Inspection Detail

Inspection: 124509845 - Syracuse City Police Dept

Inspection Information - Office: Nys Dol Pesh Syracuse

Investigation Summary

On August 9, 1995, the Syracuse, NY Fire Department responded to an alarm to find an older, three-story brick structure fully engulfed in flames. Employee #1, a district fire chief, and Employee #2, a lieutenant, were performing an aerial assessment of the building from an aerial bucket. As both fire fighters were trying to remove plywood from a boarded-up second-floor window, the rear of the building collapsed. An estimated two to three tons of brick and debris hit the fully extended aerial tower and covered the two employees in the bucket. Employees #1 and #2 were hospitalized, the former for a fractured vertebra and the latter for a bruised chest. Both employees were wearing full turnout gear, including helmets, gloves, and boots.

Keywords: CHEST, FIREFIGHTER, FRACTURE, BUILDING COLLAPSE, FIRE, STRUCK BY, FALLING OBJECT, VERTEBRA, AERIAL LIFT, CONTUSION