Cincinnati.Com
NKY.COM  |  ENQUIRER  |  CIN WEEKLY  |  Classifieds  |  Cars  |  Homes  |  Jobs  |  Help
Currently:
45°F
Cloudy
Weather | Traffic
The Enquirer
HOME
NEWS
ENTERTAINMENT
SPORTS
REDS
BENGALS
LOCAL GUIDE
MULTIMEDIA
ARCHIVES
SEARCH
 
 TODAY'S ENQUIRER 
 Front Page 
-- Local News 
 Sports 
 Business 
 Editorials 
 Tempo 
 Home Style 
 Travel 
 Health 
 Technology 
 Weather 
 Back Issues 
 Search 
 Subscribe 

 SPORTS 
 Bearcats 
 Bengals 
 High School 
 Reds 
 Xavier 

 VIEWPOINTS 
 Jim Borgman 
 Columnists 
 Readers' views 

 ENTERTAINMENT 
 Movies 
 Dining 
 Horoscopes 
 Lottery Results 
 Local Events 
 Video Games 

 CINCINNATI.COM 
 Giveaways 
 Maps/Directions 
 Send an E-Postcard 
 Coupons 
 Visitor's Guide 

 CLASSIFIEDS 
 Jobs 
 Cars 
 Homes 
 Obituaries 
 General 
 Place an ad 

 HELP 
 Feedback 
 Subscribe 
 Search 
 Newsroom Directory 




 
Friday, May 23, 2003

Fatal fire report leads to changes


One error cited: kinks in hose

By Jane Prendergast
The Cincinnati Enquirer

[photo]
Armstrong

Cincinnati's first firefighter killed in the line of duty in 22 years went into a Bond Hill blaze carrying a long hose too kinked to deliver water, an internal investigation shows.

Oscar Armstrong III was the first man carrying the hose line into the burning house the morning of March 21. The internal report, released Thursday, said he and two other firefighters went in the front door after they and a supervisor called at least three times for the water to be turned on.

They didn't realize that part of the 350-foot hose lay in the bushes outside, so severely kinked that the water couldn't move through.

Chief Robert Wright and other officials stressed no one involved in the fire was to blame for Armstrong's death. He acknowledged that "it appears that there may have been better decisions that could've been made," but said it's unfair to look back in hindsight and criticize.

No one will be disciplined, he said.

"There's no reason for discipline," said training chief Tom Lakamp, who led the committee that will continue to investigate the death for as long as a year.

Armstrong, 25, was critically burned when the fire, which started in the kitchen, then "flashed over," engulfing the house and everything in it. He'd been in the two-story Cape Cod 10 minutes, the report said, when colleagues finally found him and got him out a window. Other firefighters initially thought he already was out of the house.

He was pronounced dead at University Hospital.

The report points out the water issue and other problems at the fire scene on Laidlaw Avenue:

• Firefighters often carry hose lines "dry" - they're too heavy when full. But a "dry" hose line should never be taken into a high-heat or smoke-filled room.

• The first two "attack lines" pulled at the fire were severely kinked. Time must be spent smoothing out the hose while advancing to the fire.

• The one line was 350 feet long (seven connected sections of 13/4-inch hose), greatly reducing the gallons-per-minute released.

Some changes already have been made, including that Rapid Assistance Teams - they rescue other firefighters - are now dispatched immediately to every fire. Companies also have been ordered to carry pre-connected hoses no longer than 250 feet and to remove all 'Y' connectors from their hose lines. Those allow the connection of two smaller hoses to a bigger hose, but require opening a valve to turn on the water.

The latter was not an issue in the Laidlaw fire, Lakamp said, but officials decided there was no need for that extra step in getting water to a fire.

"We're trying to learn from a very difficult and tragic situation," said Joe Diebold, president of the firefighters union, "so another mother doesn't have the loss of her son."

The department takes delivery Wednesday of its new flashover simulator, bought with a federal grant. It allows trainers to repeatedly create enough heat to force a flashover so firefighters can see and feel the conditions that lead up to the fire phenomenon that killed Armstrong.

"Nobody," Wright said, "was actually the person who caused Armstrong's death."

As the investigation continues, Lakamp said, future changes likely will come in training, technology and equipment.

E-mail jprendergast@enquirer.com




TOP STORIES
Fatal fire report leads to changes
Builder will buy back homes
Twins' mom suffers for hard choice

IN THE TRISTATE
Zoo Academy graduates learned a lot about life
Dental clinic fills a need for affordable care in city
Memorial Day closings
Ohio Memorial Day activities
UC looks to next phase of planning
Actress Mia Farrow's life shaped by tragedies
Obituary: Nancy DiMuzio loved reading
Tristate A.M. Report

ENQUIRER COLUMNISTS
SMITH AMOS: License to panhandle
BRONSON: Happy hour
HOWARD: Some Good News

BUTLER, WARREN, CLERMONT
AK Steel: Rules threaten future
Fox: Juvenile, Domestic Relations courts violate rights
Expect Soviet aircraft in sky over Warren County
Mother was abused, son says
District promotes principal
Mall gives kids a feel for retail
Woman's body was in cistern; son arrested
Levy stays until victory confirmed

OHIO
Voinovich stuck to his guns, got his way
Public schools lose money, charters gain under plan
No touching? Strip clubs sue city
Ohio Moments

KENTUCKY
Boating officers brace for crowds
Crowd backs school coaches
Teaching art with humanity
Drywall maker could face $416,000 air pollution fine
Fletcher can spend money
Diversion needs assent of prosecutor, court rules
Ky. Memorial Day activities
Mom of teen killers accused of benefits scheme
Girl with rare disease tries new remedy here
American flags to adorn graves of local veterans
Insurance fees may close birth center
Kentucky obituaries

 

Latest Headline News
Updated Every 30 Minutes
AP TOP HEADLINE NEWS

Iraqi Official: 150,000 Civilians Dead

Sen. Allen Concedes Defeat in Virginia

Bush, Pelosi Hold White House Talks

Massive Recall of Acetaminophen Underway

Mubarak Warns Against Hanging Saddam

Bolton Unlikely to Win Senate Approval

AP: Startling Findings in Tillman Probe

Ed Bradley of '60 Minutes' Dies at 65

U.S. Rises in Auto Reliability Ratings

49ers Look to Relocate New Stadium



Cincinnati.Com
Search our site by keyword:  
Search also: News | Jobs | Homes | Cars | Classifieds | Obits | Coupons | Events | Dining
Movies/DVDs | Video Games | Hotels | Golf | Visitor's Guide | Maps/Directions | Yellow Pages

  CINCINNATI.COM  |  NKY.COM  |  ENQUIRER  |  CIN WEEKLY  |  Classifieds  |  Cars  |  Homes  |  Jobs  |  Help


Search | Questions/help | News tips | Letters to the editors | Subscribe
Newspaper advertising | Web advertising | Place a classified | Circulation

Copyright 1995-2007. The Cincinnati Enquirer, a Gannett Co. Inc. newspaper.
Use of this site signifies agreement to terms of service updated 12/19/2002.