Excerpts from wcia.com:
The Beardstown Fire Department was issued eight citations and two fines by the Illinois Department of Labor’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health as a result of standard violations during a fire that left three firefighters hurt last year.
On May 16, 2021, firefighters responded to a building at 4th and Bay Streets for a reported fire. During the fire, Chief Brian Becker and two other firefighters became lost on the second floor of the building, declared a mayday, and were forced to jump out of the building from a second-floor window, a height of about 21 feet. All three were seriously injured and treated at the hospital. An occupant of that building was also hurt in the blaze.
IL OSHA’s investigation determined that key factors that contributed to the firefighters’ injuries included a lack of initial incident command, search and rescue operations taking place above an active fire in a building that had no sprinkler system, and firefighters operating in zero visibility without a hoseline or tagline.
The report also identified 15 indirect causes of the incident and provided 19 recommendations to prevent a similar incident in the future. IL-OSHA issued eight citations to the Beardstown Fire Department, two of which were repeat violations that carried monetary penalties.
“The incident report was written for rank-and-file firefighters, fire officers, chiefs and elected officials,” said IL OSHA Acting Division Manager Erik Kambarian. “It is a case study that highlights the importance of establishing strong, initial, and assertive incident command, and matching tactics and strategies to available capabilities. Fire departments should look at the circumstances this department faced and apply it to their operational picture.”
IL OSHA’s full report can be viewed online.
thanks Martin
