Inspection Detail

Inspection: 124577149 - Nycfd Ladder 22 & 40

Inspection Information - Office: New York State Department Of Labor Public Employee Safety & Health Bureau

Investigation Summary

At approximately 12:47 p.m. on March 11, 1999, an alarm from fire box #1323 was received by the New York City Fire Department (NYCFD) for a kitchen fire in the rear of a restaurant in an eleven-story building. A line was stretched and the fire extinguished. But as the truck was setting up, the firemen noticed a larger fire on the ninth and tenth floors. When Employees #1 through #13, all of Battalion 11, arrived on the scene, the chief evaluated the scene and identified fire escapes and stairs wrapped around, a passenger elevator, and scaffolding with ongoing construction at the side of the building. Although the fire in the restaurant had been extinguished, it had spread through an exhaust duct that went up the side of the building; a bend in the duct and also allowed the fire to spread through the scaffolding shaft, igniting some scaffolding planks. The fire was spreading vertically and horizontally at a fast rate, threatening all the inside apartments, and second and third alarms were issued to provide relief and to put out multiple lines. As Employees #1 through #13 battled the blaze, there were many lines and people in the staircase, and several employees were injured when they slipped or tripped, or were struck by falling debris. Employee #1 had assisted several companies in setting up their lines and had helped pull a line through a window on the fourth floor. During this time, he fell down a flight of stairs and injured his back, but he continued to assist on the eighth floor. After a time, he went to take a break with coworkers from Ladder 40 in a cleared apartment. He was in pain but thought it was due to an increased core body temperature and went to douse his head with water. Employee #1 collapsed and was found by coworkers, who issued an urgent call and then a Mayday. Employee #1 was administered oxygen before being transported to St. Luke's/Roosevelt Hospital. Employees #2 and #3 also sustained injuries that required hospitalization. Employees #4 through #7 and #11 through #13 sustained various injuries and Employees #8 through #10 suffered from heat exhaustion; none were hospitalized. The fire went to eight alarms and involved over 600 fire fighters before it was brought under control.

Keywords: FIREFIGHTER, OXYGEN, STAIR, FIRE, SLIP, TRIPPED, FALL, STRUCK BY, FIRE BRIGADE, HEAT EXHAUSTION