Welcome back to the Mayday Monday Firefighter Survival Campaign. During the month of March, we celebrate our Irish history. The American fire service has strong ties to this heritage as the only jobs available to the immigrating Irish were the dangerous, low-paying ones no one wanted: fighting crime and fighting fires. These firefighters would display a shamrock on their “engines” to show they welcomed Irish immigrants. Today, members adorn company logos and gear with the shamrock to show their connection to the Irish culture.
Mayday Monday: Learning from Tragedy
This month’s Mayday Monday is dedicated to the memory of Fire Apparatus Operator (FAO) Daryl Gordon of the Cincinnati (OH) Fire Department. On March 26, 2015, firefighters were sent to 6020 Dahlgren Street, a five-story apartment building, for fire on the second floor. Initial-arriving units experienced operational difficulties that resulted in a delay in getting water on the fire. This allowed the fire to grow and smoke to fill the building. While assisting with the completion of the primary search, FAO Gordon entered a door on the fifth floor, which led to an open elevator shaft. The fall resulted in him caught between the elevator car and the back wall of the shaft. Rescue teams had to remove the rear wall of the car to extricate FAO Gordon. Unfortunately, he would not survive his injuries. During the course of the three-alarm fire, Cincinnati crews would rescue 21 civilians from the building. To learn more about this fire, please read these reports:
The enhanced report listed more than 20 lessons learned or reinforced during this incident. It includes this one:
In multiple dwelling units like this, doors that open towards the fire fighter (outward swinging) are not stairwell or living units doors. These are generally doors to utility rooms, laundry rooms, equipment rooms, garbage chutes or elevator shafts. Doors with different layouts, such as larger door jambs, lack of standard locking mechanisms, irregular windows or different handles, should be considered.
The situational awareness needed to recognize the differences in doors cannot be gained by reading this article or looking at pictures. We must get out of the firehouse and into local buildings to see and touch the doors and structures. This month’s skill/drill is to learn the differences and practice identifying inward-opening vs. outward-opening doors. Find a fire department-friendly building and ask to “walk the halls.” Let’s get working!
Tony Carroll is deputy chief of operations with the Louisa County (VA) Fire & EMS Department.
