Those who attend Firehouse World 2016 next week will be afforded the chance to listen to the Fresno, Calif., fire chief speak about an incident that nearly cost her department a fire officer and garnered global attention.
Chief Kerri Donis has agreed to do a special presentation on Capt. Peter Dern’s fall through a garage roof at a March 2015 fire that was caught on camera, capturing the attention of firefighters across the country and around the world.
“This is an opportunity for firefighters far removed from this event to learn from an incident and to potentially prevent a similar tragedy in the future,” said Tim Sendelbach, Firehouse’s Editor-in-Chief. “We are honored to welcome Chief Donis to Firehouse World to share and discuss the events of March 29, 2015, and the lessons learned from this event.”
The presentation will be held Wednesday, Feb. 3, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at Firehouse World at the San Diego Convention Center.
In making the announcement of the presentation, Sendelbach said the incident; “represents a unique learning opportunity seldom afforded the America fire service – a highly publicized event, coupled with a detailed investigative report presented and discussed by the department’s leadership.”
On March 29, 2015, Capt. Dern fell through the roof at a working structure fire and was engulfed in flames for more than 90 seconds, suffering second- and third-degree burns to about 70 percent of his body. He spent more than four months in the hospital, having been released in July and has been recovering from his injuries since.
In April 2015, Chief Donis commissioned a study of the incident and a 274-page investigative report was released on January 19.
Titled; “Multi-Agency Serious Accident Review Team S.A.R.T. Investigation Report, Fresno Fire Department,” the document was drafted by an eight-member panel including current and retired fire officials from Kern County Fire Department, the Modesto Fire Department, the Los Angeles Fire Department and other agencies.
It was critical of Fresno’s culture and examined everything from adherence to personal protective gear rules to the need to alter the department’s culture of safety.
“When dealing with department policies and procedures, it is apparent the membership at all levels is picking and choosing which ones they are willing to follow,” SART team members wrote in the report. The team recommended an “imperative for safety” for the department.
It also looked at the causal factors of the incident and cited an absence of standard risk management process to address hazards in firefighting. It also recommended a rigorous training program with an emphasis on assessing risks.
Further, the S.A.R.T. team investigating Capt. Dern’s incident looked at related National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) from similar incidents and found startling comparisons.
The team said the incident in Fresno was yet another “illustration of the fire service continuing to make the same mistakes over and over again.”
“When do we say enough is enough,” the S.A.R.T. team wrote. “We have the necessary information, and we have the power and ability to make the necessary changes that will prevent injuries to the brave firefighters of “Our” American Fire Service. It is the hope and vision of this Team that this Fresno report becomes the benchmark, or wake-up call, we all need to finally effect positive cultural change to our proud profession!”
In response to the initial feedback from the S.A.R.T., Chief Donis wrote in a May 20, 2015, letter to all firefighters saying in part: “Over time, and as an organization, certain behaviors with regard to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), seatbelt use and equipment have become accepted daily practices. We became comfortable and too willing to trade a degree of safety for the sake of expediency. It is not a question of blame; rather, this is the time to adjust and apply the quality safety practices the Department has in place.”
During the Firehouse World presentation, Sendelbach will facilitate a review and discussion about the incident and the investigative report.
