April 11 is the one-year anniversary of the heroic Line-of-Duty-Death of East Franklin (N.J.) Firefighter/Foreman Kevin Apuzzio, age 21. Sometimes not everyone goes home.
Timing is always something, isn't it.
I'm doing a program next week (around one year after Kevin's LODD) that is a very short and fast classroom session from 0830-1015 on Friday morning at FDIC. The name of the program was developed right after Kevin died. It is called Not Everyone Goes Home. And it was developed after discussions with those who were with Kevin when he was killed.
I have been friends with the members of the East Franklin Fire Department for many years. I have done some training with them and we have had some fun "social" times as well.
At approximately 0600 hours one year ago Wednesday, April 11, companies were dispatched to a dwelling fire with reported entrapment. PD on the scene confirmed it. Firefighters arrived with heavy smoke, they entered with a handline and attempted to locate the trapped victim. The victim was found. Firefighters continued to attempt the rescue when, at that time, the floor opened up and Firefighter Kevin Apuzzio fell into the fire and subsequently died of his injuries following valiant attempts by the firefighters to get him out.
As I said, I am close friends with the folks involved, the officers and members of East Franklin. They are among the most focused on firefighter safety and survival that I know. We have featured some of their ideas on our website and have done some teaching with, and for, them. Their attempts to save this victim were clearly heroic. That's what firefighters attempt to do. Tragically, Kevin lost his life while directly attempting to rescue a trapped civilian.
I met with EFFD Chief Danny Krushinski, the officers and members of East Franklin prior to the funeral to spend some time. And, we spent a lot of time talking. In the discussions, one of the young firefighters who was involved with the rescue told me that he now HATED the term "everyone goes home" because, obviously, Kevin did not. It made me start to think. Was the slogan a problem?
It has nothing to do with a slogan. The slogan "Everyone Goes Home" is an attitude, an attitude within a fire department that we'll do all we can to try and bring all of our firefighters home. It was and still is the EFFD attitude. Some of the younger firefighters understandably, just didn't get it at the time.
It means that if we don't drive like idiots, we'll probably make it home. It means if we follow standards such as NFPA 1403, firefighter trainees will probably make it home.
It means if we put our seat belts on and we collide on the way to a fire, we'll probably make it home.
It means if we weigh 100 lbs too much, and we eat more salads, we'll probably make it home.
It means that if it is obvious the building will collapse and we stay out of the way, we'll probably make it home.
It means if we have the right amount of trained staffing and good bosses at a fire, we'll probably make it home.
And it means that if we drill and train on the stuff we need to do regularly, such as the ability to quickly get water on the fire, we'll probably make it home.
These young firefighters-and I mean really young, were angry, upset and confused. They just lost their best friend and he didn't get to come home. So their anger toward the slogan "everyone goes home" was understandable, because Kevin didn't.
But Kevin DID die in the line of duty. The difference between Kevin's death and the majority of the annual roll of those who die in the line of duty each year is that Kevin was doing his job exactly the way it was supposed to be done. The risk-at the time-based on conditions-was worth it.
He was fit.
He was well trained.
They drove safely and arrived.
They were all belted in.
They went in with at TIC, a line, fully geared up, no exposed skin, and they had a very competent fire ground commander in charge.
But timing is everything.
The timing of the woman being trapped required the crews to go in prior to the arrival of the numerous other companies responding. Risk vs Benefit: Woman trapped and husband saying she is in there. Do the math.
Perhaps another line also in the basement would have helped. It didn't matter. It wasn't possible at that time and SHE WAS TRAPPED. Sometimes we do have to take risks. Not the stupid risks. The smart risks where the odds are on our side.
When we know there are people inside, and they did, her husband was in front of the house making it VERY clear his wife was trapped, unless there is clearly no chance for us to save a life, we go in and get those people.
That's why 343 FDNY members died on 9/11. There were people inside and they went in to get them. No one else and no other "government service" goes in to get people, that's what we do. Kevin and his crew arrived at the house fire and they went in to get her. That's why her husband called 9-1-1. He wanted his wife RESCUED. That's what we do. And then the floor burned through and Kevin was killed. Kevin went in with his crew to get her. Kevin, Brandon, Matt, Josh, Nick, Ryan, Erik, Jack and Danny all tried and they could not save her. And Kevin did not come home.
Not Everyone Goes Home. The fire last year in East Franklin was like the fires you and I go to regularly. Odds are, they will go well. And, we can increase the odds of the fire going well through the above mentioned items with training being #1 along with competent and skilled bosses. The East Franklin Fire Department had and has all of the above.
So what went wrong? A woman was trapped and based upon the conditions, a decision was made to attempt her rescue immediately, waiting for additional companies would have significantly delayed the attempted rescue. So they went in, found her and due to the floor burning through just seconds before the crew would have been out the door, the outcome wasn't what they had planned. Sometimes that happens in this risky business.
We can greatly reduce the amount of Firefighter Line of Duty deaths each year when we look at things like health, driving, training, leadership and wearing all of our personal protective equipment. All of that was done right and Kevin still lost his life while attempting the rescue of a woman. That's why he took the oath to be a firefighter. Kevin died a hero and also led a heroic life because he was a firefighter. Unfortunately, a majority of the LODDs each year in North America were not heroic losses, and very avoidable and predictable. They all lived heroic lives because they were firefighters, but most didn't die heroically.
We remember Kevin Apuzzio as an outstanding firefighter who lost his life heroically on April 11.
We also take time to remember two other fire service greats, Tommy Brennan and Ed "Big Ed" McCormack who we lost last year as well.
