Breathing equipment, handheld radios and other gear used by the two firefighters who died last week as they battled a blaze in the basement of a Port Richmond home will be tested for any malfunctions, fire officials said yesterday.
Capt. John Taylor, 53, and firefighter Rey Rubio, 42, died from asphyxia, meaning lack of oxygen, a spokesman for the city Medical Examiner's Office said. Both men - who were decorated department veterans - were wearing breathing apparatus, and their masks were in place on their faces when they were found Friday evening near the bottom of the cellar steps of the house in the 3600 block of Belgrade Street.
"Everything is checked top to bottom. It happens at any firefighter death. That's normal," said Lloyd Ayers, acting fire commissioner. "We want to know what happened: if anything failed, if everything worked."
The breathing tanks the pair were wearing have been sent out to an independent tester to determine whether they operated properly, one fire official said. Another investigator said the air supply in the tanks had been exhausted, apparently used up by the pair in the frenzy while fighting the blaze.
Normally, a tank, or "bottle," lasts about 45 minutes, but there are critical variables that involve effort and exertion, officials said.
As the oxygen supply wanes, audible and vibration alarms are set off. Taylor and Rubio were in the cellar, which authorities say was being used to grow marijuana, about 35 minutes.
"You can have some scenarios where you have the tank consumed at a more rapid rate," Ayers said.
Ayers said he had ordered the Fire Marshal's Office to conduct a thorough probe. "My instructions to the fire marshals were to be deliberate, complete, do their job. I'm focusing now on the families being taken care of."
Yesterday, investigators were back at the scene of the blaze, testing fire-radio reception and transmissions, even going into a neighboring basement to see if there were any problems below street level that could interfere with the relatively new digital communication system used by the Police and Fire Departments.
In addition, anyone with ties to the scene will be interviewed, Ayers said. "We'll question each and every person who was there," he said.
The "running gear," or protective clothing, worn by Taylor and Rubio, who were assigned to Engine 28 in Port Richmond, also will be examined. "We actually take that apart. We test it to determine how it held up under the heat," Ayers said.
Events surrounding the deaths also will be reviewed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Ayers said.
Firefighters believe Taylor died trying to save Rubio, theorizing that Rubio may have become trapped in the haphazard wiring setup of an illegal marijuana-growing operation in the basement and that Taylor stayed behind to help him. Taylor ordered a rookie firefighter to leave the cellar as the flames and smoke intensified, fire officials said.
The cause of the fire was attributed to the wiring rigged for the plant-growing operation.
The man renting the house, Daniel Brough, 35, was being held without bail on two counts of third-degree murder, two counts of involuntary manslaughter, and one count each of causing a catastrophe, risking a catastrophe, drug possession with intent to deliver, and possession of drug paraphernalia. He faces a maximum of 47 years in jail.
A funeral for Taylor is scheduled for 11 a.m. tomorrow at St. Albert the Great Roman Catholic Church, 214 Welsh Rd., Huntingdon Valley. It will be preceded by a viewing in the church beginning at 9 a.m. and followed by burial in Forest Hills Cemetery at Byberry Road and Philmont Avenue, on the border of Philadelphia's Somerton section and Lower Moreland.
Services for Rubio will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at Incarnation of Our Lord Roman Catholic Church at Fifth Street and Lindley Avenue in Olney, preceded by a viewing in the church beginning at 9 a.m. Burial will follow in Forest Hills Cemetery.
Service Plans Coming Together
From PhillyFireNews.com
Captain John Taylor (53). The viewing will be Wednesday, August 25, 2004 from 9AM to 11AM followed by the funeral service at 11 AM at St. Albert The Great Church, 214 Welsh Rd in Huntingdon Valley. Burial will be at the Forest Hills Cemetery on Byberry Road and Philmont Avenue in Lower Moreland
Firefighter Rey Rubio (42). The viewing will be Thursday, August 26, 2004 from 9AM to 11 AM followed by funeral services at the Incarnation Roman Catholic Church, 5105 N. 5th St, Philadelphia. Burial will be at the Forest Hills Cemetery on Byberry Road and Philmont Avenue in Lower Moreland
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