Depite St. Louis firefighter collecting inspection data following the loss of a firefighter last year, a fire in vacant home Thursday left a firefighter injured because crews called in the blaze and were inside the structure before the dispatch was complete, officials said.
Firefighters from Engine House No. 24 called in the fire when they saw smoke from their station.
“The first arriving officer felt that he had time to get in there and do a quick search, Capt. Garon Mosby told Fox2Now.com. "Obviously, these do not start by themselves.”
A firefighter was injured when a partial collapse of the second floor fell on the firefighter.
“Instinctively, you spread out, which is what he did," Mosby said. "We always work in teams, so there were other firefighters with him, and we made a radio call that we had a down firefighter, helped him and got him to safety.”
Mosby said firefighters have been inspecting homes and adding their critical findings to dispatch notes so they have increased situational awareness. The data is then relayed to responding firefighters who factor those dangers into the operational tactics.
“It’s just another tool to give our officers, the first arriving companies," he said. "Something to put in their mind in evaluating and deciding what we can safely do.”
The inspections started after firefighter Ben Polson died in a 2022 collapse of a vacant structure.
The firefighter Thursday returned to work while still on scene.
