A Maryland fire department has released its internal report concerning the death of a firefighter during a seven-alarm fire last year.
Howard County Lt. Nathan Flynn was responding to a mansion fire in Clarksville on July 23, 2018, when he fell through the house's first floor. He was trapped for 22 minutes inside the house's burning basement. Crews were able to pull out Flynn, who was taken to the hospital, where he died from his injuries.
A little more than a week after the incident, the department created a 12-member Internal Safety Review Board, the Baltimore Sun reports. The board was tasked with investigating what led to Flynn's death and released its findings Monday.
According to the board's report, Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services officials need to address five "critical issues":
- create a "clear and consistent" philosophy of command in the department
- set up a competency-based training program that includes "hands-on training in realistic conditions with an emphasis on practical error prevention and error trapping"
- improve fireground communication and specifically establish closed-loop radio communications
- enhance crew fireground accountability
- cultivate the ability for department officers to "clearly establish incident strategy and the global ability of all department members to carry out effective tactics."
In a statement, Fire Chief Christine Uhlhorn said the department has already initiated changes in response to Flynn's death, the Sun reports. Some of the changes included increasing front-line apparatus staffing and created committees focusing on breathing gear and radios.
Ulhorn also said she was amenable to any changes that would improve the safety of firefighters and paramedics, the Sun added.
