On December 19, 2015, Captain Jack Rose of the Mount Marion (NY) Volunteer Fire Department died after inhaling superheated air while battling a house fire. Firefighters responded for a chimney fire in a one-story, single-family dwelling. Units found a structure fire not contained to the chimney/fireplace. After knocking down the fire on the main level, fire was discovered in the basement. During the basement firefight, Captain Rose went missing and a Mayday call was issued. Rescuers located him kneeling on the floor in distress; he lost consciousness and would succumb to his injuries. The cause of death was asphyxia due to inhalation of heated products of combustion. During the investigation, it was found that the truck he responded on did not carry self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). Jack used one from the first-arriving fire truck, but it was different than his department’s SCBA. Did this contribute to him breathing in the hot gases?
Please check out the NIOSH report here.
Here are additional links to learn more about Captain Jack Rose: FFCC and USFA
Speaking of the NIOSH report, here is one of the recommendations:
Recommendation #5: Fire departments should ensure that fire fighters are properly trained with the specific SCBA that they are using and also in SCBA repetitive skills training and out-of-air SCBA emergencies.
- Throw Back to Basics: SCBA Confidence
- Training Minutes: SCBA Confidence
- Drill of the Week: SCBA Confidence Training
- Firefighter Training Prop: Modular SCBA Maze
As you can see from Captain Rose’s tragedy, we must be intimately familiar with our SCBA. Not being could result in our death This month’s skill/drill is to perform SCBA confidence training. If you have a prop, now’s the time to run your crew through the setup, or you can assemble a course for them to follow. Stretch a hose through obstacles the participant must negotiate (narrow opening, reduced profile, entanglements, under the apparatus, etc). Add in some stress by playing loud music, obscuring their vision, or start with half-full cylinders. Do something!
2022 was a busy year for Mayday Monday. Please review the monthly skill/drills. You will see they are all very basic because FIREFIGHTER SURVIVAL STARTS WITH THE BASICS!!
Thank you all for your continued support. Look for more basics in 2023!
Train to Live. Live to Train.
Watch our podcast below with an interview of Toledo firefighter Jake Hoffman. We talk about his RIT vision and training ideas.
Don’t forget to send pics/videos of you and your crew performing the skill drill! Send to tcarroll@louisa.org.
