FDNY report on fatal fire, February 5, 1996

8/4/2019 FDNY report on fatal fire, February 5, 1996

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FDNY Investigative Report

Fatal Fire at 4400 Glenwood Road, Brooklyn February 5, 1996

Firefighter Louis Valentino Rescue 2 Case Number 2-8/96


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SUMMARY

On February 5J 1996 at 3:37 PM the New York City FireDepartment J Brooklyn Borough Communications Office Jreceived a telephone alarm of fire. The caller reportedsmoke from the roof of 4400 Glenwood Road.Units of The New York City Fire Department weredispatched. The officer of the first engine company to arrive ( Engine 310 ) transmitted a signal 10-75

( notificatIon of a fire )J via the department radio. Smoke was issuing from a one story commercial buildinglocated behind a large gymnasium building at 4400 Glenwood Road. Fire Department operations were initiated. Engine companies stretched hose lines into the fire building via the doors. Ladder companies forced the doors open and entered the building to search for victims and assist the engine companies. Rescue Company 2 entered the fire building to search for victims who may have been trapped inside. Conditions had improved considerably. SuddenlYJ with no warning J the right side portion of the roof collapsed toground level. Fire fighters were struck and injured by thefalling roof. A roll call was conducted to account for allmembers. A Search For trapped or injured members wasinitiated. Fire Fighter Louis Valentino was discoveredlying on his back. A roof beam was resting on his chest.His removal required an organized rescue effort utilizingcutting and extrication tools and equipment. He wasextricated in a timely manner. First aid was renderedimmediately by fire fighters and New York City emergencymedical service personnel. Fire Fighter Valentino wastransported to Kings County Hospital Where he expired onFebruary 5J 1996 . .

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3/17

1541 Hrs. 1541:03 Engines 3 0 9 ~ 2 4 8 ~ Battalion 33 and Rescue 2 aredispatched in response to the 10-75.1541:15 Ladder 157 arrives at scene.1541:19 Dispatcher receives a telepnone alarm for GlenwoodRoad and Troy Avenue reporting a fire in an officebuilding. Dispatcher determines it is for the same fire.1541:26 Dispatcher receives a a telephone alarm for a firein a health spa. Box 3940 is designated due to thelocation from which the alarm originated. The dispatcherdetermines it was for the same fire.1541:30 Engine 310 starts to stretch a 2 1/2 u hose line tothe fire building and moves apparatus to hydrant in frontof the health club and ~ o n n e c t s to it.The officer of Ladder 157 contacts the officer of Engine310 to determine the location of the fire,and along withthe forcible entry team walks up the driveway to the firebuilding.1541:35 Dispatcher receives a telephone alarm reporting afire in a factory. Box 3940 is designated and dispatcherdetermines it is for the same fire.1541:54 Division 7 is assigned.1542 Hrs. 1542 Engine 255 arrives at the driveway and assists Engine310 stretch their hose line. The chauffeur of Ladder 157 positions the apparatus (towerladder) on Glenwood Road. The outside vent man walks to Troy Ave. to search for access to the roof of exposure 3 ( the health club ). The roof man stays with the apparatus and along with the chauffeur raises tower ladder basket to the roof of exposure 3.

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1543 Hrs. 1543:08 Ladder 174 arrives and transmits a 10-84 signal.1543:26 Battalion 41 arrives and transmits a 10-84signaI.(Signal 10-84 is an announcement of arrival at thescene.)1543:28 Battalion 41 announces he is using all hands andgives a size up of the building and conditions over thedepartment radio.1543:30 The officer of Ladder 157 meets the officer ofEngine 310 at the fire building. He observes heavy smokeand some fire through a small entrance door which islocated between 2 large roll down doors. This door isopen. The roll down doors are down and pad locked. Heobserves sparks in the area of the large roll down door tothe right of the small entrance door and decides againstcutting it open. Ladder 157 forcible entry team start toenter through the small door but back out. Officers ofEngine 310 and Ladder 157 decide to proceed with cautionafter water is put onto the fire.1543:45 Officer of Ladder 157 notifies Battalion 41 thatfire is in a set back of the health club and both discusstactics. Ladder 157 starts to force the smaller roll downdoor located to the left of the small door.1543:46 Dispatcher transmits signal 10-75. .1543:50 Chief of Battalion 41 has walked up the drivewayand reaches the fire building. Engine 310 is at the smallentrance door with a charged line. Chief tells officer of .Engine 310 to operate from the doorway and not push in.1543:58 Ladder 159 is dispatched.1544 Hrs.Ladder 174 forcible entry team arrives at the firebuilding. Battalion 41 Chief aSSigns Ladder 174 the taskof forcing open the large roll down doors.Engine 310 operates line into the small doorway.Engine 255 starts to stretch the second 2 1/2" hose line.1544:48 Battalion 41 transmits description of conditionsto dispatcher via radio.1546:37 Battalion 41 transmits a request for a secondalarm assignment to the dispatcher via department radio.1546:54 Dispatcher transmits a second alarm.

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5/17

1547 Hrs.1547:03 Battalion 41 transmits progress report todispatcher.1547:25 Engines 323 J 281J 249 J 283 J 284 J Ladders 147, 113 JBattalion 58 and Safety Battalion 2 are dispatched.1547:31 Engine 309 arrives at the scene and transmitssignal 10-84.1548 Hrs.Engine 255 reaches fire building with line. u1548:30 Engine 309 starts to stretch a third 2 1/2 hoseline as ordered by Battalion 41.1549 Hrs.Engine 255 gets water in line and starts to extinguishfire through the left doorway which has been cut open .

. 1550 Hrs.1550:24 Ladder 113 acknowledges it is designated the FireFighter Assist and Search Team (F.A.S.T.) by dispatcher.(Designated to stand by ready to assist firefighters indistress as the need arises).1551 Hrs.1551:21 Division 7 requests a run down (list of unitsassigned on the second alarm).1551:38 Tactical Support unit arrives and transmits asignal 10-84.1551:56 Rescue Company 2 arrives and transmits a 10-84..1552 Hrs. 1552:30 Engine 309 reaches the fire building with their hose line.

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6/17

1553 Hrs. Division 7 arrives and contacts Battalion 41 via handie talkie and tells him he is at the box location.Engine Company 248 arrives.Ladder 159 arrives and is directed to set up the towerladder on Troy Avenue.1553:39 Engine 283 arrives transmits signal 10-84 Jreports in to command post and stands fast.1554 Hrs. Battalion 41 directs Rescue Company 2 to check the conditions of the fire building and exposure number 4.( The building to the right of the fire building. )Rescue 2 Officer directs the 2 members of their above thefire team J including Firefighter Valentino J to examineconditions of exposure 4. Rescue 2 Officer along withremaining members enters the fire building to search andclear a path for engine company to advance.Engine Company 248 starts to stretch a 2 1/2" hose line.Battalion 58 arrives and transmits signal 10-84.Battalion 58 was designated the communications coordinatorby the dispatcher.1554:06 Division 7 requests any available C.I.D.Sinformation from the dispatcher. ( C.I.D.S. is theabbreviation for Critical Information Dispatch Systemwhich stores in i t 's computer critical information aboutspecific buildings. Investigation revealed non existed.)1555 Hrs.Firefighter Valentino enters exposure 4. ( Health club ).Engine Company 248 is stretching their hose line throughthe health club door located on Glenwood Road and out aback door to the fire building.1555:09 Battalion 33 arrives transmits signal 10-84 andreports to Battalion 41 in front of the fire building.Battalion 41 orders him to direct operations in theexposure 4 ( right side) portion of the fire building.1555:58 Engine Company 281 arrives and transmits signal10-84. They assist Engine Company 248 stretch their hoseline.

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7/17

1556: Hrs. Engine 310 moves their hose line from the small doorway tothe right doorway and advances approximately 10 feet intothe building to extinguish fire.1556:09 Ladder 147 arrives and transmits signal 10-84.Chauffeur raises aerial to the roof of exposure 4.Remainder of company stands fast at the command post.1556:42 Division 7 requests an additional tower ladder.1557: Hrs.Engine Company 323 arrives.Battalion 58 directs them tostand fast.Firefighter Valentino returns from the health c l u b ~ donshis mask and enters the fire building behind Engine 310.1557:30 Battalion 41 Chief enters the fire buildingthrough the left doorway to evaluate conditions.1557:29 Ladder Company 120 is assigned.1557:52 Ladder Company 113 a r r i v e s ~ transmits signal10-84 J and stands fast as the Firefighter Assist and SearchTeam.1558:Hrs. Engine Company 249 arrives and is directed by Battalion 58 to stand fast at command post .. Engine 248 connects their hose line to Engine 310'spumper J receives water and advances into the fire buildingthrough the r i g ~ t doorway.1600:Hrs.The fire is largely extinguished with the remaInIng fireconfined to the ceiling and the 11 vehicles containedwithin the building. Engine 255 enters the fire buildingthrough the left doorway to extinguish remaining pocketsof fire. Battalion 41 Chief tells them to use a lightspray to prevent dislodging anything.

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8/17

1601:Hrs. Engine 309 is operating their line into building from theleft doorway toward the left ( exposure 2 ) wall.Engine 255 briefly operates line to extinguish fire in theceiling toward the right ( exposure 4 ) side approximately10 feet from the doorway.1601:05 Engine 310 operates their line toward the front inthp middle of the ceiling from approximately 10 feetinside the fire building.1601:10 Engine 248 has advanced their line approximately20 feet into the fire building t h r o u ~ h the right doorway.They open the nozzle to extinguish fIre in a burningvehicle directing the stream toward the front of thebuilding.1601:18 Engine 310 shuts down their nozzle.1601:20 The roof of the fire b u i l d i n ~ collapses.1601:25 The first of several MAY DAY S are transmitted viahandie talkies. Firefighters in-side the building arestruck by falling roof and masonry material. Some areinjured. Most are disoriented. Some find their way outOthers require assistance which is provided byfirefighters in the immediate vicinity.Battalion 58 assigns Ladder 113 and Ladder 147 to assist.Engine 249 is directed to back up Engine 310.1602:Hrs. Engine 281 operates Engine 255's hose line to prevent fire from reaching possible trapped firefighters. . . Division 7 calls Battalion 58 to the fire building. He informs him of the collapse and directs him to conduct a roll call. He instructs Battalion 33 to coordinate the extricotion of tropped members.

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9/17

1603:Hrs First roll call is conducted by Battalion 58.All units report all members accounted for with theexception of one member of Rescue 2.Ladder 159 joins rescue effort and brings tools to scene.1603:30 Firefighter Louis Valentino is discovered face upapproximately 15 feet from the right side doorway midwaybetween the left and right walls.A wooden roof beam is resting on his chest.The beam is still fastened to the roof which is largelyintact at this location.Firefighters first to assist try to lift the beam andattached roofing material manually. Their efforts fail.1604 Hrs. Battalion 58 assists in organizin9 the rescue effort. Organized extrication efforts begln.It becomes obvious that much cutting and mechanical lifting of the roof will be required.Rescue 2, Ladder 113 and Ladder 147 work together tostabilize, cut and lift the beam and roof from FirefighterValentino. Saws, air bags, hand tools and blockingmaterial were brought to the scene and utilized.1605 Hrs.1605:30 The Chauffeur of Engine 255 contacts FireDeportment Dispatcher via radio, requests E.M.S. andreports a collapse and injured members.1605:49 The Chauffeur of Engine 255 contacts Dispatcherand reports Engine 255 is not effected. Chief of Battalion41 and members of Ladder 157 and operating units were under collapse. We are trying to pull them out now. 1606 Hrs. 1606:30 battalion 58 conducts a second roll call. The results duplicate the original. 1606:34 Engine 284 arrives and transmits signal 10-84.They walk to the fire building, find many units alreadythere and return to street where they clear street forE.M.S. vehicles.

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10/17

1607 Hrs. 1607:09 Rescue 4 is assigned. 1607:43 Safety Battalion 2 arrives and transmits signal10-841608 Hrs. Safety Battalion Chief evaluates conditions, the ongoingextrication effort and fire fighting operation. He ordersa complete face to face roll call. All members notparticipating are directed to leave the immediate area.Operations are closely monitored.1609 Hrs. 1609:13 Battalion 58 contacts dispatcher and requests a third alarm, the collapse unit and E.M.S.1609:21 Fire Department Dispatcher transmits a thirdalarm.1610 Hrs. 1610:21 car 10 D notifies dispatcher he is responding to the third alarm.1610:37 Ladder 120 arrives and transmits a signal 10-841611 Hrs.1611:21 Rescue 4 notifies dispatcher they are respondingto the third alarm.1614 Hrs.1614:41 Division 7 contacts dispatcher and reports stilltrying to extricate one member and asks for a mixer offmessage. Division 7 reports to dispatcher all members havebeen accounted for except for one member from Rescue 2 whois still trapped. .

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11/17

1615 Hrs.Firefighter Valentino is extricated and first aid isadministered. First aid is continued as he is placed intoa Stokes basket and carried to the ambulance waiting inthe street.1615:30 Division 7 contacts dispatcher and reports theyhave their hands on him so it looks like they are going toget him.1618 Hrs.Firefighter Valentino is placed into the ambulance andtransported to hospital.

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12/17

CAUSES

DIRECT

Firefighter Valentino was operating in a hazardous position inside the fire building. Autopsy report lists cause of death as compression of chest. Failure of the columns and roof structure of the fire building caused a wood roof joist to fall onto the chest of Firefighter Valentino.

INDIRECT

Delayed transmission of alarm. Gasoline leaked from a severed fuel line. Acetylene leaked from a failed tank. Leaking gasoline and acetylene gas fed the fire causing unusually high temperatures to be reached. The heat caused the failure of the columns which supportedthe roof structure.

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13/17

EARLY

The fire building was an illegal structure that did notmeet the requirements of building or fire department rulesand regulations. The owner of the building foiled to comply with rules and regulations applicable to the building. The buildings occupants engaged in illegal and unregulatedhazardous activities. Agencies having jurisdiction foiled to detect inspect and enforce rules and regulations applicable to the building and occupancy.

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14/17

RECOMMENDATIONS

Establish an inspection program to seek out buildingsfor which there are no records.All agencies with jurisdiction to be immediately notifiedfor proper corrective action.As they are detected, Qualifying buildings shall be thesubject of priority C.I.D.S. reports identifying anddescribing them.Where access can not be obtained the C.I.D.S. card shollstate. UConstruction, occupancy and contents unknown u ,It is probable that many of these buildings will be inlocations not readily seen. A list of all designatedbuildings should be made available to responding unitsfor advance knowledge and familiarization.Drills specific to the building to. familiarize andemphasize proper tactics and procedures should beconducted as soon after detection as possible. During the course of Apparatus Field Inspection Dutyemphasis should be placed on detecting Questionable construction methods and/or building materiols. As they are discovered, specially trained inspectors should perform a follow up inspection and the appropriate action taken. Tactics and procedures specifically tailored to such buildings should be incorporated into the fire fightingmanuals. Fire fighting manuals should place more emphasis on the fact that roof ventilation is not always necessary. Whenever roof operations are not required, all personalshould be notified. Members assigned roof positions should be utilized for other tasks. If roof operations are suspended because the structural stability of a roof is in doubt, operations on and beneath should cease and all members withdrawn and accounted for immediatly. In situations where tower ladders or deck pipes can not be positioned for use of their large caliber streams6 greaterconsideration should be given to the use of porta Ie largecaliber streams in place of hand operated hose lines.Their early use in appropriate situations would reduce thenumber of members operating in hazardous locations.

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16/17

The incident commander and all other members arrive on thescene with a mind-set directed toward aggressivelysearching for occupants and fighting the fire as rapidlyas possible.They have many factors to consider in a rapidly developingsituation in an unfamiliar location.All too often fire fighting and safety are not consideredsimultaneously.Early input from the safety chief before personnel arecommitted and exposed to undetected and/or unanticipatedhazards can prevent future tragedies.Establish a training program dedicated to the collapsepotential of structures with particular emphasis placed oncommercial buildings. It should be a high impact J graphicdemonstration. Slides and video tapes illustrating actualcollapsed structures coupled with examples of existingshoddy construction methods and materials should beemphasized. They should highlight the weakened state ofbuildings after they have been exposed to fire conditions.Special emphasis should be placed on the effects firefighting and overhauling can have on the stability of thevarious structural members of a building.The goal should be to prevent the complacency and falsesense of security that often develops as fire fightingoperations in structures of this type become routine.At the training center erect a demonstration buildingconstructed of building components that have beenpreviously exposed to fire conditions. As an e x a m p l e ~sagging s t e e l ~ burned through beams or cracked masonry.If artificially r e i n f o r c e d ~ i t can be made to appearrealistic and as though an actual fire had taken place.Conduct familiarization and fire fighting trainingsessions within.Use artificial smoke and the absence of l i ~ h t todemonstrate how extremely hazar,jous conditIons can beimpossible to detect until the area is adequatelyventilated and illuminated.Provide illumination of and signs pOinting to the fireweakened structural" e l e m e n t s ~ unstable support points.Describe the effects hose streams and overhaulingpractices might have on each of them. Incorporate displays and photographs that illustrate the interdependence of various building components and how the failure of one can effect others and ultimately the entire structure.

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If a site or funds for construction of a demonstrationbuilding are not immediatly available J incorporating suchstructural elements into an existing building and usingthem in conjunction with displays and photographs would bea good beginning.

FDNY report on fatal fire, February 5, 1996

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Transcript of FDNY report on fatal fire, February 5, 1996