TX LODD report from NIOSH

September 6, 2011

From The Secret List

NIOSH REPORT: FF LODD-LOST, DISORIENTED-OUT OF AIR

A new NIOSH reports covers the facts regarding the LODD of a 30-year-old Texas

Fire Captain Araguz who died while attempting to locate and extinguish a

late night fire in the back of an egg processing plant. The seat of the fire was

located in a dry storage area at the back of the plant that housed paper and

styrofoam products for packaging the eggs. When companies arrived, fire was

visible from the roof of the dry storage area. The victim's crew attempted to

breach a wall for more direct access to where they thought the seat of the fire

was located. The access was blocked by stacks of wooden pallets. Two captains

made entry with an uncharged hoseline through the front door to find and

extinguish the fire. The front of the plant was charged with heavy dark smoke

and high heat conditions. They became disoriented in the thick smoke, lost the

hoseline and called a Mayday that was not heard and acted upon. While searching

for the handline, the captains ran out of air, got more disoriented and were

separated. One captain attempted to kick out a section of wall and was heard by

exterior crews who breached the wall and rescued him. Intense fire conditions

thwarted all further rescue efforts until the fire was extinguished. Captain

Araguz was found the next morning.

HERE is the entire report:

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face201016.html

Take Care-BE CAREFUL.

Louis N. Molino, Sr. CET

FF/NREMT/FSI/EMSI

Training Program Manager

Fire & Safety Specialists, Inc.

Typed by my fingers on my iPhone.

Please excuse any typos.

(Cell)

(Office)

(Office Fax)

LNMolino@...

Lou@...

September 6, 2011

first: WHY were two captains in alone? aren't fire officers are supposed to

be leaders? where was the team that they were supposed to be leading?....I

realize that most departments have downsized, but that was deadly

rediculous!

Why did they go in with one UNCHARGED line? Shouldn't each team have had a

line (along with at least one set of irons (Halligan plus axe) and a pike

per team?)

ck

In a message dated 09/06/11 12:05:46 Central Daylight Time,

lnmolino@... writes:

From The Secret List

NIOSH REPORT: FF LODD-LOST, DISORIENTED-OUT OF AIR

A new NIOSH reports covers the facts regarding the LODD of a 30-year-old

Texas Fire Captain Araguz who died while attempting to locate and

extinguish a late night fire in the back of an egg processing plant. The seat

of the fire was located in a dry storage area at the back of the plant that

housed paper and styrofoam products for packaging the eggs. When companies

arrived, fire was visible from the roof of the dry storage area. The

victim's crew attempted to breach a wall for more direct access to where they

thought the seat of the fire was located. The access was blocked by stacks of

wooden pallets. Two captains made entry with an uncharged hoseline through

the front door to find and extinguish the fire. The front of the plant was

charged with heavy dark smoke and high heat conditions. They became

disoriented in the thick smoke, lost the hoseline and called a Mayday that was

not heard and acted upon. While searching for the handline, the captains ran

out of air, got

more disoriented and were separated. One captain attempted to kick out a

section of wall and was heard by exterior crews who breached the wall and

rescued him. Intense fire conditions thwarted all further rescue efforts

until the fire was extinguished. Captain Araguz was found the next morning.