Accidentally pushed power switch traps fire fighters in collapse zone
DEPARTMENTS
DISPATCHES
Forty-five minutes after a fire fight in a seven-story, 80 X 175-foot brick and joist building, it was decided that an exterior attack was necessary.
The Chicago Fire Department’s articulating boom was positioned 50 feet from the front of the fire building for exterior fire fighting. The truck’s lieutenant and a fire fighter ascended in the bucket to their objective, the lower floors of the fire building.
At this time, fire broke out on all seven floors simultaneously, and it was decided to reposition the apparatus, as the fire fighters were too close to the building.
As the bucket was being turned away from the building and lowered, all power was lost, trapping the fire fighters approximately 15-20 feet above the ground. The men were forced to lie face down on the bucket floor to escape the intense heat.
Fire forces positioned themselves in the collapse zone to place large-caliber streams against the radiant heat searing the trapped fire fighters. Additional streams were set up to cool down the exposed bucket, and a 20-foot portable ladder was raised to rescue the trapped fire fighters. The two men received only minor burns.
All units were then pulled back to a safe distance as the side of the building began to collapse.
All attempts to gain entry to the cab to restart the trapped apparatus were futile due to the intense heat. Captain O’Boyle from the Chicago squad unit knew the truck could be moved by the use of the squad’s wench and cable. O’Boyle positioned himself completely within the collapse zone to tow the truck to safety.
Thirty minutes after all apparatus was removed from the collapse area, the two side walls and the front of the structure collapsed.
It was later discovered that a power control switch at the rear of the apparatus had been inadvertently pushed, cutting off all power to both the bucket controls and the apparatus.
