They just don't get it, do they???

Yesterday, tragedy struck Tarrytown, New York. That's what the news said when I walked into the dayroom this morning waiting to go off shift. A sewage backup prompted a DPW employee to enter a manhole, and that employee rapidly succumbed to unknown fumes inside the hole. He made it about halfway down the ladder, or so the report said, then fell and didn't respond. This prompted a fire department response and a rescue attempt. The volunteer firefighter who attempted that rescue also made it halfway down the ladder and fell, unresponsive. Eventually, both were removed by a technical rescue team, provided CPR and ALS, and transported to the hospital where they were pronounced dead. More info is here: http://www.lohud.com/article/20109070333

First, let me offer my most sincere condolences to the families and friends of both victims. It's terrible to lose someone, no matter what the circumstances. I sincerely hope they find solace and comfort in their community. I also hope they understand that what I write below is not meant in any way to minimize their loss, or criticize the victims. I wasn't there, I have not seen the site myself. I simply want to point out a few things so no other firefighter, public worker or police officer falls victim to the same thing. Let us learn from our losses, not repeat them. That's how we improve the fire service, by becoming smarter through history.

That being said, I wonder. What's it going to take for us to stop killing ourselves with complacency? The manhole where this happened was directly behind the firehouse. Both the initial victim, and the would-be rescuer were volunteer firefighters with lengthy service records. They both knew better. Where were the meters? Where was the entry attendant? What notifications were made? Both victims were found by the Police, who had the presence of mind not to attempt a rescue themselves. Thank God for small favors. Does the locality have a policy for confined space entry? For that matter, did the victims have any formal confined space entry training? I would expect the DPW worker, Mr. Ruggiero, would  have had at least something. Mr. Kelly, who apparently was not responding as a firefighter, I can't say. However, they were both firefighters, and should have had some form of awareness even if they didn't get it from their other jobs.

Confined spaces kill lots of people, needlessly. Worse, this incident falls right in line with statistics. Most of the victims in confined space accidents are would-be rescuers. OSHA's definition of a confined space is here: http://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3138.pdf Common sense should dictate that if you don't know what's in 'there', you don't go without PPE, including SCBA and a backup air source. And a full entry team. And a full backup team. And a plan. Technical rescue is not something to take lightly, not something to do half way right. That's what gets people killed. If you're ever in a situation like this, wait until you've got the proper tools and personnel. Chances are, you're not going to be able to help without it. And you definitely can't hold your breath as long as you think you can.

Enough for now. I'm going to go brush up on my tech rescue training. It's been a while since I've used it.

Stay safe, take care of each other, and take care of the job.
In that order.