Ct. Firefighter Dies during training accident

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Firefighter dies after being injured in drills

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WOLCOTT (AP) -- A Southington firefighter who was injured during a training exercise has died. Justin Wisneiwski was injured when he fell off a ladder during a training exercise at the regional state fire training school in Wolcott on Saturday.

A spokesman at Saint Mary's Hospital in Waterbury says Wisneiwski died yesterday. Wisneiwski suffered serious injuries in the fall Saturday afternoon at the Wolcott State Fire School.

Fire officials reported he fell off a 24-foot extension ladder and from a height of about 20 feet. Wisneiwski, whose age isn't available, joined the department January 18. He was participating in entry level training for firefighters.

(Copyright

Sad day in Ct. may he rest in peace.

[Guest]

My condolences to his family, friends and the Southington Fire Dept. community. Very sad.

04/05/2005  

Firefighter dies while training  

By GEORGE MOORE , Staff Writer  

SOUTHINGTON -- An 18-year-old resident training to be a firefighter died Sunday at St. Mary’s Hospital in Waterbury after falling off a 20-foot ladder at the Wolcott Regional Fire School.  

Justin M. Wisniewski was at the fire school on Boundline Road in Wolcott Saturday when he fell at about 1:30 p.m., according to Paul Perrotti, president of the Waterbury Area Fire Chiefs Association, which runs the Wolcott school.  

Wisniewski was transported to St. Mary’s Hospital with head injuries, Perrotti said, and died at the hospital on Sunday.  

Fire school administrators and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration will investigate the accident, the president said.

Wisniewski, who was working with Volunteer Engine Company No. 1, was training to become a volunteer firefighter for the Southington Fire Department. He hoped to become a full-time firefighter, said Fire Chief Richard McDonough. He began at the Southington department Jan. 18.

Wisniewski’s family declined comment.

The Southington Fire Department held a stress debriefing for the company Wisniewski belonged to Monday night.  

The department has been shaken up by the incident, McDonough said. Fatal accidents, he said, are rare at training schools; Wisniewski’s was the first he has seen in all his years at the fire department.  

"I don’t even remember one," he said. "Firefighting is a dangerous profession and the training has to be commensurate with what you’re doing."  

Only one other trainee has died at the Wolcott school since 1968, Perrotti said. The death was caused by cardiac arrest, not an accident.  

The school also held a stress debriefing Monday night for Wisniewski’s classmates, and will have a few other debriefings in the next few days. Classes at the Wolcott school have been canceled since Saturday and may resume after a two-week break, Perrotti said.  

"We’re just regrouping tonight," he said. "We’ve already had one critical debriefing. This was a traumatic thing."  

A Mass of Christian Burial for Wisniewski will be celebrated on Friday at 10 a.m. at St. Peter’s Church, 98 Franklin Square, New Britain. Calling hours at the Carlson Funeral Home, at 45 Franklin Square, New Britain, will be Thursday, from 4 to 8 p.m.

New BritainHerald.com