Four Days In December.....no greater way to HONOR their memories


Four Days In December .....no greater way to HONOR their memories by Deputy Chief Billy Goldfeder, E.F.O. Firefighterclosecalls.com
Four Days In December .....no greater way to HONOR their memories Wednesday, 12-22-05 was the anniversary of the Line of Duty Deaths of three firefighters in Keokuk, Iowa. December of 1999 was a tragic time for the nation's firefighters as we also know that we also lost six Brothers in Worcester, Mass. Worcester firefighters Paul A. Brotherton, Jeremiah M. Lucey, Timothy P. Jackson, Joseph T. McGuirk and fire lieutenants Thomas E. Spencer and James F. Lyons III were killed on December 3, 1999. In Keokuk, Assistant Fire Chief Dave McNally, 48, Firefighter Jason Bitting, 29, and Firefighter Nate Tuck, 39 were killed while attempting the rescue of three trapped kids-who also perished. The three firefighters left eight kids of their own behind. The firefighters died when a flashover occurred while the three were doing their search. The fire started in the kitchen of an old wooden two-story b/f home that had been converted into apartments. Staffing is a major issue in Keokuk, and that morning, four of the five on-duty firefighters arrived on scene and upon hearing the mother screaming that her children were trapped inside, they immediately went in after them. When "Mom" screams that her kids are inside-we go in. The three were inside, the assistant chief and two pump operators. A Lt. who was on the hydrant-couldn't see the building, and one firefighter was on side "A", starting to pack up to back the interior members up. The Chief made the terribly difficult decision to leave the scene for three minutes to personally transport a non-breathing rescued child because there were no other resources available. None. The hospital was a minute away. When he returned, the flashover had occurred with only the Lt. and the one firefighter outside. There are several reports out on the fire from both NIOSH and the NFPA. You can view the reports by searching the www for numerous articles related to the fire. There was also a two-part story on this fire in Firehouse Magazine, Close Calls column, last summer that you can also refer to. Time has passed since that fire. Chief Mark Wessell and the members of the KFD have moved forward with some significant changes since then. Staffing remains the same as back then. As a matter of fact, they almost had their budget cut this past year but made it through with full support from the elected officials. And the KFD catches quite a bit of work-fires that happen in Keokuk pretty regularly. What they did do though, is take the lessons learned from the tragic fire and the loss of their men, and applied that loss to changing the way they operate. The reports and stories explain all the details. Probably though, one of the best quotes I have ever heard came from Chief Wessell. Mark is a good man who has shown true leadership in taking the KFD forward, I don't know anyone who doesn't agree with that. Since that fire, Mark and I have become pretty close and I am continually in awe over how he has made it clear that his fire department will change, and has. Mark makes it clear that as horrible as this was, he will do whatever must to make sure it never happens again. To all of us, he made a statement that sums it up.... "Always remember that we as firefighters are there to help people with a problem, while also doing ALL that we can to never become PART of that problem" It's some good old common Iowa sense that all of us can use and follow in training, responding, operating and coming home. December remains a heartbreaking month. In 1998, on December 18, 3 FDNY firefighters from Ladder 170 in Canarsie, Brooklyn, Lt. Joseph Cavalieri, FF Chris Bopp and FF Jimmy Bohan died on the 10th floor of a "fireproof" multiple dwelling on Vandalia Ave. whose sprinklers had been shut down prior to the fire. They were doing their jobs when something suddenly went wrong. The window let go in the fire room and the wind caused blow torch like flames to engulf the fire floor raising temperatures in the hallway to about 2000 degrees and burn marks to the floor. All three died as their internal body temperatures raised and knocked them unconcious. All of them wore their PPE and full SCBA with facepieces on and were doing what we are expected to do, everyday. It's hard for any firefighter to celebrate the Christmas season without also remembering the Worcester Six, the Keokuk Three and now, most recently Baytown, Texas Firefighter Nito Guajardo. He was killed in a single family dwelling fire on December 20. He will be buried Christmas Eve. We hope all of you had a very happy and safe holiday season with a sincere wish that many more of us "return to quarters" safely, while not becoming a "problematic part" of any incident. How do we avoid it? *TRAINING* - the only solution. Training by learning what HAS happened and doing whatever it takes at our FD's to not repeat history. By learning about, and TRAINING to avoid what has happened to our Brothers and Sisters in the past-there is no greater way to HONOR their memories.
About the author: Chief Billy Goldfeder has been a firefighter since 1973, serves as Deputy Fire Chief of the Loveland-Symmes FD in S.W. Ohio. A Chief Officer since 1982, he has served as a Fire Chief in Ohio, Virginia and Florida. Chief Goldfeder also served as a Public Protection representative covering southern New York, for I.S.O. as well as a Company Officer with the Manhasset-Lakeville F.D., in Long Island, N.Y. both in the mid-70’s. A 1993 graduate of the National Fire Academy's Executive Fire Officer Program, he is the former Chair of the International Association of Fire Chiefs VCOS Section. In 2001, Chief Goldfeder was honored with an appointment of Hon. Battalion Chief of F.D.N.Y. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation as well as the Board of Directors of the 9/11 Widows, Victims and Families Association. Additionally, he is the recipient of numerous operational and administrative awards and recognitions and received the Loveland-Symmes FD Departmental Award of Excellence in 2003, the Dana Hannon Training Award for 2004, the I.S.F.S.I. Fire Instructor of The Year Award for 2004 and an I.A.F.C. Presidential Award for 2005.Chief Goldfeder recently completed his 6th year as a Commissioner on the Commission of Fire Accreditation International. He serves as an Associate/Contributing Editor for FIRE ENGINEERING, FIREHOUSE, FIRE RESCUE and several State and regional fire magazines as well as WithTheCommand.Com, Firehouse.Com and is a member of the F.E.T.N. (Fire and Emergency Television Network) Advisory Board. He has spoken on, as well as published, numerous articles on subjects such as combination FD's, fire command and tactics, firefighter/fireground safety, apparatus design and deployment and fireground staffing. His monthly column "Close Calls" appears in FIREHOUSE Magazine and his bi-weekly radio show “Through the Smoke” is hosted on Firehouse.com. Chief Goldfeder has served on several N.F.P.A. and I.A.F.C. Committees. He is the Vice Chairman of the I.A.F.C. Safety, Health and Survival Section, is a member of the National Firefighter Near-Miss Reporting Task Force (I.A.F.C.) and has been an Instructor at the Fire Department Instructors Conference (F.D.I.C.) for the past 24 years as well as a member of the FDIC Advisory Board for the past 14 years. He has and does provide consulting services for municipal and private corporations with a clear focus on firefighter safety and survival. Chief Goldfeder, along with Captain Gordon Graham, police/fire service risk management expert, attorney and California Highway Patrol Captain, hosts and sponsors the website, Firefighterclosecalls.com, a 100% non-commercial, independent and free site with only 1 focus: Firefighter Safety, Survival and Getting Everyone Home! He can be contacted at BillyG@FirefighterCloseCalls.com

Four Days In December
.....no greater way to HONOR their memories
by Deputy Chief Billy Goldfeder, E.F.O.
Firefighterclosecalls.com

Four Days In December
.....no greater way to HONOR their memories

Wednesday, 12-22-05 was the anniversary of the Line of Duty Deaths of three firefighters in Keokuk, Iowa.

December of 1999 was a tragic time for the nation's firefighters as we also know that we also lost six Brothers in Worcester, Mass. Worcester firefighters Paul A. Brotherton, Jeremiah M. Lucey, Timothy P. Jackson, Joseph T. McGuirk and fire lieutenants Thomas E. Spencer and James F. Lyons III were killed on December 3, 1999.

In Keokuk, Assistant Fire Chief Dave McNally, 48, Firefighter Jason Bitting, 29, and Firefighter Nate Tuck, 39 were killed while attempting the rescue of three trapped kids-who also perished. The three firefighters left eight kids of their own behind.

The firefighters died when a flashover occurred while the three were doing their search. The fire started in the kitchen of an old wooden two-story b/f home that had been converted into apartments. Staffing is a major issue in Keokuk, and that morning, four of the five on-duty firefighters arrived on scene and upon hearing the mother screaming that her children were trapped inside, they immediately went in after them. When "Mom" screams that her kids are inside-we go in.

The three were inside, the assistant chief and two pump operators. A Lt. who was on the hydrant-couldn't see the building, and one firefighter was on side "A", starting to pack up to back the interior members up. The Chief made the terribly difficult decision to leave the scene for three minutes to personally transport a non-breathing rescued child because there were no other resources available. None. The hospital was a minute away. When he returned, the flashover had occurred with only the Lt. and the one firefighter outside.

There are several reports out on the fire from both NIOSH and the NFPA. You can view the reports by searching the www for numerous articles related to the fire. There was also a two-part story on this fire in Firehouse Magazine, Close Calls column, last summer that you can also refer to.

Time has passed since that fire. Chief Mark Wessell and the members of the KFD have moved forward with some significant changes since then. Staffing remains the same as back then. As a matter of fact, they almost had their budget cut this past year but made it through with full support from the elected officials. And the KFD catches quite a bit of work-fires that happen in Keokuk pretty regularly. What they did do though, is take the lessons learned from the tragic fire and the loss of their men, and applied that loss to changing the way they operate. The reports and stories explain all the details.

Probably though, one of the best quotes I have ever heard came from Chief Wessell. Mark is a good man who has shown true leadership in taking the KFD forward, I don't know anyone who doesn't agree with that. Since that fire, Mark and I have become pretty close and I am continually in awe over how he has made it clear that his fire department will change, and has. Mark makes it clear that as horrible as this was, he will do whatever must to make sure it never happens again. To all of us, he made a statement that sums it up....

"Always remember that we as firefighters are there to help people with a problem, while also doing ALL that we can to never become PART of that problem"

It's some good old common Iowa sense that all of us can use and follow in training, responding, operating and coming home.

December remains a heartbreaking month. In 1998, on December 18, 3 FDNY firefighters from Ladder 170 in Canarsie, Brooklyn, Lt. Joseph Cavalieri, FF Chris Bopp and FF Jimmy Bohan died on the 10th floor of a "fireproof" multiple dwelling on Vandalia Ave. whose sprinklers had been shut down prior to the fire. They were doing their jobs when something suddenly went wrong. The window let go in the fire room and the wind caused blow torch like flames to engulf the fire floor raising temperatures in the hallway to about 2000 degrees and burn marks to the floor. All three died as their internal body temperatures raised and knocked them unconcious. All of them wore their PPE and full SCBA with facepieces on and were doing what we are expected to do, everyday.

It's hard for any firefighter to celebrate the Christmas season without also remembering the Worcester Six, the Keokuk Three and now, most recently Baytown, Texas Firefighter Nito Guajardo. He was killed in a single family dwelling fire on December 20. He will be buried Christmas Eve.

We hope all of you had a very happy and safe holiday season with a sincere wish that many more of us "return to quarters" safely, while not becoming a "problematic part" of any incident. How do we avoid it? TRAINING - the only solution. Training by learning what HAS happened and doing whatever it takes at our FD's to not repeat history. By learning about, and TRAINING to avoid what has happened to our Brothers and Sisters in the past-there is no greater way to HONOR their memories.

About the author:

Chief Billy Goldfeder has been a firefighter since 1973, serves as Deputy Fire Chief of the Loveland-Symmes FD in S.W. Ohio. A Chief Officer since 1982, he has served as a Fire Chief in Ohio, Virginia and Florida. Chief Goldfeder also served as a Public Protection representative covering southern New York, for I.S.O. as well as a Company Officer with the Manhasset-Lakeville F.D., in Long Island, N.Y. both in the mid-70’s.

A 1993 graduate of the National Fire Academy's Executive Fire Officer Program, he is the former Chair of the International Association of Fire Chiefs VCOS Section. In 2001, Chief Goldfeder was honored with an appointment of Hon. Battalion Chief of F.D.N.Y. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation as well as the Board of Directors of the 9/11 Widows, Victims and Families Association. Additionally, he is the recipient of numerous operational and administrative awards and recognitions and received the Loveland-Symmes FD Departmental Award of Excellence in 2003, the Dana Hannon Training Award for 2004, the I.S.F.S.I. Fire Instructor of The Year Award for 2004 and an I.A.F.C. Presidential Award for 2005.Chief Goldfeder recently completed his 6th year as a Commissioner on the Commission of Fire Accreditation International. He serves as an Associate/Contributing Editor for FIRE ENGINEERING, FIREHOUSE, FIRE RESCUE and several State and regional fire magazines as well as WithTheCommand.Com, Firehouse.Com and is a member of the F.E.T.N. (Fire and Emergency Television Network) Advisory Board. He has spoken on, as well as published, numerous articles on subjects such as combination FD's, fire command and tactics, firefighter/fireground safety, apparatus design and deployment and fireground staffing. His monthly column "Close Calls" appears in FIREHOUSE Magazine and his bi-weekly radio show “Through the Smoke” is hosted on Firehouse.com.

Chief Goldfeder has served on several N.F.P.A. and I.A.F.C. Committees. He is the Vice Chairman of the I.A.F.C. Safety, Health and Survival Section, is a member of the National Firefighter Near-Miss Reporting Task Force (I.A.F.C.) and has been an Instructor at the Fire Department Instructors Conference (F.D.I.C.) for the past 24 years as well as a member of the FDIC Advisory Board for the past 14 years. He has and does provide consulting services for municipal and private corporations with a clear focus on firefighter safety and survival. Chief Goldfeder, along with Captain Gordon Graham, police/fire service risk management expert, attorney and California Highway Patrol Captain, hosts and sponsors the website, Firefighterclosecalls.com, a 100% non-commercial, independent and free site with only 1 focus: Firefighter Safety, Survival and Getting Everyone Home!

He can be contacted at BillyG@FirefighterCloseCalls.com