Remembering Brackenridge 1991 Floor Collapse and LODD
Remembering Brackenridge, Pennsylvania December 20, 1991: Four Firefighters Killed, Trapped by Floor Collapse
Four volunteer firefighters died when they were trapped by a partial floor collapse during a structure fire in Brackenridge, Pennsylvania, on the morning of December 20, 1991. All four were members of a mutual aid truck company that had responded to the early morning incident and were assigned to prevent fire extension from the basement to the ground floor of a 2-story building.
Although they were wearing full protective clothing and using self-contained breathing apparatus, it appears that they were overwhelmed by the severe fire conditions that erupted when a section of the ground floor collapsed into the basement.
The collapse cut off their primary escape path, and the fire burned through their hose line, leaving them without protection from the flames.
For more on the incident and links to a series of incident reports, link here to Commandsafety.comCurrent issues related to recent trends in floor collapse incidents, HEREChristopher J. Naum
CHRISTOPHER J. NAUM, SFPE a Firehouse® contributing editor, is a 40-year fire service veteran and a national instructor, author, lecturer and fire officer. He is an authority on building construction issues affecting the fire and emergency services and a former fire command officer, architect and fire protection engineer. Naum is a technical consultant and reviewer to the NIOSH firefighter fatality investigation and prevention program, an NFFF Firefighter Safety Advocate and formally served on the Board of Directors of the ISFSI and the IAFC Safety, Health & Survival section and faculty at the National Fire Academy. He was the 1987 ISFSI George D. Post National Fire Instructor Award recipient. Naum is the executive producer of Buildingsonfire.com and FiregroundLeadership.com, sites dedicated to building construction, adaptive fire command and firefighter safety.