Hampton has been fined $19,978 by the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry for numerous safety violations that led to eight firefighters being injured in a fire last year.
The labor department launched an investigation shortly after the firefighters and four residents were injured in an Oct. 21 fire at the Township in Hampton Woods apartment complex. The Hampton Fire and Rescue Division previously reported that an electric blanket started the fire, which ended up displacing 50 people.
At the fire in October, the first crew to enter the building shut itself in the apartment without a charged hose line and could not suppress the fire due to a lack of a water supply. Among those to enter the building was the incident commander, who is responsible for establishing a command post, providing clear and concise information to incoming companies, ensuring firefighter lifesaving initiatives are established, and keeping control of the incident until it is transferred to another commanding officer or until the matter is safely resolved.
One “serious” safety violation cited in the investigation — which cost the city $9,989 — was that the Hampton fire division failed to provide a safe working environment “free from recognized hazards” likely to cause death or serious physical harm. The report notes that employees were exposed to the hazards of thermal burns, smoke inhalation and asphyxiation from the fire.
The citation says the incident commander immediately entered the burning structure, “failing to ensure that the one firefighter left outside the danger zone properly charged the hand hose brought in for fire attack and search and rescue.” The report also says the incident commander “failed to do an initial 360 degree assessment” and monitor the structural conditions of the building.
Because the hose line wasn’t charged, the first crew to enter the building had no water. A flashover event occurred in the structure, leading to crew members being burnt before other firefighters rescued them. Ultimately, eight firefighters received serious thermal burns and had to be treated at a hospital.
The city was also fined $9,989 for communication failures between the firefighters inside the burning building and those outside.
The report says the firefighter stationed at Engine 10 handling the water lines was not on the same tactical radio frequency as the firefighters inside the structure. The firefighter responsible for providing the water at Engine 10 could also not see the stairwell where the crew entered from his position.
The report says, “He was unaware the entry firefighters were injured until it was reported to him later after they had been transported. The water supply to the hand hose was not properly charged, and no water was flowing to the interior firefighting crew. The use of the primary radio channel, Tac 2 channel, and Tac 6 channel for the incident caused confusion and overlapping safety-sensitive transmissions to the Battalion Chief once in command.”
Hampton was also cited, but not charged, for inadequately training the firefighter at Engine 10 to charge the water hose line properly. Hampton was also cited, but not fined, for employees using fire helmets where the installed reflective tetrahedron stickers were not maintained and were defective.
Initially, Hampton was slated to receive $28,540 in fines, but the city was able to get the penalties reduced. Hampton Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Anthony Chittum said in an emailed statement that the division received the citations on April 21. After attending an informal conference with the agency, the Division received an amended citation with a reduced fine.
Chittum said the city contested information contained within the report by providing supporting facts, information and data. Subsequently, the citation and its contents were reduced and the penalties were paid in full.
“It is the goal of the Hampton Fire Division to meet or exceed the best practices, standards, and expectations of similar public safety agencies across the country,” Chittum said in an emailed statement. “The Division is internationally accredited by (Commission on Fire Accreditation International) and holds the highest ISO rating of ‘1’ and was recently re-evaluated, and subsequently re-accredited, to ensure compliance with industry standards. The Division welcomes these evaluations because it provides valuable guidance and continuous quality improvement opportunities.”
City Manager Mary Bunting issued an emailed statement in which he said that while the city “largely did not dispute” many of the investigation’s findings, it did negotiate the “appropriate remedies” to the violations in an informal meeting.
“I believe the result of that informal conference was fair to the City and all involved,” Bunting said in her statement. “Hampton is committed to the safety of our firefighters, as well as all of the members of our City team and to the public.”
The Hampton Fire Division previously issued a 72-page report listing causal factors believed to have played a role in the incident. Hampton’s report made various recommendations to improve the division’s response to further incidents.
Hampton’s earlier report received some criticism from the International Association of Fire Fighters, which accused the account of lacking accountability from top leadership and accused the city of ignoring warnings from Hampton firefighters of understaffing. The association also said the report blamed firefighters “who risked their lives to save residents while completely skirting the systemic problems that plague the Hampton Division of Fire and Rescue.”
