Impala FireOn July 30th, 2004 the Mesa Fire
Department responded to a fire on Impala Avenue.
One of our firefighters, Engineer Bill Daniell, was
lost and disoriented in the home in low visibility
conditions. Fortunately, he was rescued with
the help of a fellow firefighter. That day, we
simply got lucky. This incident had the
potential to turn out very badly. There were
several important lessons learned that we want to
share.
- Everyone responding to a call should have a high index
of concern when incidents fail to progress in a normal and
predictable manner. In this case, a ladder company was
first on-scene and assumed engine company functions (i.e..
search and rescue and fire control). Although these
were veteran firefighters, they were assigned tasks not
routinely assigned to them during working structure fires.
- A departure from the fundamentals almost cost a
firefighter his life. Stick to the basics. When
you enter and leave a structure, stay on the hose line.
Hose lines are our lifelines!
- Don't delay in calla a Mayday! The time to call a
Mayday is when a firefighter first recognizes he or she is
in trouble. Firefighters should be encouraged to call
a Mayday early and not wait until they have exhausted other
options.
Impala Fire Video
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