Refreshing realism from FDNY

[EastKyFF]

Having watched Dateline's story about the three FDNY brothers who were killed last week, I was so glad to hear the preliminary report on the fire from Cmr. Von Essen.

I heard refreshing realism from FDNY: Sometimes routine fires just go terribly wrong, and sometimes firefighters just die.

We don't like to hear that, but it's the truth, dammit, and if we're ready to stop living in a fantasy world and face our own mortality, we'll admit that.

Too many times we say, "Oh, they shouldn't have gone in on that fire," or "That building was showing signs of collapse." And often, that's the case. Firefighters are still human and make human mistakes, mistakes that kill them.

But other times, Monday-morning quarterbacking is just self-deception. It's our way of convincing ourselves that in that same situation, we wouldn't have gotten killed.

It doesn't work that way. It's God's mercy and a good bit of dumb luck that's gotten us home from every fire, and sometimes, the outcome will just be different.

What do other FH.com users think? I'd really like to hear from FDNY brothers & sisters.




[This message has been edited by EastKyFF (edited 06-27-2001).]

[mamaluke]

I agree 100%

[gah74]

I agree with what you are saying...however, what you are saying is not my attitude towards LODD and what we should take from them.

It is not a secret that routine fires kill firefighters. There are times when no exterior evidence of collapse, explosions, flashovers, hazards, etc...can be realized. The fire attack can be text book perfect and kill you dead.

However, there are also fires and tactics used to extinguish them that may leave some of us scratching our heads wondering what the heck they were thinking. Of course, it's a lot easier to do this from the comfort of our station couch...but we shouldn't rob ourselves of the chance to learn from other's mistakes, believing erroneously that all fire deaths occur strictly by chance and that there is nothing we can do about it.

...and this is not a reference to the recent NYFD fire. I honestly don't know much about it. This is my overall feeling towards LODD and what we should take from them.

[EastKyFF]

Oh, don't get the wrong idea. Stupid tactics and actions are still killing far too many of us. But my point with this thread is that firefighting is inherently dangerous any way you slice it, and as you said, you can do everything right and still get killed.

We indeed should take lessons from every LODD, but the lesson in this case appears to be that sometimes there's nothing you can do.

[FireRebel]

I could not agree more EastKy.....

[ntvilleff]

I agree also Eastkyff...but now you realize with that said, you'll have to give up your dream of a position with the NFPA!!

[E229Lt]

This fire is still fresh and the investigation will take some time. A time-line will be made and the events leading up to it will become more clear.
Until then, I would only ask for patience. There will be lessons learned, as there are with any operation. Please don't rush to make your own. The answer may be simple or complex, but in time it will come.

[fireguru]

The scariest thing about this fire for me was that it happened to experienced guys who never saw it coming. If it could happen to them, I know it could happen to me.