The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse Tuesday brought memories flooding back for former Minneapolis and Baltimore Fire Chief Jim Clack.
He was at the helm in Minneapolis when the I-35 bridge toppled into the Mississippi River killing 12 and injuring more than 100.
Clack said he often thinks about that day.
“Most firefighters don't plan on a bridge collapse. We do think about structure collapse all the time, technical rescue, but not a bridge collapse," he told Local 5.
The circumstances surrounding those in Baltimore are different than the 2007 incident in Minneapolis, but he says the difficulty of responding is the same.
"It takes training to be able to work on top of the water and under the water. Thankfully, Baltimore Fire has fire boats. They have underwater sonar. They have a dive team. They've got a lot of resources that a lot of places don't have."
He knows about Baltimore's preparedness and assets because he led the department for five years.
