Fire chief hospitalized after gas explosion in CT

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Fire chief hospitalized after gas explosion in CT

The Hartford Courant, Connecticut (October 25, 2007)

Oct. 25--CLINTON -- Fire Chief Jeff Heser was doing better than expected but just beginning a painful recovery at the Bridgeport Hospital burn unit Wednesday, a day after suffering severe burns in a horrifying accident at the town public works garage.

Heser suffered second-degree burns across his face, arms and upper torso when a leaf blower he was trying to start backfired and caused a nearby can of gasoline to explode.

Heser is a crew chief for the town Department of Public Works and has worked for the department since 1989. A volunteer firefighter for 15 years, he has been chief since 2005.

"I'm doing pretty good today, according to the preliminary report," Heser said Wednesday in a brief phone conversation from his hospital room. He is expected to remain in the hospital for about two weeks.

The state Department of Labor's Division of Occupational Safety and Health is investigating the accident. A spokeswoman said an investigator visited the public works garage at 117 Nod Road Tuesday and will interview workers, examine equipment and look at procedures in place at the public works department.

Meanwhile, colleagues from the fire and public works departments have been visiting Heser.

"He was up and talking to us, and doing very well," Assistant Chief Brian Manware said after returning from Bridgeport Hospital on Wednesday. Co-workers are organizing help for Heser and his wife, Paula, who is the town's assistant tax collector. They have two young children.

Deputy Fire Chief Robert Voss will run the department in Heser's absence, Manware said.

"He's a lot better than we anticipated," said public works Director Ed Vailette. He described Heser as "a dedicated employee, a good leader and a good person."

"We're a pretty close-knit family," Police Officer Daniel Foito said of the town's public employees. Foito, who has known Heser for 18 years, was one of the first on the scene of the accident.

"It's horrific to see a friend in such pain," Foito said. He said two of Heser's co-workers, Peter Sullivan and Brian Smith, also volunteer firefighters, threw themselves on Heser to smother the flames.

"They did a very valiant thing," Foito said. "His situation would have been a lot more dire if they hadn't done what they did."

Shortly after 7 a.m. Tuesday, Heser was preparing to help clean up town parks and athletic fields. He put a small amount of gasoline into the leaf blower's carburetor "to prime it," according to Police Chief Joseph Faughnan.

Sullivan and Smith put out the fire with their bodies and cut the shirt off. Other rescue workers arrived and, soon after, Heser was flown by Life Star helicopter to Bridgeport.

Vailette said Heser's method for starting the blower is "not an accepted procedure." He called the incident "a freak accident."

Contact David K. Funkhouser at dfunkhouser@courant.com.

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wish him a speedy recovery