On the morning of April 16, 2007, Technician I Kyle Wilson of the Prince William County (VA) Department of Fire & Rescue (PWCDFR) reported to Fire Station 12 like he had done several times before. His shift started at 0600, and by 0615 Kyle would face deadly fire conditions that caused him to transmit a Mayday call over the radio. Unfortunately, rescue crews were unable to get to Technician Wilson in time despite their heroic actions.
When crews arrived on the scene, they were met with a well-advanced, outside-in fire spreading to the upper levels of this large single-family dwelling. Compounding this situation were the high-winds experienced that morning, with gusts measured at 40+mph. Thinking that the residents may still be inside, the engine and truck crew launched an interior attack. Kyle was apart of the truck crew and was attempting to perform the primary search. After making entry, the conditions changed and Kyle was trapped on the second floor.
Please review these reports to learn more about the incident:
One of the neat things about being a firefighter is you never know when you will get an emergency run. Because of this, we must be ready all of the time. Kyle was. Listen to this radio traffic and hear Kyle’s Mayday message.
Are you ready? This month’s skill/drill is to practice calling the Mayday! We focus on the LUNAR format for your Mayday message, but place emphasis on WHO-WHAT-WHERE! These three parts of the message are the most important.
RELATED FIREFIGHTER TRAINING
- Firefighter Basics: Calling the Mayday
- Training Minutes: Calling the Mayday
- The Protocol of the Mayday Call
- Jim Sandas: Calling a Mayday
For the skill/drill, here is the plan:
1. Review the Mayday procedures.
2. Call communications and secure a radio channel to call the Mayday.
3. Don turnout gear, including SCBA and your portable radio. Ensure members are wearing firefighting gloves while manipulating the radio.
4. Have each member issue a Mayday message on the secured radio channel.
5. Include activating the EBS button on the portable radio.
6. Repeat.
Add some stress by having members do some physical activity before calling the Mayday or play loud music or operate loud tools. Get them out of their comfort zone. This is an important skill that needs to be practiced. GO PRACTICE!!
Check out the podcast below, in which we talk to two members of the department about Kyle and the fire.
Tony Carroll is deputy chief of operations with the Louisa County (VA) Fire & EMS Department.
MORE MAYDAY MONDAY
Mayday Monday: Heart Health for Firefighters
