A Massachusetts firefighter died after becoming disoriented while battling an intentionally set fire at a three-story duplex in 2018, and a federal report on the incident emphasizes the importance of ensuring proper size-ups and risk assessments during fire calls.
Worcester firefighter Christopher Roy, 36, lost his life when he became trapped on the second floor during the five-alarm fire on Dec. 9, 2018. A mayday was called when Roy and another firefighter were separated from other crews during the blaze, according to the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety's (NIOSH) recently released report on the incident.
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The second firefighter tried to help Roy escape the flames through a window. But while the other firefighter got out through the window, Roy did not, and crews needed to use a rope-haul rescue system to pull him from the building, the report stated.
Roy was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. An investigation into the fire determined that it was arson, and Momoh Kamara was arrested and charged in connection with the incident.
In its report looking at the response, NIOSH highlighted multiple factors that contributed to Roy's death, including:
- a lack of continuous scene size-up and risk assessment
- a lack of incident management and command safety
- no forecasting or tactical objectives
- a loss of crew integrity and a lack of rapid intervention crews
One of NIOSH's key recommendations was that departments should conduct a detailed scene size-up and risk assessment upon arriving at the scene of a fire and throughout the duration of the call. Incident commanders also should continuously evaluate strategies and be ready to adjust their incident actions plans based on the information from size-ups and assessments.
Go to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health's website to read the full report looking at the fatal Dec. 9, 2018, fire in Worcester.
