Report Number: 05-0000195
Report Date: 05/27/2005

Event Description

On this day in 2002 my Engine company responded as dispatched to a reported auto fire on an interstate hwy. overpass. Location was questionable upon dispatch and exact location was made only after visual contact near the intersection. Because of the location of the burning auto a critical decision had to be made. Do we make a 3 mile loop to get onto the freeway to fight the fire or do we place the apparatus on the frontage road and fight the fire from there. The three mile loop would have added time to the response and the auto engine compartment was fully involved. Upon pressure from the rest of the crew the officer chose to fight the fire from the frontage road. The auto was parked on the shoulder on the outside lane of a highway near an entrance ramp. Upon direct contact with the auto a firefighter entered the passenger compartment to pull the hood release. The door of the passenger compartment was on the traffic side of the shoulder. He noticed another automobile entering the highway via the nearby ramp. The approaching auto was approaching quickly so the firefighter moved onto the shoulder of the road to allow the auto to pass. The approaching auto struck the burning auto and continued down the highway not even realizing it had made contact with the disabled and burning auto. A near miss was averted due to the firefighter's awareness and quick action to move out of the way. He could have been killed very easily. In retrospect we should have made the loop and PROPERLY placed the apparatus directly behind the burning auto for protection. We know this. We are trained to properly place the apparatus. But the auto was heavily involved and time was of the essence to extinguish the fire. Realistically, the damage was done and the lives of firefighters are not, under any circumstances, worth the cost of an automobile on fire. I was the driver at the time of this incident and saw the whole thing transpire in slow motion from the frontage road. The officer was preoccupied with accessing the auto and never saw the event transpire. Positioning of the apparatus where we did was a bad decision and we knew it. Currently I am an engine officer and you can bet your bottom dollar that I will NEVER make the same mistake, not even if the crew pressures me to do the same. Officers are paid to make decisions, some more difficult than others regardless of the wishes of their crew. They just wanted to fight fire. Thanks for the opportunity to share this Near Miss. I hope many will learn from our bad decision. Thank God we didn't kill a firefighter that night. I'm not sure I could have lived with myself if this young new recruit had been killed.

Lesson Learned

Lessons learned: 1. Place the apparatus as trained. There is a reason for this procedure. 2. Do not allow crew members to cloud decision making by the company officer. 3. Be aware of your surroundings/environment and make decisions accordingly. 4. The life of a firefighter is not worth the price of an already heavily damaged automobile. 5. The officer should consider a more hands off approach to allow for better decision making. Let firefighters do what they are trained to do. Officers have additional responsibilities and safety is the first and foremost responsibility.

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