A consultant's report was released recently regarding the tragic apparatus accident involving Boston's Ladder 26 in which a lieutenant was killed. Apparently, according to the report, the truck's brakes had not been inspected in the time recommended by the manufacturer. The report also listed a number of other items that need immediate correction. I recall talking to the head of an apparatus manufacturer on a factory visit. I commented how much work and time it takes to buy an apparatus. I also said it can be difficult to have routine maintenance or repairs done. The manufacturer told me that maintenance is the "sale after the sale." Most apparatus are kept in service for 10 to 30 years, depending on the number of runs, amount of work and other factors. Maintenance is the most important item to keep a vehicle in proper working order. Many other cities over the years have had to purchase almost entirely new fleets because of a lack of maintenance, faulty inspections of aerial apparatus or other preventable reasons. It is not easy to call up and order dozens and dozens of rigs, nor is it likely that you can order a piece of apparatus off the showroom floor. Typically, one- to two-year waiting times are customary. Like the TV commercial says, you can pay me now or you can pay me later - but at a higher price. In this case in Boston, it was too high a price to pay.
Last month, Chief Vincent Dunn reported in his Safety & Survival column on the cause of the collapse of 7 World Trade Center following the terrorist attack on 9/11. It was unheard of, but it became the first known high-rise building to collapse due to fire. Recently, there was a fire in a high-rise under construction in Beijing, China. Ignited by fireworks, the building became fully involved. The huge structure may have to be dismantled due to the severe structural damage. This is similar to the fire in Philadelphia, where a 38-story structure was dismantled after three firefighters died and remaining firefighters had to abandon the firefight due to structural concerns and low water pressure.
In an amazing story, Bill McGraw, a reporter for the Detroit Free Press, this month describes the daily conditions firefighters must work under in Detroit following a fire in which Firefighter Walter Harris lost his life in the line of duty in a vacant dwelling. When I was in Detroit in 1984 covering Devil's Night, there were an estimated 5,000 vacant buildings in the city. Today, it's estimated that there are 35,000 to 87,000 vacant buildings citywide. As if things weren't bad enough - after the story was written, a fire in a century-old Detroit firehouse forced the unit to move to another station because their building is now uninhabitable. For all the depressing facts, see page 94.
We've received terrific responses to Chief Mark Emery's articles on fire service leadership and fireground command, so we're pleased this month to introduce his latest series, "The 'Anatomy & Physiology' of the Structural Fireground." Mark explains why he believes that just as a competent surgeon must have a solid knowledge and understanding of human anatomy and physiology, a competent fire officer must understand the anatomy and physiology of building construction. He writes, "Just as gravity, time, trauma and disease can hasten the failure of the human organism, gravity, time, trauma and fire can hasten the failure of a building." See page 96.
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Harvey Eisner | Editor Emeritus
HARVEY EISNER was named Editor Emeritus of Firehouse® after serving 15 years as Firehouse's Editor-in-Chief. He joined the Tenafly, NJ, Fire Department in 1975 and served as chief of department for 12 years. He was a firefighter in the Stillwater, OK, Fire Department for three years while attending Oklahoma State University. Eisner was an honorary assistant chief of the FDNY and program director for the Firehouse Expo, Firehouse World and Firehouse Central conferences. He covered many major fires and disasters and interviewed numerous fire service leaders for Firehouse®
