HEATHER CASEY
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Chief Tvedten
Photo Courtesy Kansas City Fire Department
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A NIOSH report investigating the death of Kansas City Fire Department Battalion Chief John H. Tvedten suggests malfunctioning radio communications complicated the fire incident at which he died.
Tvedten, 47, died of carbon monoxide during a paper warehouse fire on December 18, 1999.
According to the report, on the way to the fire he warned the Incident Commander that they might have radio problems, due to past experiences in this kind of structure with their 800 mhz trunked system. Recognizing that problems might occur, operations were assigned to the talk-around channel.
Once at the scene, firefighters immediately ordered the evacuation of all employees from the approximately 300,000-square-foot warehouse. The fire, located in the paper-bale section, was causing the structure to fill with a haze of white smoke.
The IC ordered Tvedten to take command of interior operations.
After 52 minutes of battling the blaze, the two decided that conditions were deteriorating and they should go to a defensive attack.
Although the IC ordered everyone to evacuate, several firefighters' radios malfunctioned and they did not receive the order. Some of these firefighters later ran out of air, became disoriented, and needed assistance getting out.
Chief Tvedten (left)
Photo Courtesy Kansas City Fire Department
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After learning that everyone but Tvedten had come out, the IC ordered the two initial Rapid Intervention Teams to search for him. Both teams eventually ran low on air and had to exit without him. Additional RITs found Tvedten about an hourS and a half after the initial dispatch.
He was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
During the search, Tvedten radioed that he thought he was in the same location as he was when the smoke banked down, near the chain-link fence. He later said he was out of air and was breathing off the floor, and asked if all other personnel were accounted for. The IC noticed that his voice was labored and garbled, and asked Tvedten if he could manually activate his PASS device, but received no response. No further communications with the victim were received.
Tvedten was found unconscious with no helmet, radio or SCBA. His helmet was on the floor in an area where he was operating throughout the attack. His SCBA was about 10 feet away from him, and his PASS device was not turned on.
Among the 12 NIOSH recommendations to avoid similar situations is ensuring that fire fighters are equipped with a radio that does not bleedover, cause interference, or lose communication under field conditions.
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NIOSH Releases Report on Warehouse Fire That Claimed Kansas City Battalion Chief