For the second time in just over two weeks the reality of how dangerous their job can be was thrust in the faces of Los Angeles City firefighters.
Photo by Mike Meadows/CFPA The scene in Griffith Park where three firefighters and a young girl died in the crash of the Los Angeles City Fire Department helicopter Fire 3.
Days after laying to rest Captain Joseph Dupee, its first firefighter to die on duty in over 14 years, the Los Angeles City Fire Department was stunned to learn that one of its helicopters, being used as an "air ambulance,"crashed in heavily wooded Griffith Park at 7:40 A.M. on March 23, 1998. The helicopter - Fire 3 - was transporting a severely injured 10-year-old-girl, the victim of a traffic accident, to Children's Hospital, two miles from the park. The girl as well as the two paramedics and a Heli-tac flight crew member were killed. The pilot and a second Heli-tac crew member survived.
After going more then 14 years of saving lives without sacrificing any of their own, city firefighters saw four of their brothers die in the line of duty in the same month. Dupee was killed on March 8 while fighting a fire in a commercial structure in South Central Los Angeles.
Killed in the helicopter accident were Paramedics Michael Butler and Eric Reiner, both 33; Michael McComb, a Heli-tac flight crew member who had been scheduled to retire in July after 25 years with the department; and Norma Vides, the little girl who had the misfortune of being involved in two accidents in one day, the second which took her life.
Surviving the crash were the pilot, Steven Robinson, an 11-year veteran of the department who underwent surgery for a skull fracture, left femur fracture and other injuries; and Heli-tac crew member Dennis Silgen, who suffered facial injuries, a broken hip and right ankle. After lengthy hospital stays, both were released to continue recovering at home.
Firefighters mourning the loss of three of their own praised Robinson for maneuvering the doomed helicopter away from homes, sparing those on the ground from injury and even death, and shutting off the fuel supply to minimize the fire potential. It appears that Robinson had just enough control of his aircraft to attempt a hard landing right-side-up on Ferndell Drive, but after seeing cars and people below him, he tried to maneuver his ship to a nearby grassy clearing. The rotors of the helicopter, however, came in contact with trees, causing the helicopter to flip and hit the ground on its left side.
Photo by Mike Meadows/CFPA Los Angeles City Fire Department Engine 57 bore the casket of Captain Joseph Dupee. His turnout gear is displayed on the front bumper. The tolling of 10 bells, signifying a fallen firefighter, was conducted during the services. The entire fleet of fire department helicopters, flying in the missing man formation, flew over Dupee's Fire Station 57, then the copters broke off in various directions.
"He did everything he could do before he hit the ground,"Public Information Officer Bob Collis said.
The fire department, as well as the Los Angeles Police Department, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigated the accident. It was confirmed that pieces of the helicopter's tail rotor flew off, then the entire rotor and gearbox disintegrated, making it impossible for the pilot to maintain control of the aircraft. Pieces of the rotor and gearbox were found nearly a mile north of the crash scene.
As is standard operating procedure, the fire department grounded its helicopters for 36 hours. Coverage was provided by the Los Angeles County Fire Department. (The fleet of Los Angeles City helicopters, the largest of any fire department in the United States, flew 1,600 missions last year. Included were countless hours of brushfire water drops and also 170 "air ambulance"runs.)
On March 28, thousands of fire department personnel from the United States and Canada, along with up to 220 pieces of fire apparatus, attended the funeral for their three brothers held at the Sports Arena in downtown Los Angeles. It was the largest funeral in the history of the department.
Excerpts from the eulogy of Alfred K. Whitehead, general president of the International Association of Fire Firefighters (IAFF): "In ours, the most dangerous of professions, death is always something we must contend with. No one deserves to die on the job and no one wants to die on the job, but since the earliest days of our profession, every firefighter knows that death may be an unfortunate part of this job. Even so, it makes it no easier to accept the loss of our three brother firefighters, Mike McComb, Mike Butler and Eric Reiner during their mission of mercy last Monday, or the death of brother Joseph Dupee in that March 8 fire.
"These men, as with all firefighters, were ready and willing to lay their lives on the line to protect the citizens of Los Angeles and in this case, that's exactly what happened. They made the ultimate sacrifice one can make as a firefighter. They are Los Angeles' heroes. They are America's heroes. They were engaged in an endeavor that is the consummate measure of human greatness, the protection and safety of others."
Captain Joseph Dupee
At 2:20 A.M. on March 8, a full alarm assignment was dispatched to a reported structure fire at 5972 S. Western Ave. in the South Central section. The assignment consisted of Task Force 66, Engines 57, 46 and 34, Light Force 33, Rescue 866 and Battalion 13 Chief John Buck. Engine 33 added itself to the assignment, making 33's a full task force.
Photo by Mike Meadows/CFPA More than 3,500 firefighters and civilian personnel and over 120 pieces of fire apparatus were on hand for the funeral of Captain Joseph Dupee.
At 2:22, Task Force 66 arrived on scene and reported a fire in a 100-by-50-foot commercial structure (a pet food supply company) with a trussed arch roof and light smoke showing.
Truck 66 sent a ventilation team to the roof as other companies were arriving. Forcible entry was initiated by the inside member of Truck 66 as engine company members waited with charged hoselines. It took five to eight minutes to force entry as the building was heavily fortified with a security and a metal front door.
As the companies waited to enter from below, fire conditions were changing rapidly on the roof. At first, the ventilation team noticed light smoke coming from the vents, but in the time it took them to walk from the edge of the roof to the middle, the flames were showing from the vents.
Members of Truck 66 opened a hole in the roof and were immediately driven back by heavy fire and heat. Based on Truck 66's report, command requested two additional task forces.
At the same time Truck 66 was exposing the heavy fire from the attic area, Engines 66, 46 and 57 were advancing 1 1/2-inch and 1 3/4-inch handlines into the front door of the structure. Members of Engine 33 followed with pike poles.
About 15 feet inside the front door, companies encountered heavy smoke and near zero visibility. Advancing the handlines was made difficult due to the considerable storage inside the building. There was also concern about the mezzanine area that extended up to 13 feet from the office area.
Engine 57, led by Dupee, turned right on entering the fire building and located a small amount of fire in the mezzanine area, but could not effectively reach the seat of the fire. Engines 66 and 46 advanced their lines 30 to 40 feet into the building and found no fire. Engine 57's engineer stayed in the hallway and helped advance hoseline to his company.
Conditions inside the building were becoming untenable rapidly and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) alarms were activating. At this point, companies started to independently withdraw from the building just 10 to 12 minutes after entering.
Photo by Rick McClure An honor guard of firefighters salutes as Engine 57, carrying the casket of Captain Joseph Dupee, slowly makes its way past the fire building in the South Central area of Los Angeles.
The 10-foot pike poles that Engine 33 had brought into the building were ineffective. This, combined with deteriorating conditions, caused 33's captain to order a retreat outside. The company had to follow hoselines out due to zero visibility.
This was when things started to go sour. Once outside the building, members of 33 realized their hydrant man had not made it out. This firefighter had become disoriented and, in fear for his life, activated the emergency trigger on his radio. The captain obtained a handi-light from Engine 57 and, while low on air, re-entered the building, found the missing member about 15 feet inside the manufacturing area, and led him to safety.
The next company to exit the building were the three members from Engine 46, followed by the three members from Engine 66, then the two members from Engine 57. At this time, Dupee ordered his men from the building, but he became separated from his company and remained inside. At the same time, command was ordering all companies off the roof and out of the structure.
As the fire grew in intensity, additional companies were dispatched into the fire. The company designated for command post support was designated the rapid intervention team as it arrived on scene. At 2:38, the division commander, Assistant Chief J.M. Scherrei, arrived on scene without a staff assistant and assumed command. (Among other duties, staff assistants are used to monitor the safety of firefighters.)
The command post was experiencing communications problems, both technical and human, with the chief officers. Radio malfunction and limited command post staffing have been identified as factors in this incident.
With heavy fire through the roof, portions of the roof and attic were beginning to collapse. Command and several companies were convinced that a member from Engine 33 was missing, when in fact that firefighter had been led out earlier. This delayed by several minutes the realization that Engine 57's captain was missing. Several members reported that Dupee had communicated on the tactical channel, but for some reason did not activate the emergency trigger on his radio.
At 2:57, once it was determined that Dupee was missing, command notified the Operations Control Division (OCD) of a "red alert"condition. The rapid intervention team entered the building and found Dupee with his personal-alert device sounding. The team removed Dupee through the rear door. Vigorous medical treatment was initiated and he was transported by Rescue 66 to Daniel Freeman Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Members involved in the incident were held over and received critical incident stress debriefing (CISD) by department personnel. A significant incident investigation team was formed and immediately began an investigation of the incident. The medical examiner determined that Dupee died of smoke inhalation and thermal burns.
The fire was controlled in just over an hour by 25 companies (125 firefighters), the equivalent of a fifth alarm. One firefighter suffered burns to his face and was taken to Sherman Oaks Burn Center in good condition. (A note here: After the death of Dupee, the City Council reinstated the staff assistants it had cut weeks earlier.)
The funeral for Dupee on March 14 was attended by over 3,500 fire and civilian personnel from all over the western states and included over 120 pieces of fire apparatus. In his eulogy, Chief Engineer Bill Bamattre said, "A week ago, early Sunday morning, while the rest of us slept, a firefighter, Joseph Charles Dupee, stepped out of the anonymity of our ranks and distinguished himself and the entire fire service by making the ultimate sacrifice. He gave his life in the line of duty. The denial became a reality for all of last Sunday morning. Why did this happen? Each of us must deal with Joe's death on our own terms. I can't pretend to know the answers to your questions. I can't answer my own…I guarantee, the death of Joe Dupee will impact all of us the rest of our lives."
It was my extreme pleasure to know Captain Dupee and recall seeing him in action at many fires. For close to 30 years, I've been photographing fires and, sadly, I knew the last seven fine firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice (one of them helped me deliver my daughter) and I will never forget each and everyone of them.
Mike Meadows is a California-based writer and photographer. He is a member of the California Fire Photographers Association.
