By David Case
On February 12, 2009, at 10:20 p.m., the Clarence Center (NY) Volunteer Fire Company and Clarence Fire District #1 were dispatched to 6050 Long Street for a reported airplane crash and house on fire. A Continental commuter plane heading to Buffalo, New York, from Newark, New Jersey, carrying 45 passengers and four crew members, crashed into a house, killing all onboard and one resident in the home. Miraculously, two other people who lived in that home were able to make it out and suffered minor injuries and were transported to the hospital for evaluation. This article describes the operations of that evening through the following day through my eyes, the incident commander.
Clarence Center Fire Company is a volunteer fire protection corporation contracted by the town of Clarence, a suburb of Buffalo, New York. We provide fire, rescue, and EMS protection to the citizens in the district. Our district is light commercial and heavy residential. Our fire company faces the challenge of providing a constant level of protection with a rapidly growing population in our district. As our call total increases, so does the demand on our firefighters. The fire company responds to approximately 400 alarms per year. The company has an active roster of 64 active firefighters; the total company roster is 80 members. Clarence is protected by three fire companies within the Town of Clarence and three bordering companies.
INTIAL ALARM
Minutes before we were dispatched, I was at home when I heard a loud bang. I looked out my window to see if there had been an accident in front of my home. I saw a flash and heard an explosion. We were dispatched for a plane crash/house on fire on Long Street. Headed toward the scene in my chief’s vehicle, I could see the whole village was aglow. I knew this was in close proximity to the fire station; I did not realize at the time that it was only about 720 feet from the fire station.
 (1) Photos by David F. Sherman. |
Clarence Center First Assistant Chief Tim Norris was on location first and established Long Street Command. He reported that there was definitely an air strikea plane into a house, which was now fully involved. To put my resources together quickly during my half-mile response, I immediately called for two heavy rescues from neighboring departmentsSwormville Fire Department for a cascade system and staffing and East Amherst Fire Department for shoring materials. Still unsure as to the extent of the incident, I wanted to make sure that if rescue were possible it would be the first priority.
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Norris met me in front of the structure so we could put our action plan together. As we did a size-up, I approached the north side, walking to the south, and could see the tail section of the plane. This was not a small plane as I had originally thought. We had three exposure issues: The first was a house to the south, 20 feet from the impact site; a second was a house 25 feet to the north; and the third was the detached garage behind the impact site. We decided to divide the scene into a South Division and a North Division. Norris took the South Division, where our company would enter the scene; I took the North Division, where the incoming mutual-aid companies would enter the scene. We had two means of access to get to this structure. The Clarence Center Fire Company handled the south.
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The Clarence Center fire station is located to the south of the scene, about 720 feet away from where the plane hit the home. Because the fire station was so close to the incident, responding firefighters did not have a lot of time to prepare. As we talk about in training, it is imperative that we communicate and assign job tasks en route to an incident. Because of the close proximity, firefighters literally did not have time to don their turnout gear and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA).
The Clarence Center Fire Company is an aggressive company; because of discipline and constant training, members knew just what to do that night. The first engine laid in, established a water supply, and began searching for anyone who might still be in the home or any passengers who may have survived the crash. The Clarence Fire District secured a second hydrant, which was just past the structure. Once we had water established on the north end, we immediately called for Buffalo Niagara International Airport Crash Rescue to respond with a foam truck, not knowing an Alert 3 (a plane crash) had already gone out to the county and state. The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority Police were on location in seconds, along with the New York State troopers and the Erie County sheriffs. We requested they move back the crowds and help evacuate neighboring homes.
ICS AND SPAN OF CONTROL
The adjacent Clarence Center fire station was established as the staging area for all incoming resources. The span of control started within 10 to 15 minutes of the incident. The operation section, staging section, water supply, and EMS section were in place and staffed. Logistics and finance were all coming together.
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After crews searched the entire area, it was finally determined there were no survivors. We quickly refocused our attention to fire suppression operations as we started to gain headway.
The Erie County Mobile Command Unit arrived. Inside the command post, we tried to determine how many people were on the plane and the quantity of fuel. Originally, we thought just a crew was bringing the plane in. Quickly, the toll kept rising to the eventual total of 49. Additionally, one person in the home was unaccounted for. Two other residents of the home, a mother and daughter, managed to get out of the structure. That they survived is mind boggling.
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Because of the fire’s intensity and the potential for personnel injury, we backed crews out. We reviewed with everyone the dangers of which to be aware. We made an immediate call for a hazmat team because of the fuel on this plane. The Clarence Fire District #1 Level 1 Hazmat Team and the Brighton Fire Company Level 1 Hazmat Team responded. The EMS Division was set up, along with rehab and a triage area on location just to the south of the structure.
EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER
About 30 minutes into the incident, Disaster Coordinator Dave Bissonette established an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) along with a press staging area away from the scene, at the Clarence Town Hall. This alleviated some of the stress on the commanders and the firefighters. Having a public information officer and media staging helped greatly. Establishing an EOC right away helped everyone on location. It removed any worry regarding interacting with the media and ensured media personnel’s safety. The EOC also became a safe and protected place for loved ones who wanted to get to the scene.
By establishing the EOC early, our fire company was able to concentrate on the fire and protecting the exposures. The intensity of the heat and loss of life kept safety the utmost concern. It is hard to understand or to explain how this plane hit only one house. Later, we learned the plane simply pancaked or belly flopped onto the house.
THE UNEXPECTED
As with all major incidents, early on things were a bit chaotic; however, with the incident command system well established, the scene quickly calmed down. Proactive, well-coordinated fire streams got a good knockdown of the fire. During the extinguishment, firefighters continued to see bright stubborn fire in the fuselage area. Crash Fire then reported to command that the problem might be a small metal fire. To extinguish it, Crash Fire brought a pickup truck and extinguishing unit filled with a dry chemical fire suppression agent. This application worked great on the metal fire, but something else was still feeding the fire.
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We had followed normal procedures to ensure that utilities were all shut off; National Fuel Gas had reported earlier that night that the gas to the house was shut off. Power was off in the area. After some time, it was determined there was still gas somehow feeding the house. National Fuel Gas was assigned to dig up the street and find the pipes and shut them down. This delayed the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) accessing the scene and beginning the investigation.
DOWNSIZING
We developed a plan to put Clarence Center firefighters into and out of rehab and then back into service so as to relieve a few mutual-aid departments. We let the mutual-aid departments know we would likely need them again in the morning. All volunteer departments protect this region, and these firefighters all had jobs and other important duties to attend to.
We knew the best way to use these resources and maintain their critical involvement was to run shifts so that they could plan their day and spend some time with their families. Each volunteer department was put on a four-hour shift schedule, with a specific task. They were to report to the chief officer they were replacing. At this point in the operation, we were in a supporting role for Erie County Emergency Services, as I had transferred command.
Working Friday afternoon with the NTSB, carefully so as not to disturb too much of the site, we noticed a small fire in part of the fuselage. We asked the NTSB if we could move this part closer to the road to get a better angle for extinguishment. The NTSB agreed, and an excavator was brought to the scene. When we extinguished this small fire, all firefighting was concluded.
RECOVERY OPERATIONS
With Clarence Center and the neighboring departments working for a total of 13 hours, the decision was made that the department needed to stand down. In meetings with the Erie County commissioner, we discussed the recovery process. After careful and thoughtful discussions, it was decided not to subject any of the volunteers to the recovery process. This was to help reduce the mental and emotional toll the recovery process would have on the already tired members. Buffalo Fire Commissioner Mike Lombardo supplied the Buffalo USAR Team, whose members relieved the volunteer companies still on-scene to assist the NTSB.
On Friday afternoon, we continued to put some hot spots out and were advised by the NTSB that it would not be doing any of the recovery that evening but would start Saturday morning. Buffalo (NY) Fire Department Rescue 1 arrived Saturday morning and, with the support from Crash Fire, helped the NTSB separate the plane, the house, and the bodies (a daunting task to ask anyone in your town to do).
The Clarence Center Fire Company was put back into service Saturday morning, ready to respond to our community. We needed to get back to some kind of normalcy. We were simply a resource to the NTSB from this point on. Our banquet facility was a rehab area and a dropoff point for donations from local restaurants, supermarkets, and anyone who wanted to donate anything. The ladies auxiliary fed more than 500 people a daybreakfast, lunch, and dinnerfor eight days. This was an unbelievable undertaking. The total number of people who worked the incidentfrom agencies including 12 volunteer fire companies, seven police agencies, Buffalo Airport Operations, Erie County Medical Services, Erie County Health and Highway Departments, Continental Airlines, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and morewas 1,060.
LESSONS LEARNED
Because of the scene’s location and proximity to the fire station, firefighters did not have a lot of time to mentally prepare and get a game plan together. We are now looking at drills to help us organize more quickly for responses that do not allow much time to think and prepare en route.
We had to fight this fire with the mindset of its being a crime scene; this was very difficult, especially during the overhaul stage. Firefighters were afraid to move things for fear we might disturb something. However, we found the NTSB more than willing to assist when asked about moving objects and debris.
Responders must ensure utilities are completely shut off. Our gas leak in the house could have been a real hazard if it wasn’t found during suppression operations. We discovered there can be multiple feeds to some properties, so use extra caution regarding gas and electric utilities.
The weather conditions were favorable, but additional resources would have been necessary had the weather been adverse. With favorable weather and disciplined fire safety practices, there were no personnel injuries for that first 13-hour period and the entire 11 days of operation.
Having good, strong, well-connected relationships was essential to our success. By training with neighboring departments and seeing familiar faces, it is much easier to work under those conditions when it really counts.
When you have control of a scene as the incident commander, don’t be afraid to tell people “no,” or “wait on that,” or “stand by, let’s think this over.” You have time. In a rescue situation, you don’t have time. Once we established that there were no rescues to perform, we asked, “What was the most important thing?” Property, protecting people’s homes. The fire will affect them for the rest of their lives.
The Clarence Center Volunteer Fire Company’s initial response, determination, and respect for the loved ones who were lost set the tone for the whole 11-day operation. We take pride in our training and public relations. We do not think of ourselves as volunteers but as professional firefighterswe owe that to our community.
Looking back at that night, we now know we weren’t going to change the outcome, but we sure tried. This tragedy was not only local but regional. Was this something we trained for? No. Were we prepared? Yes. When tough, large-scale situations present themselves, we as firefighters have to adapt; that is why we trainso we have the basics and a foundation to adapt to unusual situations. Remember, you can’t train for every possible scenario, but you had better be prepared.
DAVID CASE is the chief and a 16-year veteran of the Clarence Center (NY) Volunteer Fire Company. He has served 13 years as a company officer and four years as chief of department.
