Inspection Detail

Inspection: 311694525 - Columbia River Fire And Rescue

Inspection Information - Office: Or-E-Portland - Safety 1 1054111

Investigation Summary

At approximately 1:00 p.m. on February 5, 2008, Employees #1 and #2 were fire officers for Columbia River Fire and Rescue. In a morning classroom session, fire fighters received training from the WRG Fire Simulator Company, the contractor responsible for design, construction and instruction for the simulator. Following the classroom session, the fire fighters began to work with the live fire props. There were two burn rooms, one on the first floor and one on the second floor. Use of the live fire props began in the first floor burn room. There were four to six fires suppressed by the officers in the late morning. After lunch, the group moved upstairs to the second floor burn room. There were three fires ignited in the second floor burn room. Employee #1 and #2 were burned after the third fire. It was determined that the amount of fuel injected into the room exceeded the ability of the ventilation system to control it. Hose stream pushed unburned propane to the back of the room. After the fire was thought to be extinguished and the hose lines were shut down, the unburned propane ignited, rolled forward and flashed out the door. Employees #1 and #2 were standing straight out from the door, approximately 20 ft from the burn room in the staging room. They were treated at Emmanual Hospital for second-degree burns to their faces and hands.

Keywords: BURN, FIREFIGHTER, FIRE, PROPANE, FACE, HAND