Do You Know Them?
Hey...
Do you know these names: Richard Stefanakis, Charles Brace, Lloyd
McCulloch, Dusty Jones, Cyril Fyfe and Kevin Olson?
Richard Stefanakis & Charles Brace: While the tragic loss of these
two firefighters in Pittsburgh occurred on March 13, 2004, it was
that date on St. Patrick's Day 3 years ago....and that's how I
remember it. We were with a couple of hundred firefighters in Wayne
Township, IN when the horrible news came in.
At approximately 0830 a fire was reported at the Ebenezer Church in
the City of Pittsburgh. On arrival, PBF firefighters discovered a
smoke haze in the building and proceded to find the fire. As
conditions got worse, companies stretched lines into the structure
after determining the fire had originated in the basement area. The
fire moved
fast throughout the building and created a backdraft
(smoke explosion) injuring 5 members. Crews were pulled from the
building and defensive operations were taken. After the main body of
fire was extinguished, crews were in the process of placing hoselines
and ground monitors closer in order to hit the seat of the fire and
HOT SPOTS ....that was in the basement. Without warning, the bell
tower steeple collapsed trapping dozens of firefighters and
completely burying 2 firefighters. Firefighter Richard Stefanakis and
Battalion Chief Charles Brace were killed in the collapse. Their
bodies were recovered from the rubble pile by Pittsburgh
firefighters. The fire killed 2 firefighters and injured 28.
Here is a link to the
NIOSH report on that fire:
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200417.html
.
When firefighters are killed, every one of us has a high priority
responsibility to study the event, learn from it and do whatever it
takes to make sure it is never repeated. That has to occur at the
smallest rural firehouse to the biggest city firehouse-and it must
affect every firefighter-no matter what. And when we are done
learning-we have to make sure everyone you run calls with learns too.
Who gets that done? You. By spreading the facts. Not some of the
nonsense that goes on in some BMH (Brotherhood My A__ ) chat rooms,
bulletin boards and forums....but by all of us getting the facts from
the reports and from the affected
FD's-and putting it in the faces of
those who go with us to fires. Include it in drills, training's,
e-mails-whatever it takes to keep this stuff in their faces so
they-we-us-cannot forget and we don't repeat history. Keeping it in
their faces works. We just gotta wanna to do it.
What about these names?
Similar circumstances happened again when in Mouton, Alabama (on Feb
21, 2006) when Fire Captain Lloyd McCulloch, 63, and Firefighter
Dusty Jones, 23, were HITTING HOT SPOTS at a fire that had been
burning for hours...and then a concrete wall predictably collapsed,
killing them instantly.
The firefighters were pronounced dead at the scene...but killed for
what? As you may have seen on the news clip, the obviously friendly
and wonderful McCulloch (who was also a
FD Chaplain) had talked about
the dangers of firefighting, remarking how they were lucky that no one
had been hurt at that job and was thankful to the mutual aid
companies....and then he (and
FF Jones) were killed by that unstable
wall moments later. Did you see the picture of Captain McCulloch with
his granddaughter that was on one of the media websites last year?
What a gorgeous little girl with her happy grandfather. That's now
history.
On that night, Moulton Fire Chief Keith Vinson handed the hose line
to his father-in-law, Captain Lloyd McCulloch....but the working fire
at Outdoor Parts and Service had been knocked down to just a few hot
spots in the area where the lines could still reach.
What happened that night caused Fire Chief Keith Vinson to wonder
whether he would ever return to the department again. His decision
had been something he had struggled with since the night he witnessed
the deaths of two volunteer firefighters in his department. "Lloyd
(his Father in law) came up to me and said that he wanted to take the
hose," Vinson said. "He just wanted to spray some water."
After passing the hose line to the 42-year firefighter, the chief
began to walk away. Exactly where he was going is sketchy in his mind
as he thinks back on that evening. What he does remember is hearing a
noise and looking up to the see the top of the front wall of the
building move about a foot.
"I hollered back and told Lloyd and Dusty (Jones) to get out of
there," Vinson said. Just seconds after McCulloch and Jones heard the
chiefs call, the wall gave way and collapsed on top of them. "It's
something that you never expect or really know how to plan for," the
chief said of losing not only two of his most dedicated firemen, but
losing his father-in-law, too. In the year after the LODD's, Vinson's
mind has replayed the images of the wall's collapse. "I just kept
seeing it in my head," he said.
A few weeks ago, Chief Keith Vinson announced his retirement
effective June 1 2007. He will have served the fire department for 25
years.
Here is that
NIOSH Report:
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200607.html
Or What About These Names?
In Yellowknife, Canada, two more tragic deaths happened two years ago
today, on March 17 of 2005.....when two firefighters were killed while
operating in a detached saw shed fire...a saw shed. An outside shed
used to saw lumber at a home supply business....what's that value? A
simple shed. So they died for a shed.
Yellowknife Fire Lieutenant Cyril Fyfe, 41, and Firefighter Kevin
Olson, 24, (a probie and newlywed) were inside the burning shed when
the part of the roof-and all that was on it-came down on them. They
were crushed by the building roof and the weight of heavy ice, snow
and 4 firefighters on that roof. The 4 firefighters were on top of
the roof opening up...and they escaped without serious injuries. Lt.
Fyfe and
FF Olson died from being crushed inside the shed.
We need to do our best to protect property. That is our mission...but
the priority of LIFE and PROPERTY are at two VERY different levels.
Some firefighters will kick and scream saying that "it is our job to
protect property"...yeah it is. But the two are very different. Some
firefighters feel "if we die doing that...that's just a risk of the
job". Take your head out of your a**.
Simple logic: If you like going to fire calls and love this job, why
wouldn't you want to delay your death as long as possible? If your
families don't want you to die...and your
FD doesn't want you to
die...and the building owners and occupants don't care if you
die....then who is it that we are getting killed for? Who then is it,
that wants you to die? For who? For what? Sometimes we have to die
while attempting a rescue.
Most of the times we don't.
Take some time this week to remember the families, friends, fellow
firefighters and fire officers of Pittsburgh Battalion Chief Charles
Brace, 55, Firefighter Richard Stefanakis, 51, Moulton's Fire Captain
Lloyd McCulloch, 63 and Firefighter Dusty Jones, 23 as well as
Yellowknife, Canada Fire Lieutenant Cyril Fife, 41, and Firefighter
Kevin Olson, 24. You know the names-now let your firefighters know
them.
Take Care-BE CAREFUL,
BillyG
The Secret List 3-17-07 / 2245 Hours
The Secret List @ FirefighterCloseCalls.com
