter Bitting’s carboxyhemoglobin level was 1 percent.
Firefighter Tuck was found on the first floor of the apartment in the living room area. The cause of death was listed as smoke inhalation and exposure to heat. Firefighter Tuck’s carboxyhemoglobin level was 25 percent.
In addition to the three firefighters killed in this incident, the two infant children and a seven-year-old child also perished. The fire was caused by activation of a stove burner by a child. Two high chair trays that were stored on top of the stove were the initial objects involved in the fire. Smoke detectors in the home did not operate.
The report from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program made several recommendations. NIOSH investigators concluded that to minimize the risk of similar occurrences, fire departments should:
- ensure that adequate numbers of staff are available to immediately respond to emergency incidents
- ensure that Incident Command conducts an initial size-up of the incident before initiating fire fighting efforts, and continually evaluates the risk versus gain during operations at an incident
- ensure fire fighters are trained in the tactics of defensive search
- ensure that fire command always maintains close accountability for all personnel at the fire scene
- ensure that fireground communication is present through both the use of portable radios and face-to-face communications
- ensure that a trained Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) is established and in position immediately upon arrival
- ensure that fire fighters wear and use PASS devices when involved in interior fire fighting and other hazardous duties
