We received a number of emails alerting us to this recent video from Boston. Special thanks go out to Firefighter Marc Maria from Woonsocket (RI) Fire for being the first to let us know. The video is of a three alarm job in the Mattapan section of Boston. This outstanding footage was captured by Fox25’s SkyFox Helicopter. The first video doesn’t have much audio, so don’t bother trying to adjust your speakers.
[flv]http://www.vententersearch.com/videos/flv/boston1.flv[/flv]
[flv]http://www.vententersearch.com/videos/flv/boston2.flv[/flv]
We don’t have the full story, so if anyone has any details, please fill us all in. The one thing you can see is that they definitely had some aerials up! For some reason, it looks like they weren’t able to get any to side C of the structure, which could have prevented the need for this type of egress. We are sure these guys had some tense moments on the roof, but fortunately they still had a favorable outcome. They did, but look at minute 3:04 in the first video, we are pretty sure that saw did not fair too well.
WOW!! The Big boys from Boston showing everyone in the world how not to fight fires, Why do we keep on repeating the same thing over and over we wear are PPE to make sure we come home at the end of are tour! Not to have it hang off are bodies laying all over the place so we look COOL!! Looking cool will get you killed!! Thank God all of the brothers that were on the roof made it down OK!! I hope that was a Gut Check for the BFD .It just blows my mind does the Brass of BFD think that this is the Popper Way to operate on the fire ground. I know they don’t do that $h_t at the Academy! GOD SPEED MY BORTHERS…..
Check out Firefighter close calls there was something about it in the Secret list this morning.Looks like the brothers could have used some ground ladders for secondary egress,it wasen’t like they did not have enough personel to throw them.I won’t even get into the PPE issue.Stay safe….
The biggest mistake they made was the lack of airpacks. I can’t believe a company like Boston would allow their firefighters on a roof w/o airpacks. And we wonder why firefighters die…
That was a helluva throw. They man handled those saws over like they were props! Glad they made it off. Close call for sure.
Unfortunately this video will make it into fire stations all across this nation and many will think it looks cool. There are thousands that would love to be big city firefighters and want to emulate everything all the city boys do.
These guys were down right lucky !!. They obviously had an inexperienced operator on the Truck that assisted with the extrication. The officer on the roof should be demoted!! The lack off PPE is nothing short of shameful…
Camon guys wake up!!
This kind of crap needs to be hit with disciplinary action and hit hard.
Looks as though they had a few good cuts made already early on in the video. Make the cut and get the hell off! Why stand around?…guys on the top floor are taking window sills and barely even had a smoke condition. Good thing they didnt all jump onto the stick at once. That could have shock loaded the aerial and all the knocking it did onto the structures may take the geometry of the aerial out of wack. Its happened before in the City of New York.
Use your heads!!
Boston used to be considered one of the best in the world for laddering. It seems that they are yet another victim in the steadily eroding level of good old fashioned laddering skills.
And, as others have said, what’s up with the lack of PPE? This isn’t the first time that there’s been a lot of flak over Boston’s PPE usage. The Fire Engineering magazine cover from a year(?) or so back generated a lot of discussion.
Other than this obvious comments that have been already made. I wonder if the ladder was in high idle? Almost threw one firefighter off. Forntunate it was an old style home that can withstand this type of heat before it collapses.
You have it all wrong. This is just some clip from the filming of Backdraft 2! “return of the 1970’s truckie”
But seriously: I’m glad all got off safe. Well, all the firefighters anyway.
Its already been said, but what is the deal w/Eastcoasters not wanting to mask up!? I don’t get it. Looks like an IDLH to me. Much less the fact that at any second they could all be interior.
i like the guy throwing the one scba that’s up there across to the other roof. Women, children and safety equipment first!
I work for a ‘big city’ and that shit would not fly here.
To begin with, a special thanks to the boys from Boston.
Absolutely no one I know of would like to be broadcasted and critiqued, but fortunately, this will serve as an excellent “real world” training video for all to examine, re-examine, and discuss. This was a TRUE “close call” NARROWLY averted at multiple points.
Thankfully, this time it went right. I applaud the job these gentleman did, and by no means think it was a display of wanton disregard for safety and bravado. But simply complacency getting the best of us.
A few things to ponder:
PPE and the lack there of
Inexperienced ladder operation (could be a possible mechanical issue?)
Inadequate communication (hand signals to the operator through smoke are shady at best as opposed to proper radio communication and pre-designated directional cues)
Leave the tools were they are. The possibility of the saw that went astray off the back of the building could very likely make a bad day for those operating in the rear.
FF #3 was damn close to bouncing off the tip (another justification for a personal safety harness and quick clip in)
Staying cool and collected in adverse conditions… FF#1,4,5 were aware enough to bridge from the ladder to the safe building at the lowest possible point as opposed to “hopping” off dangerously close to the edge.
Once the hole is cut, GET OFF THE ROOF, the video doesn’t show, but was Division A egress possible at immediate completion of the cut?
These are just a few observations. My respect and appreciation for an otherwise job well done. To a certain extant, we do what we do, and if anyone can show me the perfect dept. and the perfect “job” I’ll retire.
Everyone wondering why Boston does things the way they do obviously doesn’t work up in the Boston area. Boston’s academy just received accredidation from the State lasy year!! They don’t issue hoods!! The PPE issued out of the academy isn’t NFPA. Engine companies don’t dare touch pike poles or tools, and ladder companies don’t dare touch hoses. PERIOD! I’ll tell you one more thing. Boston guys ONLY listen to Boston officers. If you went on a line box, or had them respond mutual aid and you said; ‘Hey, you guys can return we’re all set.’ They’d ignore you until an officer gave them the okay.
I’ve never seen a Boston jake wear a mask on a roof. It’s just the way they do things. In the past things happened that screwed them over so they do things there way. They are some tough SOB’s!!
PPE? they could at least do up there jackets, maybe wear that helmet instead of launching it across to the other roof than have it fall off the back off the house. If they arent offered hoods than wear the stuff they are offered correctly
Definitely PPE is a major issue here, looks like the fire was in the overhaul stage and there was a major rekindle, and trapped the guys on the roof. C side was not accessible by ground ladders do to steep terrain and other obstacles. My guess is the guys were doing overhaul on the roof, hence the no SCBA and Helmets, coats open etc.
Needless to say it looked pretty hairy. But I wasn’t there so I don’t feel that I have the right to say what they should have done differently. Things can head south real fast on the roof.There is another video showing the view from the truck operator, he couldn’t even see the tip of his ladder.
Boston can still throw ladders with the best of them.
Obviously, some ppe problems. However, lets start by saying good job to the brothers in Boston for their rescues at this serious fire. I found these links on the firehouse.com forum about this fire. They provide a great look at what they were up against.
http://wbztv.com/video/?id=44851@wbz.dayport.com
http://wbztv.com/video/?id=44849@wbz.dayport.com
(In reply to Ray’s post) The city of Boston doesnt offer hoods? Where are you getting your information from? We are talking about a MAJOR fire department correct? I think you need to check your sources before you come on here making allegations that Boston doesnt supply their firemen with the proper PPE…(My brother is a Captain and has informed me that all gear is NFPA compliant and hoods ARE issued)
In regards to wearing PPE properly, i do not believe this was followed in any way at all. There have been people who say, “you dont understand how things are done in Boston” or “in the past things have happened that screwed them over”…well what happened in the past to make these Jakes not wear gear correctly? Did they get a diaper rash from having their coats on correctly? Or maybe the helmets arent stylish enough?
Yes there were many mistakes made at this fire, and we would all be lying if we said weve never broken one of these rules. But the main point of this website and these videos are to shed some light on the darker side of firefighting, not to make insane allegations that are not backed. At least check your sources before posting comments, and maybe work on spelling JK!
Stay low
Check my sources?? Where do you work?? Making allegations?? I’ll just say I am a firefighter in a dept that is in close proximity to Boston first of all. I have MANY friends who just graduated from their academy in the past year, and they ALL told me NO HOODS are issued or worn in the academy. Boston wears lighter gear beacause they did a study that showed more guys were getting injured/killed due to being exhausted than from fire exposure or burns. That was just in the Boston news papers also.
Hell, up until they were smeared in the media after those deaths, many guys wore pull up boots.
PS-their viking gear is not compliant!!
My post was not meant to disrespect BFD, at all. Those of us that were not there, don’t really know how it all went down. Good job on the saves of course. I just don’t understand the mentality of not wearing (or at least having it on and ready) SCBA. It is too vital to the job.
Hey guys, this site isn’t about he said/she said, finger pointing, or getting pissed off at each other. It’s about brotherhood and sharing our knowledge, experiences, opinions, and innovations with one another so we can all go home to our families at the end of every shift.
This fire was probably a learning experience and/or wake up call for some of the Boston jakes (whether they will openly admit it or not), and it should be for the rest of us as well. We are fortunate to have video of this close call to review and learn from showing several different angles. Just keep in mind that we weren’t there and we are only seeing a snapshot of this very dynamic fire.
My point? Let’s not beat the crap out of some guys that obviously made a mistake that I’m sure they won’t soon be allowed to forget. Hopefully they will approach the same situation differently in the future.
Let’s not Monday morning quarterback this to death and fight about it. It is what it is… learn what you can from it, share it with the guys in the firehouse, seriously discuss it with the junior men, and hope that we never find ourselves in the same predicament.
Most of all, remember that we’re all here for the same reason. We all come from different parts of the country (world?) with different ways of doing business and we can learn a lot (good or bad) from each other. Some jobs tend to be very progressive, while others are steeped in tradition, and others (not just Boston) have had a few major embarrasments lately and are in the process of major organizational self-reflection and positive change.
Be safe Brothers.
Chris
There are definitely a lot of lessons that can be taken from any incident anywhere. Let’s look at a few things that can definitely be put up in the ‘success’ category here.
-Regardless of how events unfolded, how many firefighters can say that their department could respond with, POSITION and then deploy four aerial devices in the opening (and critical) stages of a building fire? The BFD is known for the truck work in general and they definitely scored on getting a large number of sticks up.
-Count the number of members on the roof. How many firefighters can say that their department could put five members on a roof in the opening phases? Some books and some people would argue that this is too many folks, but then consider factors such as the type/size of building, the roof itself and the tactical situation. From personal experience, when you find yourself opening up at a job where people are definitely trapped, where there’s a heavy fire condition and members are taking a pounding affecting rescues and getting at the fire, more hands are definitely better.
-Agree with it or not, these people had the presence of mind to try and save their equipment, rather than abandon it. While throwing tools and equipment from one rooftop to another wouldn’t normally be considered best practice, when faced with the choice of A) the gear DEFINITELY getting destroyed or B) MAYBE getting destroyed/damaged, they opted to save what they could. These are the actions of members that are aware of the situation and are making conscious decisions as they evacuate. Again, we often find ourselves (for a variety of reasons) in less than textbook (ideal) situations and have to identify, select and implement the best options that are available or that we can create. If faced with the same scenario, how many of us would be collected enough to attempt to save our equipment?
-Most importantly, these guys got out. There were sufficient members operating at the incident that someone was available to reposition the aerial device. That’s not a given everywhere.
As far as ‘eroded’ ground ladder skills, I had the opportunity to watch a day of ladderwork at the BFD Academy last year and the reputation Boston Fire has as the world’s premier laddermen is definitely deserved. One thing I noticed in the various video clips from this incident was the absence of the standard forest of ground ladders that the BFD puts up. I wonder if due to the number of rescues actually made and the number (most likely a higher number than actual trapped folks) of reported trapped people, all hands went into an aggressive search and rescue mode.
It’s always easy to be able to sit back, watch videos and look at pictures and with all the time we want, to come up with any number of alternate scenarios, methods or actions. We should look at stuff like this in two distinct steps:
1. Take your time – scrutinize everything, take the lessons that are presented and plan for a similar event should you encounter it. Without throwing shots or judging, make a thorough study. This is the easy part.
2. Do it in realtime. Try to imagine (and in one of the related clips, we can see the first-due companies arrive) rolling in on the first engine or truck, being confronted with a serious incident, imperfect information and a big time crunch and (be honest with yourself as you do the next part) make rapid-fire decisions on what your first instincts and actions would be.
This is an easy system to follow, learn and reinforce knowledge and skills from. It gets more difficult for the people featured in a film clip or photo because they had to follow the above system in REVERSE – doing Step 2 and THEN Step 1.
As always, great work on this site. It’s a huge educational resource and always provides tons of food for thought. Keep it up, guys.
Be safe.
I agree. No matter what , Boston’s ladder work is the berries. And who cares about the tools at that point!! Just like this site states about Ladder Co. ops being a lost art, it isn’t in Boston. I can guarentee Boston Fire throws more ladders than anyone up here!! I appologize if anyone took my comments as an insult. I’m just stating experiences of mine either fighting fire next to them or being a ‘spark’ and watching them work. I’m just saying ‘it is what it is’.
if there’s dirty laundry on Boston it really shouldnt be air’d out here on the site. Exchanging emials is an option. The fact is…. what happened happened. It was caught on tape and the only thing we should be doing now is learning from it. I feel the brothers in FLA approved this video to go on the website for the sole reason of showing how there is something new to learn from everyday. This particular incident was truely a close call and thankfully none of them were hurt. Neither my career nor my volunteer depts are perfect, then again whos dept is? The continuous cycle of comming out with ideas will never stop. Its been going on for decades. any old timer will tell you that. it wont stop and we should just accept the fact that we’re only a small motion in the cycle. Its gonna keep spinning well after we are all gone. Thats why I believe in not changing procedures just because you want to make your mark while youre in the position to do so. Make change because it serves a proven purpose. And for those who might be shocked…. in the extreme southern portion of New York it is COMMON to be a paid and volunteer FF. Heck, half of FDNY is a volunteer on their off time.
Once again you need to check your sources.(and im not bashing, merely informing).This will be the last comment ill make on this issue…
http://cms.firehouse.com/content/article/article.jsp?sectionId=46&id=56378
Check out that link, it is the Viking response to speculation of the media saying they were not compliant. It is true that they went with a lightweight gear due to heat stress associated with heavier turnouts, however it is not true that they were not NFPA 2000 & 2007 compliant. Plain and simple.
To say that recruits go thru training without hoods (if it is true like you say), sounds like a real crappy deal. Unless the guys you know are coming out of the academy with their ears and necks scarred from burns, i refuse to believe this. Even small po-dunk depts in the south issue hoods, what are they…$20-30 dollars? In comparison with a few thousand dollar turnout set i find that to be just a drop in the bucket.
I love this service with every ounce in me, but when i read some of these comments im concerned that a few readers have been ill-informed and my only hope is that i can she some light on the truth.
What I see here is 5 guys who would be looking for a new line of work. Can’t blame everything on the O.I.C. We each have the responsibility to gear up with ALL of our PPE. If the OIC chooses not to wear his, I’m not going to endanger myself any more then I have to.My gear is going on. You can wait for me or work short handed. Next lets take alook at the brother kicking his helmet across the roof.If it was properly attached to his head, I don’t think it would have been on fire. Is this a new way to age one’s lid? Now I would like to touch base on the hand signals. Are you telling me that nobody on that roof had a portable with them?They seem to be using hand signals to communacate with the ladder operater. Next, Why not just go down the stick to the ground instead of going to the roof next door? Seems to me that it would have been the better option, at least you wouldn’t have to throw your tools. Wonder what kind of damage they did to that flat roof when they landed. Did anyone catch the saw falling off the roof after it was thrown. From what I see, when the first guy got on the ladder, the rest should have followed. They all could have made the turntable without all of the extra moves by the stick operater.The one guy is lucky that he wasn’t flung off the end of the stick when the operater jerked it. High idle. That would be my guess. I’m not busting balls here, please don’t take it that way. This is a learning tool for everyone. Take a look at the position of the ladder. It made it hard to get on and off the ladder, even for a rescue. The best way to exit that roof was to come down the stick. Once they were on it, they had to jump back off. Thank God nobody fell of the roof when they exited the stick. To the stick operater,spend some time at the controls. Use the low idle when you get near the roof. It will give you much better control and you wont get all of the jerking motion. Again, I wasn’t on the job, just watched the video and this is only my observations. If I’m not seeing something, please enlighten me. I use this site as a learning tool and know alot of young guys that do as well. Don’t want any of them to think that this is the way to do roof work. Remember, once the vent hole is made, unless you have a good reason to be topside, get off the roof.Be safe Brothers and Sisters.
Yes, there are plenty of things that could of went different at this fire ie ladder placement, PPE, ect. The first arriving companies were met with multiple rescues, and did a hell of a job pulling out 2 or 3 kids. Lets be thankfull that nobody got hurt. When its time to go, its time to go. Im sure they guys up there are thinking of a million ways that could have went different.
I’m sorry – there’s just no reason for being on a roof half dressed. Close your coat, wear your SCBA and helmet, open it up and get off. Just because Billy Goldfeder and Ron Black say “You can’t fix stupid”, doesn’t mean the rest of us can’t learn from it.
All I have to say is GOD DAMN the best video I have ever seen and I will put this into an OSHA class. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.
I have been graced the priveledge of doing this job for over 25 years now and have seen a few things. First of all to the armchair qb westboy, learn to spell Brother or is it (Borther). Second of all alot of Departments do not wear SCBA on roofs not only Boston due to the added weight. Not saying I agree with this as I do and my guys do but that is the way it is. To finish it off two departments I have admired most thru my career is the FDNY the CFD and BFD, for there pure skill and agressiveness to save life and rapidly extinguish a job.What always kills me on this job is when Brothers get a close call on the job is how quick all the NFPA quoters come out to condemm the jobs these guys have done. In my opinion NFPA stands for No F—— Practical Application. These guys do this shit every day they go to work, it’s like second nature to them. Shit happens on this job and we cant always control it, but I guarantee you every guy on that roof knows there shit like the back of there hand and thats why they got off the roof so calmly. And as far as ladders go look at the house and the limited access for ground ladders. Take a look 2 aerials to the roof, does your Crow ass Department even have the capability of getting 2 aerials to the scene. These guys did there job and did it quickly wich allowed interior companies to make alot of rescues, that means save lives. I was always tought to risk little to get little and risk alot to get alot. Remember our primary role in this job is to save lives 1st(risk alot) then property (risk little). Great job Boston, god bless those guys for the job they did and for there commitment to it.
Kudos to all the guys for making a quick vent to help the guys inside make two (or was it three) grabs. You could tell they’ve got a lot of experience just by how calm they were, but it seems they made a pretty dangerous situation into a very dangerous one by a few poor decisions. Which gives us a valuable reminder to keep ourselves safe. Always wear your gear! Always wear your portable! (There is no reason to be giving poor hand signals thru smoke if you have your radio) The thing that puzzles me is, why didn’t they just climb down the ladder? They could’ve had everybody on the ground and all their equipment on the ground (Although one saw took a shortcut) in the same time it took to get to the other roof, and what were they going to do up there, anyways? Easy to monday QB, but still a good lesson.
Despite their mistakes, I would still give up my left
n-t to work for BFD.
To all the ones beating on Boston FD. Before you become so vivid with your opinions, realize one thing; you were not there.
Working on that large of a flat roof demands a tremendous amount of team WORK. Work being the operative word here. 2 -5 layers of material to cut I would assume. 5 guys 2 airials, and the experiance to do it. good for Boston FD! The ppe didnt look pretty, i’ll give the saftey police that, but as far as the air packs, well… poor balance due to added weight, mask demanding more effort to breath, the communication barrier, and not being able to feel the wind direction, are all things I’ve heard for leaving it behind. Not really good reasons for me and my crew, but then we dont work for Boston. Before anyone bangs on these guys, they should ask themselves: How many Boston flat roofs have I ventilated? As far as “saving” their tools, Great decision. They problably ended up going to another roof that night. Besides, Can you call yourself a truckie if you dont love your tools and saws? That guy was waiting for the ladder anyways. Stay low brothers.
Guys, every veteran here can monday morning quarterback every other guy here.. The first of you without sin can cast the furst stone. Dangerous way to work?? hell ya!!
Not perfect situation.. DUUUHHH its a fire. Other ways to do things AFTER the fact… YUP… Part of what i didnt see on this page was that the entire first alarm company was rather busy trying to both fight the fire showing from 3 floors AND RESCUE 14 PEOPLE including Children. So while your all busy talking shop… stop and think how many times you were perfect. And while your busy telling others how to do it right, yank that horseshoe out of your ass! By the way, the rear of that building was a bunch of backyard lots that couldnt acomodate an aerial. Dont know why the ground ladders werent thrown except to say that ladder companys first job is rescue, second is ventilate and ladder. Like i said, 14 people x 2 firefighters per person…. thats 28 guys tied up rescuing… you think maybe they were a little task saturated to throw ground ladders… yes they were cut off by the fire.. but there were no less than 3 aerials to that building, 2 on side A and one on side D. thats THREE means of egress cutoff… Thats a shitstorm!!!
(PS… Ill be training my shift tomorrow on how to operate the ladder, to at least have your pack ON on the roof, and to always have 2 means of egress..) Not because this was done WRONG or right, but because I will use it quietly as a learning experience. Im sure Ive screwed up a few times and others have taken a lesson from it.
why is it that it’s always sparks making all these monday morning quarterback type comments? ya do what ya gotta do, when ya have to do it, that’s it.
For all the MM quarterbacks who profess to be “weathered veterans” and can preach about what the BFD should or
should’nt have done, you wern’t on the roof, or operating
that aerial ladder. In our old northeast cities, the job requires you to get on the roof and open it quickly,and
to do the job in a manner that lets you accomplish this
task effectively. Sometimes SCBA isn’t worn while cutting and doing other truck work. There’s a lot going on, organized chaos and confusion. Yes we want to be safe, but we need to get the job done to help our brothers operating below, and the civilians who we are there to protect. I sometimes look back and say “I probably should’nt have just done that”, but we are paid to take risks, as firefighting is and always will be a dangerous job. Those that read books and say “that wasn’t safe”, or go to an ocasional fire that is fought
from the outside until the fire goes out because it runs
out of fuel, need to get in touch with the real world.
Fireman take risks, work under poor conditions, but
nonetheless always get the job done. To the Boston jakes,
-good job,no one got hurt, do it again tommorrow.
PPE is not optional. I don’t care if it is Boston, FDNY, east or west coast, firefighters all can die! We can debate how to get off the roof, how long to stay on the roof save the tools or not, etc, but you need to wear your PPE. Having it on the roof will not save your ass. The first arriving companies in the video were wearing thier SCBA and so was the FF at the controls of the ladder saving the guys on the roof. That being said it was a good day since everyone went home, they saved lives and that is why we all do what we do.
OK Monday morning QB’s go to liveleak.com and check out the raw footage of what the conditions were upon arrival, and remember several kids trapped in the building also. Sure those jakes on the roof could have buttoned their coats, that is probably the only mistake they made. How long into the incident were they? I tell less then 10. They needed to do their job so the jakes inside could make those saves. Why don’t some of you boys who can hide behind a keyboard come up here and see how its done. I’ve seen some of those Florida departments in action, you guys are great at saving slabs. Oh ya we wear light weight gear, and hoods are not issued to us at the academy. You can wear one if you want, some do some don’t. I hope you guys are always perfect. Hey JD, Chase, and TowerCaptain thanks, at least some people get it. Oh ya I was there and I was working on floor #3, Thanks to those engine guys, and trucjies who opened up that roof.
Oh ya I left out some important info for the QB’s out there. The FF who was operating the turntable on the ladder was a Captain from an engine Co. So show the rank some respect. The roof was made of 4 layers, which is very labor intensive. Which means you have to work your ass off, something that the QB’s probably don’t know much about. In my 12 years of doing this job I found out that the people with the biggest mouths at the table are usually the ones who suck, standing outside hiding, or have an airpack malfunction, you know who you are. The jakes did a great job, saving the structure, and citizens who were trapped. Oh ya 16 citizens rescued from that building, and no fatalities. To the QB who wrote that our ladder skills are suffering, come on up and I’ll show you some ladder skills. No ladders to the rear of building was due to small alley ways, and the ground had a very significat slope, also the ariels had 3 sides covered. Crews were able to walk to the upper floors via the rear stairs, and the excellent job the guys on the roof did bu opening up and not letting the fire extend to the rear of the structure. The companies that responded to this fire are some of busiest fire companies in the city. Some if not all see several fires weekly. Are there things that we at the BFD can learn from this incident; most definetly, I don’t claim to know everything about this job, but if that day comes then it is time to retire. Just remember that you QB’s.
People seem to be ignoring everything else that was on the videos, especially the WBZ video before BFD got there. Positioning on the first due engine and trucks, the first in engine officer’s (apparent) decisions to split the company to make rescues on the D side and get a hoseline in operation. A hoseline that immediately got control of the front stairway (it appears). How many of us work for a department that could arrive on a well involved triple decker, make multiple rescues, position several apparatus perfectly, and knock down just a little bit of fire that quickly? Mine couldn’t. Not that fast. Not even close to that fast. Are there PPE issues on the roof? Sure. So learn from it. But learn from the rest too. Because it is pretty obvious that by and large, they did a hell of a job.
It’s always amazing to see how quick people jump to negatively judge another department’s operation at a major fire. I don’t believe that any of us were there operating at this particular job, except for possibly Scott.
As the video shows, there was heavy fire on arrival, with multiple people trapped. Truck positioning looked good. The first line was in place and operating in a very timely fashion. It sounds like several grabs, on top of the one shown, were made and lives were preserved. Those people now are able to continue on with their lives because of the Boston firemen there that day.
The video also shows rapidly changing fire conditions on the roof. And I believe that we all know that fire is always an unpredictable force and that every fire is different. The brothers were operating in a safe manner on that roof and also appeared to be monitoring the fire conditions. When things began to change for the worst, they immediately began to get off the roof. The exit may look bad, but since when is a rapid exit supposed to look pretty?
As for the comments about PPE, I’ve seen many other pictures and videos of firefighters, both career and volunteer, operating on the fire floor without hoods. I’ve also seen many pictures and videos of other departments operating on the roof without a mask. However, in my opinion, there never seems to be such uproar in those instances. I believe conditions warrant when/when not to wear a hood or mask. Also, many experienced firemen from major cities, like Boston or New York, do not use a hood as they feel it’s safer for them to operate in that way. I know several widely respected firefighters from major fire departments who do not always or ever wear a hood.
I’ve been fortunate enough to have time to see the Boston brothers in action on many occasions. Their truck work is superb and continues to be widely respected. This is not to say that their engine work is less proficient. As we witnessed, a line was in operating within maybe a minute of arrival, also a common occurrence in Boston and in many other places.
Boston firefighters see hundreds of fires per year, as do the brothers in New York, Detroit, Baltimore and Chicago. Such fire duty leads to a great deal of valuable experience that is not found in a book. And when you are responding to that many jobs, things may get a bit hairy and mistakes may occur. It’s the pure nature of the job.
Scotty, please take my comments and any others with a grain of salt. You and the rest of your brothers know what happened that day and that’s all that really matters in the end. Great job on saving the lives of those people. After all, ultimately, isn’t that what the job is all about?
PS – I am not affiliated with Boston fire in any way. The above is simply my opinion. And as you can tell, I am a proponent of aggressive firefighting.
Stay Safe everyone.
WOW! When we started this post we had no idea we were going to get this kind of response. We in no way were finger pointing or Monday morning quarterbacking this incident. In addition, we do no support the notion of any type of department bashing. We at vententersearch.com have always prided ourselves on keeping things positive on our posts and comments. It is no surprise that some of our readers have had strong views about these videos. It is the common passion we each share about our careers that keep us all heading in the right direction.
One of my long time fire department role models always taught me to be cautious about developing too strong of an opinion based on a photo, he always reminded me “that a photo is only a snapshot in time, you have no way of knowing exactly what happened before or after that photo was taken†His wise words of wisdom can certainly be applied to any video clip. Certainly to the limited video clips we have seen on this particular incident. …Thanks for that wisdom Lou…
We were delighted to have found the video and be able to pass it on to our readers. Our only intentions were to share this video with our readers as a learning opportunity. There are so many POSITIVE lessons that can be learned from this fire. Most importantly look at the outcome: multiple victims rescued, and no firefighter injuries. That fact alone speaks for itself. Are there certain things that some of you might have done differently? I’m sure there are, but I would also be willing to bet that if this very incident had happened anywhere else, we could have posted a video of it here and everyone could have found some “non textbook†things on your fireground too. Take a look at the end of Brian’s comments above; he’s going to use these videos to train with his crew… He has identified what he would like his crew to learn from these videos, and did it in a positive fashion. That is exactly what we had hoped everyone would do with these videos.
I would like to take the time to thank the brothers in Boston for a job well done! It looked like a hell of a scene to pull up on, and I’m sure the last thing you wanted to hear was of people second guessing your every move. We weren’t there! –Jimm-
So far all the comments I see are reactive to the incident.. The big picture is what they taught all of us from the beginning… Never place the hole between you and your egress (ladder) in this case…
Basic truck work 101….
Stay safe Brothers and Sisters
Whoa! Wow…if everyone one on BFD feels that overall everything was justified, why so defensive? (specifically referring to the BFD member). Even the best make mistakes, I’ve seen it plenty of times. No one is saying that BFD sucks. I think they did a tremendous job. All I’m saying is that it’s a good opportunity for self-critique.
As far as the PPE, there is simply no excuse. Sure, maybe there are times when it’s ok to do the roof work without being masked up, but why not have it on your back as a safety net? I don’t buy it that it’s difficult I never said that Boston couldn’t ladder, I said that they are the “latest victim”. In general, more aerial devices are being used than ever before. That, coupled with smaller staffing, means that we, the fire service as a whole, are getting rusty with our ground laddering. This was a specific reference to another comment and not necessarily the fire. And, I have been at the scene of several fires in Boston (mere happenstance) and noticed less aggressive ground laddering than I’ve noted in the past. Again, I’m not saying this means that BFD is not good at it, but ground laddering is taking a back seat to aerials.
Yes, there were rescues to be made, but we’re supposed to take calculated risks, not be cowboys. Think about YOUR family too. I’m sure they want you to retire from this job.
Boston isn’t the only place with 3 deckers either.
Scott from BFD/Ladder 4, Why was an Eng Capt on the turn table?
I have seen the raw footage, you guys had a helluva mess from the beginning. Glad to hear no one was hurt.
Bottom line is these guys did a helluva job and saved the funeral homes from a stellar weekend. We are starting to micro analyze this call and it ain’t doing any of us any good….shoulda…woulda …coulda. They did what was needed to be done and everyone went home to their families. Lets not pretend to know more than we do….we weren’t there.
The guys who were there are gonna learn more from what went right/wrong with that call than any of us.
Take the obvious from the videos and pass it along to your crew/dept. and go from there based on your dept’s SOP’s.
I would gladly ditch my mask than take it to the roof and have to ditch it there. I guess everyone who goes camping should bring a mask with them for the marshmellow toasting too!?
I think everyone agrees Dave. But,isn’t the point of the site peer learning too? Not just learning from stuff within our own depts. but also learning from things that go right or wrong in others. That does involve critique. I don’t think anyone means to be harsh, but make important points about how we can do our job effectively and still go home to our loved ones. We can also learn from what went right in this fire too. As you said, the funeral homes were kept quiet and all the jakes went home, which is what it’s all about. Let’s have some first-hand commentary about how the rescues were effected.
Corin…..don’t get me wrong..I’m not trying to stiffle good discussion…thats why I keep coming back to this site (every visit I learn something new).
Very true! Me too. Ironically, we just had a critique about our last fire and I was able to use some of the stuff from the site here to emphasize some of my points. In my area most of the depts. are staffed in a way that we don’t have separate ladder and engine companies. As the site says, truck work is a lost art in many places since we’re all doing double duty in a sense. At any given time may be doing truck work, or engine work, or both at the same fire. I think good truck work has become our weak point because of this. It’s a bit more complex than engine work sometimes (hard to say what I mean, but I’m sure you all know).
All minor quibbles about PPE aside, the large city depts. are the probably the best at truck work (especially those with densely populated, multi-story packed urban environments). All the more reason to look at what they do with objectivity.
Anyway, I didn’t mean to use this forum as my personal soapbox, so apologies for my verbosity!
Since we have all the quibbling about PPE ( Love that quibbling word), I would like to hear from guys who wear and dont wear hoods. I dont wear a hood. I found myself decending into a cellar fire that was preflashover stage and the only thing that stopped me from getting all the way down into it was that my neck started to feel like it was burning… It didnt, and i got back up the stairs and waited for the atmosphere to be cooled by other means. Its a personal thing. I would rather suffer a first or second degree burn than end up in a situation where i am enveloped in flames because my PPE worked so well i got in over my head. I do pull the nomex flaps on my helmet down and my collar up. Those flaps and the collar are three times as thick as the hood i was issued.
FIRE AWAY!!! LOL
Since the guys on the roof have been beaten to death–(IMHO, the video only shows the aftermath…obviously their work was instrumental in brothers getting positioned for a lot of rescue work.) My post was is to give kudos that they not only got the first line into operation pretty quickly, they chose the proper size. It looks to be a 2 1/2″…Boston always has impressed me with their ladder work, but they always have proven that the deuce’n’half can be used for OFFENSIVE FIREFIGHTING. It’s all about training and discipline…
Glad everyone got out safely!
The thing that I love most about this site is that it is a great learning tool. I’ve been on the job for 21 years now and I am still learning new things. There are things that I now use on the job that I picked up here.
What I don’t like to see is the department bashing and Monday morning quarterbacking that comes from seeing a picture or a short video. There are no text book fires and obviously things didn’t go as planned here hence the hasty but calm exit from the roof. There are some vaild points regarding the job these guys did in making the saves, the extinguishment, getting the vent, saving the equipment and everyone going home.
As far as the PPE, the SCBAs and saving the tools (which I agree with) use this site for what it was intended for. Talk with your crews and discuss what your department would have done in this situation then better yet get out there and train on the unforseen. Since watching this we have done a drill on a similiar set up to see what ideas the guys could come up with. (Watching the engine crew throw ladders is always nice)
Then once back at the house we watched the video and discussed it even more. (the PPE issue is the only one I hammered home and I’ll explain why in a minute)
Scott, you guys did a outstanding job under the conditions but why bash the Florida departments? You don’t know where the offensive responses were from. Some of us do work for aggressive departments in Florida who take the job as seriously as the next brother and we normally do it without the amount of manning you are used to.
Brian, one thing about your hood and all other PPE is that if it is issued and you are hurt not wearing it, the workman’s comp benefits are cut severly with you left paying the difference. You can wear your hood and still use all your senses to determine the conditions you are working in. You also should have an experienced Lieutenant or Captain with you that is monitoring the situation.
In conclusion to this soapbox session, never stop learning. Don’t train until you get it right – train until you can’t get it wrong so when the unforseen does happen your reaction will be second nature.
Upon viewing this video, it is easy to scrutinize everything you see. We can beat a dead horse and continue to say, “This should/shouldn’t have been done.” Remember this: Those who live in glass houses should not throw rocks. In this job, sometimes we do things that are unorthodox and not ‘by the book’. We put ourselves in harm’s way. Somtimes we come out good, sometimes not. If you are an aggressive fireman, sometimes you’ll be forced to do things that are not so safe. Making calculated risks is what it’s all about. Risk a lot to save a lot, risk a little to save a little and risk nothing to save nothing. Is that not the way each one of us were taught to make critical decisions? The way my department operates may not be what is right for you and yours. Yes, fundamentally we are pretty much all the same, but my tactics may not mesh with your way of doing business and vice versa. I have viewed this and taken a few things from it. Primarily, I am damn glad that everything I’ve done has not been captured on video, because I might be on the losing side of an inquisition.
We are all adults and can make our own decisions with regards to how and why we do the things we do. With that being said, I would like to make a few points to ponder and think about as you all sit around the kitchen table or out training.
DISCLAIMER: I’ve been in EMS for 12 years, but I am new to the fire service and am in no way attacking BFD for the way they do things. They did an amazing job with the rescues and the stop on the fire. No FF’s injured and they all went home to their families, which is everyone’s goal. I have cut exactly 0 roofs on structure fires so far in my career, but I don’t think that will make what I have to say any less valid. With that, Flame On!!!!!
The products of combustion will kill you, after a few breaths or 20 years down the road. We should limit our exposure to them to the ABSOLUTE minimum. That way we can have a healthy career AND retirement.
While it did not happen, what if the roof collapsed? I was not there on the roof so I don’t know what the conditions were like, but instead of standing on the roof, you are now in the middle of the third, or possibly second story in the midst of the seat of the fire. We know conditions can change rapidly and we all need to be prepared for the worst.
I thought the ladder work was outstanding. To have that many aerials up so fast, and to be able to get them in a place to save civilians as well as the roof crew shows great teamwork. As a vertical vent crew, always make sure you have more than one way off the roof. As it was shown, you may have to get off a different way than you came up.
By looking at the NIOSH reports, we do not find new ways to kill ourselves. The best thing we can do to honor the deaths of our brothers and sisters is to learn as much as possible about what happened. The same can be said of this video. That way, we can do what is necessary to prevent it from happening to us. When by current BC was an engineer, he lost his Captain in a LODD. He was promoted to replace him. I don’t want that to happen to any of us.
For those of us who don’t run the fires that BFD, FDNY, CFD, LAFD and the like do, be a student of the game. Learn as much as you can so when you are faced with these situations, you can face it with confidence and go home to your family.
Take care and be safe. We’ll see you next go ’round.
5s Capt…. I AM THE LT.
I dont want to freak all you guys out out there, but I work in a small town department. We run with 4 firefighters on a structure fire. 2 in the first engine, one in the second and one on the ladder. When we show up.. thats what we got to work with. That means like NFPA or not.. Sometimes my ass is in there alone… now before we totally nuke out over that. I live in massachusetts, where fire service and public safety generally arent high on the expenditures list. Thank god for EMS. We also run two als ambulances with that staffing. We have paid on call firefighters who may or may not show up in force, and we institute callbacks for fires… Mutual aid is a joke as the towns arround us are ALL CALL and dont leave the station till the trucks staffed.. that can be 10 minutes for backup. SO… I dont wear it. Sue me. Ill live to fight another day, maybe with burned skin. But it worked for 200 years before NOMEX hoods were invented.
Alright know that I have calmed down a bit from some of the guys who wrote posts at the start of this; I have found more video footage of this fire on youtube. Just type Boston Fire in the search and there it is. This footage shows all the guys on roof venting the with guess what…….SCBA’s well all but one, and he is the driver of the truck. Which is why the was an engine captain at the helm. Here in Boston we run 3 and 1 on the trucks 99% of the time; so the officer and the open up guy go inside, the vent man and the driver go to the roof, we don’t leave anyone on the turntable.
I’m sorry to bash the Florida departments, but ther are a few who only try to save the slab which I will not mention. There are several Departments that I have seen in action that are aggressive and do an outstanding job; such as City of Orlando, Miami Dade, Jacksonville, and FT Lauderdale to name a few. The hood thing like I said earlier is some wear them and some don’t. I do not because it can get you caught in places were you shouldn’t be. I take my SCBA to the roof and wear it when needed as do most of the guys that I work with do. Lastly Jason you took the words right out of my mouth. Also this is a great site. Peace
Yet another comment from me on this matter especially to Scott BFD/Ladder 4. I think I have seen most of the footage out there now on this fire and all I can say is what a friggin mess you guys and all other members were met with that day. Hell of a fucking job on a very quick knock with tremendous fire and smoke conditions. Great efficent and fast roof work, and most important great job with all the save’s. Stay safe out there Brother, BFD is a hell of a department and quite a town especially on St Pattys day. Can’t say I like your baseball team though being a White Sox fan.
Brian,
…and I was complaining about our staffing issues. You obviously have things to deal with other than weather or not you should wear a hood. Only you can make the choice of wearing or not wearing it and under your circumstances without the 2in/2out, RIT team, manpower, ect. I can understand your concerns. A blistered neck/ears is better than some of the alternatives. I personally can feel the heat and can judge the situation even with the hood on. I always wear it and so it is something that I’m used to. If you have the opportunity to do live fire training or utilize the burn building at one of the academys go in with and without it to see/feel the difference. The guys on my truck wear them because they don’t have a choice.
Scott – glad to see you have calmed down (I would have been a little pissed at some of the comments myself, hence my earlier remarks) I have seen some of the other videos on various sites and again … job well done. Most important is that everyone went home.
Jeff and Jimm – great site. There are subtle differences in the way the job is done in the northeast/south, east/west coast, large/small departments but I think we can all learn something from each other. The brotherhood is what makes this job different from the guy down the street baggin groceries.
Great job to the brothers in Boston. With out a doubt, they are faced with some tough jobs and are placed in tough positions. HOWEVER, listining to firefighters make excuses such as (regardless where you are from) “This is the way its done here” We do what we gotta do” and “No one got hurt-job well done”. Bullshit…give credit were credit is due but at the same time follow basic safety procedures and hold those accountable who don’t! Complacency kills us & we as a fire service are the worst at learning this (Could be the reason why we continue to kill over 100 FFs each year…for how any years now?). If you have the motto “We gotta do what we gotta do or thats the way we do it” (regardless where you are from)…when one of your firefighters gets killed because you did not follow basic FF safety procedures for whatever reason, (the SCBA is too heavy, gear is too hot, done this way for years…whatever your justification) try telling the family of that fallen firefighter “Well, he did what he had to do” & see how well that goes over….especially if those basic safety procedures could have prevented a death or injury. I get sick of listing over and over again and again for the last 17 years of how not following basic safety rules are justified in ones mind. I can only hope that one day this trend will stop. No disrespect to the BFD, I was not there & the BFD brother is right, it is easy for everyone to QB this to death with one short clip of video. If firefighters learn just one thing from the clip, then VES-job well done. Stay safe..
small video clip… i started as a north east ff and now work in the south east where truck work is, at best, difficult to teach as most guys want to be inside…with that being said ppe is important to wear all the time from begining to end… i have been on many roofs and have had some close calls not as close as it appears those guys had but close enough to make me think and i guareentee that everyone on that roof, hell on that scene will learn from this and do everythinhg in there power to not let it happen again.
stay safe
5s Capt…
You know.. I never thought of trying that!! Next training we get sent to Im going to do exactly that !
I do have one hood i got a while ago thats very thin and would probably work well… OHHH YEAH I forgot to mention… Its now COLD here in the northeast, and the hood came out of its hiding place !! LOL
Be well brothers and sisters. Happy Thanksgiving!
Tower Cap-
“In my opinion NFPA stands for No F—— Practical Application. These guys do this shit every day they go to work, it’s like second nature to them. Shit happens on this job and we cant always control it, but I guarantee you every guy on that roof knows there shit like the back of there hand and thats why they got off the roof so calmly.”
your kidding right?
you CAN control putting your gear on…also the whole “gear is too heavy” excuse sounds like a case of “pussitis” to me…
Thank God The Bro’s were OK….. As for the tactics……….I dunno what to say.
Have any of you wantabees ever wear a SCBA on a pitch roof…….
If I were the Chief of Boston Fire I would bribe who ever got the video so that it did not make it out on the internet. I would be ashamed to call myself a Boston Firefighter or any member of that Department at that. As for the guys on the roof, WTF? I would rather never fight fire again than fight fire like that.
Hey guys, must of the time we learn from somebody else’s victories or/and mistakes. To me this was a learning mistake and we all can gain a lot from it, be glad these brothers were able to make out alive.
we all do stupid things, maybe not as obvious but we all do, as far as our gear goes many of us take shortcuts that could cause us harm including not using our nomex hoods, wearing helmets that are no longer approved by our agencies, removing or adding things to our gear…etc
We all do it. These guys have been doing this for years and it’s hard to break bad habits. We all have learned a lot from these and many other great departments. It can be done training, keeping up with physical conditioning, and accountability will get us home at the end of our shift… no matter how big or small your department is safety should be our number one concern…Be safe.
Holy shit shut the $%#! up already with the whining and bullshit! Wear the mask or dont wear the mask, its up to the brother and his boss. To the turnout gear police, go $%#! yourselves. “Pussitis”? whens the last time you made 3 roofs in a tour jackass? How many stairwells did they already make, or 400 pound butt aches did they have to help EMS get into a bus, or how much more work could they have had to deal with that day? Everybody’s job has its own issues to be dealt with.
Boston – 16 grabs!!!!!FUCKIN JAM UP WORK Bro’s. It did look a little tight up there for a couple of minutes, but the true Jake spirit definitely showed through with the calm reactions and positive outcome.
Now that I’ve pissed off the OUTSTANDING firefighters, (those that are for some reason or another always out-standing in the yard aka “yardbreathers” and yes, usually wearing a mask so they dont have to breathe any of that toxic smoke), I’d like to ask a question to someone who actually knows for sure – what make and year is the truck that did the pick offs?
From the tiny video I saw, it looked alot like a Seagrave steel stick (from the tip). For those of you who prefer to spend your time on the roof, the USFA has an awesome booklet on ladder failures. It is definitely worth the read if your assigned to that type of equipment. Its free to order it online, just go their website to have it mailed to you.
As far as why they didnt just “climb down”, you need to know what I just asked. There are absolutely a whole lot of 250 lb. tip load, “designed supported load” aerials in service in this country.
For me, no hood unless its below grade. I know – Im an unsafe asshole. Just in case you weren’t sure, I dont like masks on roofs either. Sometimes I wear em, sometimes no. Depends on the job and the conditions. I believe the BA can make the job more hazardous in a lot of topsided operations. I also believe heavily in water cans and in breaking glass. I dont give a shit if Mrs. Smith has to buy new windows, so long as my brothers dont get tatooed inside her box of death. While I’m ranting, the PPV fan is the second largest piece of shit known to me. There are a few things competing for first place, but this morning, EMS I believe, is in the lead.
Lets not forget that the academy was for the FNG’s. This site is for all ages and places. If you really want to learn, ask a guy that does it every day, but chances are you’ll have to ask him, because he wont be interested in hearing about your backdraft and flashover bullshit stories.
Be safe, stay low and let it blow.
BRM
Damn son, who pissed in your wheaties?? Your quick to assume everyone on this site is…as you put it “Yardbreathers”. God forbid someone suggests that firefighters where the standard safety gear….you would think someone insulted your mom or something! I guess if someone suggests safe practices they are one of your yardbreathers…come on brotha, welcome to the internet….if it gets posted, it gonna get criticized & chances are if there are a lot of them, there is something to it. NO DOUBT….16 grabs, unbelievable & these guys obviously do a jam up job! BUT, others on this site (AKA-Yardbreathers) do have good points. Either way, I enjoyed your ranting….obviously, this is not the first time for you.
Damn, that was one hell of a fire. Alot going on. Don’t we train for days like that? I know I try to get my guys ready. Here is a quote I saw about the fire…”The job for any FF is filled with risks, some UNavoidable-especially when rescues are involved….we will never eliminate all the risks and still be effective. However, we also can often minimize the more common UNnecessary risks by wearing and using our equipment etc, for example-so we can keep going to fires…and make it home for Thanksgiving.”
As for…”To the turnout gear police, go $%#! yourselves. “Pussitisâ€? whens the last time you made 3 roofs in a tour jackass? How many stairwells did they already make, or 400 pound butt aches did they have to help EMS get into a bus, or how much more work could they have had to deal with that day?” it sounds like if you can’t handle it, maybe it is time for a change to a slower, less demanding company. I know where I am the guys are standing in-line for those companies. The men who are there, show up everyday ready for battle.
Remember…firefighting is inherently dangerous. Let’s not make it anymore dangerous than it already is!!! Train for a call just like this. You never know when it might happen!!
Be safe Brothers!!
LTTCDC…Live to Train, Train to Live
Boston runs mostly E-ONE aerials. That one looked to be an older model… but Cant be sure. It definitly wasnt one of their newer Pierces.
It has been very interesting reading all the posts. This is especially true due to the fact that I am from the south. There are some differences in the way we fight fires down here but we never make excuses for personnel not wearing all the proper PPE.
In Charleston, when the study revealed that some of the firefighters were not wearing PPE like they should, I say there is no excuse. Now I don’t know that it would have saved their lives to have full gear on, but that is beside the point.
I don’t blame the firefighters for this. I blame management who has not required it. I don’t blame the fire fighters on that roof for not having their SCBA on but I blame their supervisors.
Everyone in the fire service should know by now that we take care of ourselves first. Every ICS/NIMS class that is offered now through the National Fire Academy plainly teaches us that we need to protect us first of all.
When we come off the truck to do any work on any kind of job we should have the proper equipment to perform that job. This includes SCBA with flash hood and all to go to the roof!
NO MORE EXCUSES!
Good job on the rescues!
Keep up the good work!
For everybody who thinks they can do a better job the Boston Fire dept is taking applications. You can fill it out online between all the fires you guys go to.
I’m over it…good reads
-yard breather….
Geez, Close call on that one. I don’t know if I agree with throwing our helments off when we are about to make such a risky attempt. I am glad our brothers made it off safe and sound… don’t think some of that equipment can say the same.
-LCFS SC
Great Job By Boston’s Bravest. FDNY & Boston are almost identical both keep the old school ways. As for the turnout gear haters, Tell the best fire department in the world to wear SCBA’s while doing exterior operations and they will laugh in your face. “Save Your F**king Air Kid”
Stay Safe Brothers
Sorry I didnt have the time to read ALL of the comments to this Post. I do have firsthand knowledge about this fire since my former Ladder Company was first due. Let me state the Facts… 1, It was a SPARE Aerial Ladder that had no business being in use IMO, however like many Depts around the Country you respond in what is handed to you. 2, The Aerial Ladders Idle Speed BROKE and was stuck on high idle 3, Thats why you see the Aerial ladder jerk in the video.4, There was Heavy Fire on arrival, A side of the building,floors 1 thru 3, people were trapped at the B side windows and Ground Ladders were thrown to that side.
5, There was very limited access to the rear of the building, people were trapped and first alarm companies resources were focused on the rescues.
6, Boston Fire is not issued Hoods…
and last but not least
most Fires in Boston the Ladder Companies responding on the Worker on up will report to the IC with a ground ladder and await orders on placement.
thanks
Down South November 25th, 2007 3:10 pm
Be careful what you say. “We need to protect ourselves first of all”. Last I checked, the customer came first, and the customer is the mother holding her child out the third floor window. People expect us to risk everything to save there life. Even if it means losing our own. We protect the public first, and ourselves second. The selflessness of the fire service is what got us to where we are today.
BFD did a great job at this fire. They got the job done.
Hello!