May 22--Bryan Fire Chief Randy McGregor spent an hour with local media Wednesday as he addressed key findings in two reports released this week detailing the circumstances and causes of the fire on Feb. 15 2013, at Knights of Columbus Hall that killed two members of the department.
The chief expressed pride in the way the incident was and has been handled before diving into changes that have been made based on "lessons learned" since Lts. Eric Wallace and Greg Pickard died and firefighters Mitch Moran and Ricky Mantey were severely burned.
The State Fire Marshal's Office released a 45-page report on Monday following an investigation of the deadly fire, and a 50-page incident report produced by the Bryan Fire Department was publicly shared at Wednesday's press conference, which took place in the engine bay of Central Station.
The reports are similar in their findings and McGregor said he wasn't surprised by anything that came out of the state's investigation.
McGregor said his department was in a "state of shock" immediately following the fatal incident, but in its grief realized the importance of determining what could be learned from the tragedy.
"Since we came together, we've had one goal -- to make every effort and take every opportunity to ensure an event like this never happens again," he said.
About $500,000 in city funds has been invested in improving firefighter safety since the fire, with about $100,000 being spent on equipment and gear upgrades and $400,000 on hiring and training six new firefighters, McGregor said.
Kelly Listner, an assistant state fire marshal present at the press conference, said the findings and recommendations identified in the fire investigation will be shared with firefighters throughout Texas and the country so other departments can use the information to build their safety programs.
"The sacrifice the two lieutenants made is going to have far-reaching effects on the fire service," Listner said.
McGregor emphasized that much of what took place the night Wallace and Pickard died could not be "put on paper" and said firefighters "performed at exceptional levels."
The incident report provides more specifics about what happened inside the Knights of Columbus Hall and the rescue efforts that were made by all who responded.
Emergency dispatchers received the first of six calls reporting the building was on fire at 11:19 p.m., about 50 minutes after organizers of a quincinera scheduled for the next day had left the hall. According to the incident report, the initial caller didn't believe the building to be occupied and didn't see cars in the parking lot.
The fire started in the kitchen by a damaged electrical cord connected to a fan located in the bingo room, which is the last room Wallace was seen in.
Within 20 minutes of crews being dispatched to the scene -- with Wallace and another firefighter being in the first engine to arrive -- the lieutenant made his first distress call at about 11:40 p.m. indicating he was lost and low on air, according to the reports.
About five minutes later, three firefighters were exiting after a second evacuation order as Pickard, Mantey and Moran, who'd been appointed as the rapid intervention team, went into the burning building to find Wallace.
The team had located and picked up Wallace and were attempting to get out when a flashover occurred in the roof of the bingo room.
Later, another lieutenant would report witnessing the flashover and seeing the team become engulfed in flames as they tried to save Wallace.
"They were consumed by fire," McGregor said. "We're not talking about being next to the fire ... they were on fire. They could've easily ran out but they didn't, they stayed with him."
He added: "How could you ask more of any human being?"
As the lieutenant who saw the men on fire was spraying water on them, one of them was able to crawl toward him and was removed from the building. According to the report, it's still unclear if Moran or Mantey was the first out.
Seven minutes after leading the rapid intervention team inside, Pickard was the last of the three to be brought out.
As he lay there being treated by medics, McGregor said, Pickard expressed frustration at not being able to get Wallace out and was informing other firefighters of where they would find Wallace.
"Even with the burn injuries he'd received, he was still more concerned about a brother firefighter than himself," McGregor said.
At 12:08 a.m., 42 minutes after Wallace had entered the building, the lieutenant was retrieved through a second rescue operation involving eight firefighters. Wallace was rushed to St. Joseph's hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Copyright 2014 - The Eagle, Bryan, Texas
