The house that was on fire was a vacant, dilapidated structure with a fire on the second floor. John was part of a crew that was looking for fire extension on the second floor of this large farm-style house. While on the second floor, John separated from his partner – by his estimates – approximately 20 feet or so, and entered a room where the floor was weakened – not from fire, but from rot. With no warning, John fell through the floor and was caught by his SCBA bottle.

This resulted in a Mayday and John’s successful rescue. During this interview, John will share some valuable lessons learned, including:

• The importance of not being complacent and letting your guard down. Simply because you are in an environment that does not contain a lot of smoke and fire, doesn’t mean you are not in danger.
• John recalls hearing someone announce the structure was in poor condition and the floors had been compromised – yet he still fell through a weakened spot.
• At the time, the department did not have a mayday policy and firefighters were not trained to a standardized mayday procedure.
• Where John is from it is procedure for a Rapid Intervention Team is identified by the dispatcher at the start of the call. John does not recall a specific department or company being names RIT for this incident, even though there were over 40 firefighters on the scene.

 

 

Show Notes

 

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Intro music

Safety Dance (1982)

Men Without Hats

GMC - Virgin Records

Licensed by BMI Music

 

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