fire fighters lost lives over no Harnesses

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Short Cuts, Deaths & BP

2 Kilgore (TX) Firefighters died in the Line of Duty (*NIOSH report link below) while training on their new aerial truck back in January of 2009. They died after falling from the elevated aerial platform during training. The members were participating in the drill to familiarize themselves with a newly purchased 95-foot mid-mount aerial platform truck. The group of 4 FF's, without safety belts, were in the aerial platform which was raised to the roof of an 8 story college dorm. The platform became stuck on the concrete parapet wall at the top of the building. During attempts to free the platform, the top edge of the parapet wall gave way and the aerial ladder sprung back from the top of the building, then began to whip violently back and forth. 2 of the 4 FF's standing in the platform were ejected from the platform because of the motion. They fell about 80 feet to the ground and were tragically killed in the Line of Duty.

Now, the family of one of the Firefighters who was killed will soon be in court. Firefighters Cory Galloway and Kyle Perkins were the victims who died in the Line of Duty. FF Galloway's family has filed a lawsuit against E-one Incorporated, Hallmark Apparatus of Texas, and the City of Kilgore because of his death. The suit focuses on the fact that the truck had just been delivered a few weeks before the training, which did not include safety belts. The suit accuses the Kilgore FD of requiring its FF's to operate the equipment in a high risk exercise after just a few hours of basic training, and without safety belts.

*NIOSH REPORT:

 

[grandpa]

Paid or volunteer firefighters?

 

[Bumpus]

.
This should have never happened and there is no excuse.

I can not see that it makes any difference if they were Paid or volunteer firefighters?

The real problem is Neglects on the part of those who were training in the program, and not having the proper safety equipment for those in the program which resulted in the death of those who relied on others to teach them correctly ! ! !

They should be sued, and have to pay ... period ! ! !
.

 

[joispoi]

I don't see how Hallmark is responsible for this. Firemen aren't supposed to be on the platform without full turnout gear either. Are they supposed to supply full turnout gear for the entire department with every firetruck? Safety harnesses are not a "one size fits all" device.

There was no reason for this to happen. It's a simply safety rule that's very easy to follow. The supervisor running the drill is ultimately responsible for allowing the men up there without safety harnesses. Senseless tragedy.

 

[willie59]

There should be liablity on the part of those doing the training. And the families should be compensated by them. No argument there. And I know this is how it works in the country, sue everyone and everything involved, including the persons who poured the concrete that failed. It's the way the litigation lottery works here. But for the life of me, I'll never understand how E-one or Hallmark Apparatus bears any liability in a case like this. Plain and simple; operator error, and gross negligence by training staff to allow workers in platform without OSHA required safety harness.

 

[Steve Frazier]

Thanks for bringing this safety issue to our attention. As for liability, that's an issue for the courts to decide. None of us were there and I'd prefer not to have the case deliberated here on our Board.