The NIOSH Firefighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program has released the line of duty death report of a Missouri lieutenant killed in a collapse on February 22, 2014
Read the Report
Career Lieutenant Killed Following a Walkway Collapse While Working to Evacuate a University Student Housing Building
On February 22, 2014, a 48-year-old male career lieutenant, attempting to evacuate a student housing building, lost his life after the walkway he was on collapsed. The lieutenant’s department was dispatched for a reported roof collapse at a university student housing complex.
The lieutenant arrived first with a crew of two on the department’s snozzle apparatus. The lieutenant advised dispatch that nothing was showing and asked if they could confirm the address. The lieutenant and his fire fighter performed a walk around of Sides A, B, and D and a visual inspection of Side C before ascending a single flight of exterior stairs located on Side D along with a university police officer to access the exterior second-story walkway.
The three of them began knocking on doors to speak with the occupants. The lieutenant walked past the other two, who were speaking with occupants through a window, to check on the next apartment. Suddenly, the outer edge of the concrete walkway gave way and the walkway swung down against the building, dropping the lieutenant to the sidewalk. The concrete walkway then broke away from the building and fell flat and upside down onto the sidewalk crushing the lieutenant. Lifesaving measures were immediately started after the lieutenant was extricated from underneath the walkway.
The lieutenant was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Contributing Factors:
- Deterioration and collapse of concrete walkway
- Awareness of the building condition not communicated to the fire department
- No site pre-planning
- Inadequate caller information influenced dispatch information provided to responding units
- Situational awareness
Key Recommendations:
- Higher education facilities, sovereign entities, and authorities having jurisdiction should develop strategies for the inspection and remediation of student housing complexes and have programs in place to immediately address potential hazards
- Dispatch centers should ensure that all information taken by a call taker is clearly understood and provided to or simultaneously reviewed by a dispatcher so that all available information is provided to responding emergency personnel
