Boston- 3rd Alarm Video Link 11-12-07

[Truck4 48]

WBZ Photog Chuck Manning arrived just before the first due co's. Keep clicking the video icons and fight through the 15 second commercials. Great video of 4 members bailing off the roof.

http://wbztv.com/topstories/local_story_316121833.html

[Danger 160]

I heard Boston does things their own way, but...wow. Jackets open, no packs, bailout ropes, eye protection, even helmets.

[BIGRED1 71]

I heard Boston does things their own way, but...wow. Jackets open, no packs, bailout ropes, eye protection, even helmets.

Ya the Zero level of safety is interesting. the guys in video 3 on the roof with almost no gear on looked like they wanted to be heros and didn't think about their safety. Hope they don't go out on a OJI from this fire cause the brass will say " um guys you didn't have any SCBA, Any helmets, coats open. And what the hell were you doing on a roof with none of this stuff on?"

Also notice about 27 seconds into the third video how they almost get tossed off the ladder

[hudson144 150]

?

[ny10570 745]

Wow. I'm speechless.

[Guest]

Before everyone jumps on their high horse and criticizes the 20 seconds they witnessed of this job, you may want to consider that perhaps there is more to it than we are shown.

[JohnnyOV 2]

How do they get away with this with no law enforcement from something like OSHA or NIOSH giving them severe fines for allowing them to work in a hazardous area without the proper PPE?

Its almost sickening. Thank GOD no one was killed.

[tbendick 27]

Well if you saw the videos from WBZTV you need to see the following.

http://www.myfoxboston.com/myfox/pages/Hom...mp;pageId=1.1.1

This is an aerial video showing Roof ops and shows a lot more of what was going on up there.

[E106MKFD 56]

Obviously being prepared and having the right PPE and Saftey equipment is the right thing no one should be exempt from following the rules/laws they sre just trying to save lives and keep firemen safe. Stupid and lucky but they got the job done.

[llm60 0]

WOW!!!!!

[firecapt32 282]

I cant believe what i am seeing. I really cant speachless!!!! what were thoses guys thinking

[Guest]

Yep, this will raise some issues........

[jloftus 28]

Not trying to justify what we saw but maybe we dont know what they were told, ( KIds Trapped ) Maybe??

Conditions were bad only they know what was said when they pulled up, its easy to second guess when were not there.

Thank God it worked out

[E106MKFD 56]

Not trying to justify what we saw but maybe we dont know what they were told, ( KIds Trapped ) Maybe??

Conditions were bad only they know what was said when they pulled up, its easy to second guess when were not there.

Thank God it worked out

I agree but even in the midst of chaos firemen should be prepared ready for action with a plan so they could react to emergencies like this.

[ny10570 745]

They were told kids trapped and even made a few grabs, but that doesn't explain why they were up there that late. Flat roof, burned through, with smoke pushing out all sides, and varying winds that were pushing the fire towards the unburned portion. At the start of the video tbendick posted there was a guy screwing around with a window frame while the roof above him is engulfed in flames. The whole thing just looks really uncoordinated.

[COMMANDCHIEF 4]

"Before everyone jumps on their high horse and criticizes the 20 seconds they witnessed of this job, you may want to consider that perhaps there is more to it than we are shown. "

Like what? There was a giant explosion on the roof that blew all their PPE off of them? No excuse!!

[E106MKFD 56]

Deaths, close calls, and injuries from fire like these are all linked to poor planning or not enough. If everybody trained for everything without putting up a hard time firemen could react better to emergencies like this one. I'm sure everyone working at that scene went home and thanked God for letting them all go home!

[Danger 160]

Sorry, maybe I'm being 20/2 on this, but I dont really care who is trapped, I'm not going to do a Lt. Steven McCaffrey impersonation. These guys are professionals, are you saying that they didn't have time to put on PPE?

[Guest alsfirefighter]

You gotta be frigging kidding me!

And the gold medal for the Partner Saw shot put goes to......

If there is anyone out there that has the ability to copy those videos to windows format, please do so and PM me. I would like these for educational tools.

[RocklandFires 44]

Embarrassing if you ask me. Was that firefighters helmet on fire and he kicked it ? And these guys are paid ? Looked like a bunch of amateurs if you ask me !

[Mac8146 61]

No SCBA, No Proper PPE donned, no secondary means of egress, recipe ripe for disaster. Isolated building fortunately wind was working in there favor. Many serious issues here to look at, Boston should use this as a training tool. Wow is it me or did that aerial seem not to be operated smoothly with members on it, slammed into the exposure couple of times and was raised and lowered abruptly.

[Guest alsfirefighter]

The movement of the aerial I can be a bit more understanding about. The person who ended up having to move the aerial may not have been an operator but a person there at the time. Even if it was the operator given the fact that there were members who were in a bad situation and their anxiety adding to the mix, its not uncommon for the body to lose fine and complex motor control with adrenaline induced increases in heart rate. This is also a proven fact with civilians when faced with a crisis and they have to dial 911. They often cannot do it correctly or without great difficulty.

[BIGRED1 71]

You gotta be frigging kidding me!

And the gold medal for the Partner Saw shot put goes to......

I think that the better part of that was a little later on when the guy throws the saw, then it bounces OFF THE ROOF!! Hope he checked to see if anyone was below covering the exposure. How you gonna explain that LODD. "Um ya your husband was hit in the head with a saw that someone Kinda sorta dropped off a roof. "

after seeing that second video link (from the chopper) all the "there could be more to the story" stuff goes right out the window. there are too many guys on a roof which was already venting and looks like the fire had been going for a little while so you have to think about a possible collapse, and they didn't even have SCBA. the only way they could have gotten an inkling of doubt would have been in the SCBA were laying on the roof decking, then at least we would know they THOUGHT about bringing them up.

Well on the positive side i am glad no one got hurt and all residents made in out relatively ok.

[Bunkers 0]

"Before everyone jumps on their high horse and criticizes the 20 seconds they witnessed of this job, you may want to consider that perhaps there is more to it than we are shown. "

Like what? There was a giant explosion on the roof that blew all their PPE off of them? No excuse!!

Lol, I agree. That is almost scary how those guys had little regard for PPE.

[BIGRED1 71]

Here is a recount of the fire by the guys who were there.

Boston Firefighters Recount Dramatic Rescue

BOSTON, Mass.-- Rarely do we see the dangers firefighters face every day. These men and women risk their lives to keep others safe every day.

WBZ photographer Chuck Manning captured a dramatic rescue at a burning house in Mattapan Monday morning. A triple-decker on Blue Hill Avenue burst into flames. Engine 16 rushed to the scene to help fight the fire and rescue those who were trapped inside.

Later that night, the firemen who were at the scene spoke with to WBZ's Jonathan Elias about what happened.

When firefighters got to the fire in Mattapan, they knew they had their hands full. They had to rescue children and then firefighters.

Gathering around the TV, the firefighters with Engine 16 watched video of the fight some of them had waged just hours earlier.

Lt. Michael Sameski was one of the first to arrive at the scene. "When you come up like that and you have people pointing and yelling, it's just life safety you're thinking somebody is there, and you got to get the people out" Sameski said.

Sameski ran to the back of the burning house and saw a girl screaming from the second story. He grabbed a painter's ladder, put it up against the building and crawled up to her. "And I just told the girl to stay... the smoke was coming out the window bad... she was screaming... she was hysterical, but I told her to stay, that there would be a ladder. That was her best option at that point. She was breathing relatively good air for the most part."

Sameski was able to get the little girl out and carry her to an ambulance that was waiting on the street below. He then ran back to the house to rescue a 2-year-old, but someone had already pulled the toddler from the fire.

Meanwhile, up on the roof, firefighters were working with axes trying to vent the fire -- working to direct the blaze away from those inside the house. The venting was a success, but the fire quickly turned on them. "Yeah, the fire was coming close to us and it made it more urgent to get off the roof," said firefighter Jay Gormley, who was one of the five firefighters on the building's roof.

A truck's ladder was ferrying the men from the burning roof to the roof next door. At one point the fire got so close to the men that one firefighter had to jump off the roof and onto the ladder before the blaze got him. "We weren't expecting (the fire) to cut across our exit," said Gormley. "When we saw that happen, we asked for our buddies down below to move the ladder... They moved it for us... We moved to the adjacent roof... It turned out all right for us."

Some firefighters suffered minor burns from the fire, but none of them were seriously injured. They told WBZ they were very concerned about the 2-year-old who was pulled out of the burning house.

They were relieved to hear the toddler's condition was upgraded Monday night.

[Guest]

Embarrassing if you ask me. Was that firefighters helmet on fire and he kicked it ? And these guys are paid ? Looked like a bunch of amateurs if you ask me !

Absolutely no excuse for this whatever

[irishfire2491 24]

I am glad they are ready to fight the structure fire that is blowing through the roof and the guy inside working right below the roof where the fire is right over their heads with open jackets. Remember you never know where the news camara will be always be prepared for anything

Edited November 14, 2007 by irishfire2491

[Dondestro 9]

I am glad they are ready to fight the structure fire that is blowing through the roof and the guy inside working right below the roof where the fire is right over their heads with open jackets. Remember you never know where the news camara will be always be prepared for anything

my two cents:

Forget about news cameras. They are all just flat out lucky and really really stupid. Some people think they are invinsible. I think these guys should be put back into the academy and never be let out. Not only did they put there own lives in danger but they set a bad example for the younger men and women coming up in the fire biz. i hope this dosen;t represent the professionalism of boston fire department.

[JCESU 20]

HOLY COW.....THAT MADE THE HAIR STAND UP ON THE BACK OF MY NECK

[x129K 1,393]

That was SICK!!!!!!!

The one getting catapulted up and ALMOST off the ladder was rediculous - talk about crapping yer britches!