Beyond the Flames — Tragedy Strikes Philadelphia Fire Department

Often times I’ve mentioned fires that have been fatal for several firefighters involved. However, it hasn’t often happened so close to our area – until last week in Philadelphia.
At 3:14 a.m. on Mon., April 9, the Philadelphia Fire Department was dispatched to the report of a possible rubbish fire inside the former Thomas W. Buck Hosiery Factory in the city’s Kensington section. Upon arrival by the initial engine companies, they encountered heavy smoke and fire conditions, and upgraded the incident to a full box alarm.
Due partially to the high winds and dry weather conditions, and also due to the state that the former factory’s structure and surrounding buildings were in, the building quickly became fully involved, prompting a five-alarm response that brought over 30 separate apparatus and crew to the fire scene.
After battling the blaze for over three hours, the blaze was placed under control around 3 a.m. Following the under control declaration, members from Ladder 10 entered a nearby furniture store to check for fire extension in the building. Twenty-nine minutes after the fire was declared under control, a large portion of the building collapsed onto the furniture store, trapping all five members of Ladder 10.
A furious search followed the collapse, resulting in the rescue of three firefighters in a period of approximately 30 minutes. However, nearly two hours after the collapse, the department’s worst fears were realized – two firefighters weren’t making it home.
Firefighters lined the rubble and saluted as members removed the bodies of 60-year-old Lt. Robert Neary and 25-year-old Daniel Sweeny. Neary, a 37-year veteran of the department, was winding down his career and planned to retire in the coming months, while Sweeny was a six-year veteran and the son of a retired captain.
In the following days, it became known that the owners of the abandoned factory had been repeatedly warned and ordered by the city to secure the building, which was known by locals as a common place for squatters, the homeless, and drug users. In fact, the city reported that the owners, a group of brothers from a Staten Island, N.Y. real estate group, owed over $385,000 in taxes and fines on 24 of the 31 properties they own in the City of Philadelphia.
Reports show that the owners of the building were issued four separate citations in regards to the building since November, and none were addressed at the time of the fire. City officials stated last week that they were considering filing criminal negligence charges against the brothers for their role in the deaths.
While the firefighters killed were simply doing their job, it leads us to once again look upon ourselves to prevent a similar tragedy. There are certainly structures in Cape May County that are abandoned and could present similar situations as that of the factory fire, and departments must be prepared to handle an event of that nature.
In addition, it once again stresses the importance of constant size-up by firefighters, whether you’re the incident commander or the lowest ranking firefighter on the scene. Size-up doesn’t just take place at arrival, it should be repeated constantly as the fire progresses.
If a firefighter sees something unusual or something they feel might be an issue, they should say something to their superior. It’s often helpful to have one or two members that aren’t actively involved in the fire suppression efforts, such as firefighters that are part of the designated rapid intervention team (RIT) to periodically do a 360 degree walk-around and size-up of the building, and alternate these firefighters to get a different perspective.
Remember, there’s three priority levels of safety on the fire ground: your own safety, your fellow firefighters’ safety, and the public’s safety. If the firefighters aren’t able to operate in a safe environment, it puts the public at risk.
Stay vigilant, and help to lower the chances of another tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Philadelphia Fire Department family through this difficult time.
Knoll, 20, of Eldora, can be contacted by email at bknolljr4cmcherald@yahoo.com