A firefighter killed in a house fire in October became entangled in furniture and could not get out of the building, while firefighters did not hear a lieutenant’s mayday call, according to a Fire Department report released on Friday, reports The Boston Globe.
The report by the Fire Department’s board of inquiry also said there was a failure to search the room where firefighter Kevin Bell was trapped. He died at a hospital after being found critically injured and in cardiac arrest in the burning Hartford home. Three other firefighters were injured.
Bell was the first Hartford firefighter in 40 years to die in the line of duty. The medical examiner’s office concluded he died of asphyxia because his tank ran out of air.
The report listed 22 conclusions about the Fire Department’s response to the fire and made 19 recommendations for improving safety and efficiency. Fire officials said at a news conference Friday that they already have implemented many of those recommendations, including improving communications systems so mayday calls are not missed or not acknowledged.
“This tragedy has caused us to look intensely at everything we do and how we do it,” Fire Chief Carlos Huertas said. “It has shaken us at our very core and has instilled within us a new focus to continue to make improvements in our department.”
The cause of the fire and Bell’s death are still under investigation by State Police and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Preliminary findings by the institute showed an alarm on Bell’s air tank failed a test.
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