Another live fire training accident...Why?

[Guest alsfirefighter]

Iowa Firefighting Brothers Seriously Burned in Training Accident

Associated Press

GLENWOOD, Iowa (AP) -- Two brothers from Glenwood were being treated for severe burns at a Lincoln, Neb., hospital Wednesday after being injured during a training accident being conducted by the Glenwood volunteer fire department.

Roger Marvel of Glenwood was listening to a police scanner Monday night when he heard there had been a fire training accident. Earlier that day, he had spoken with his son, Dustin, who had told him he and his brother, Jeremy, would be involved in the training in Glenwood in southwest Iowa.

``I knew it was one of my sons,'' Roger said. ``And then the scanner said another person was severely burned. Everything in my mind said it was the boys.''

He was correct.

Jeremy Marvel, 28, and his brother, Dustin Marvel, 21, were leading the training exercise involving a controlled fire for the Glenwood Volunteer Fire Department. Jeremy is the department's second assistant chief and Dustin is a captain.

The injuries occurred about 7 p.m. Monday as they lit the brush pile on the south side of Glenwood, fire department spokesman Rick Erickson said.

``When they ignited it, it ignited really fast and the flames rolled back over them,'' he said.

The two were taken to a nearby hospital, then transferred to the burn center at Saint Elizabeth Regional Medical Center in Lincoln.

The two have burns over all their bodies, Katy Marvel, Jeremy's wife, said. The hospital said they were in good condition Tuesday night.

Roger said his sons were not dressed in firefighter gear during the training exercise.

``They've been in some real dangerous situations,'' he said, ``but when you're training, you don't expect something like this to happen.''

The Marvel brothers are doing well now, considering the circumstances, Roger said.

He said they're in good hands at Saint Elizabeth. The hospital is recognized as having a premier burn center employing advanced treatment techniques.

One of those advancements, Transcyte, described as a human tissue-derived temporary skin substitute, is being used on the brothers' burns, said Ruth Albrecht, the hospital's burn education program coordinator.

Transcyte acts like a bandage, but its material is grown from specific human skin cells and contains key human proteins and other vital substances known to help in the burn healing process.

[Guest alsfirefighter]

Glenwood, Iowa Firefighters Burned While Conducting Brush Burn

Courtesy of Daily Nonpareil

GLENWOOD - Two firefighters were injured, one seriously, while conducting a brush burn south of Glenwood Monday evening.

Fire Chief Butch Fidler said he believes gasoline was used, rather than diesel fuel, which is usually used when conducting burns.

Fidler said the gas vapors ignited, and flames hit the firefighters. He did not release the firefighters' names, pending notification of relatives.

Fidler said one firefighter was transported to Jennie Edmundson Hospital for treatment and then released.

The other was taken to Creighton Medical Center and flown by air ambulance to the St. Elizabeth Hospital Burn Unit in Lincoln, Neb., he said.

"We heard from (the hospital) last night, and they said he suffered second- and third-degree burns," Fidler said. He said the hospital indicated the firefighter should be released in three to five weeks.

"He's going to be OK. I was more concerned with his airway as the flames flashed into his face," the chief said.

[Guest alsfirefighter]

This is an unfortunate incident which again like many other live fire training accidents should have never occurred. Once again it involves the use of flammable liquids, which are clearly prohibited in NFPA 1403 "Standards for Live Fire Training Evolutions." Even the comment that Diesel fuel is normally used by the dept. involved is a serious issue in itself. NYS advocates following NFPA 1403 for Live Fire Training, in fact its the policy that must be followed by SFI's when conducting live fire training, and discusses acquired structures heavily. And just for those whom still want to make the argument that NY isn't a "NFPA State," both NFPA standards applicable for live fire training and acquired structure live fire training were used in the prosecution of Alan Baird III in the live fire training death of a firefighter in upstate NY a couple years ago. It is also utilized heavily in civil cases.

Bottom line is this, if you cannot comply with NFPA 1403 you should not be conducting live fire evolutions. The state does have 2 courses they developed after the Lairdsville incident concerning Live Fire training. "Conducting Live Fire Training Evolutions" and "Live Fire Training Safety." All state instructors receive this training generally with their first attendance of the instructors conference in Montour. The courses don't actually give you a "certification" however is designed to give the knowledge to understand how to safely conduct live fire and to comply with NFPA 1403. Many of you whom know me, have heard me criticsize the use of acquired structures for live fire training, a opinion I still hold today. Live fire IS NOT to see how much heat you can dump into a room on a crew! Live fire training is to give some creditibility to a evolution with fire behavior. You still have to focus on tactics which is what it is really for. If you pull the line or enter the wrong door due to lack of size up....making it 1000 degrees doesn't make it better or the crew any more of a firefighter.

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Horrible incident, and one that was preventable with education at that. ALS summed it up pretty well.

I'm interested in that last line about the Transcyte burn treatment. Gotta go find some information about that, but if it works, I wonder if the WMC Burn Unit will ever try it or if its even used around here at any of the burn centers. Sounds like it could really help.