比尔·卡明斯
康涅狄格州布里奇波特
（MCT）
7月23日 - 布里奇波特 - 两名消防员在与2010年7月大火作斗争的同时死亡后，该市实施了一系列的程序和结构性变化，旨在防止另一次悲惨事件。
The new policies are outlined in documents obtained from the Connecticut Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which cited the city’s fire department for serious failures following the deaths of Lt. Steven Velasquez and firefighter Michel Baik.
Elmwood Avenue House大火发生在2010年7月24日 - 截至本周末12年前。
The violations cited by CONN-OSHA included a failure to follow “mayday” procedures when firefighters called for help, not performing tests on firefighters’ breathing tanks, failing to conduct medical examinations to ensure firefighters were fit for duty and failing to ensure that all firefighters wore breathing equipment when inside the burning building.
In written responses dated March 8, 2011, the city detailed new procedures to satisfy the state’s concerns, including altering how “mayday” calls would be handled in the future. A mayday call is an urgent plea for help and one of five safety violations cited by state regulators.
Other changes reported by the city include requiring visual inspections and testing of the oxygen tanks used by firefighters, better medical evaluations of firefighters and improved testing over how well the seal on a respirator fits the user’s face, according to the documents.
代理消防局长兰斯·爱德华兹（Lance Edwards）本周说：“那天对布里奇波特消防局在结构大火中运作的方式产生了深远的影响。”
Both Baik and Velasquez were working inside the burning house when they were fatally injured. The state medical examiner’s office determined that Baik died from smoke inhalation complicated by a heart condition and that Velasquez died from smoke inhalation and asphyxia.
”勒下的部门发展极大adership of former Fire Chief Richard Thode and is advancing under the direction and current leadership of Chief Edwards,” said Scott Appleby, director of the city’s Office of Emergency Management.
Appleby说：“我们的部门已经看到了代理机构合作，统一决策和后行动审查的巨大变化，这有时会立即改变政策和程序。”
“Mayday”
A report from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health released in 2011 provided a chilling assessment of what happened during the Elmwood Avenue fire.
根据该报告，这位40岁的Velasquez和49岁的Baik以及另外两名消防员被分配在大火发生后，在多户家庭的三楼寻找受害者和热点在二楼熄灭。
当Velasquez和Baik将墙壁和天花板拉到三楼时，大火突然重新点燃。
该报告指出，Velasquez传输了未得到承认或采取行动的五月天。几分钟后，事件指挥官下令撤离三楼，那时，一名消防员离开三楼，发现Velasquez坐在楼梯上昏迷而不是呼吸。大约七分钟后，在浓烟条件下，在三楼发现了巴克。
Radio dispatches show that at 4:13 p.m. Velasquez is heard calling, “Mayday, mayday, mayday, we’re trapped on the rear stairs,” according to the report. It took almost four minutes before a call went out about a firefighter down on the rear stairs of the second floor.
该报告指出，有试图到达Velasquez，但快速干预团队无法立即越过固定门的软管关闭。报告指出，他们于下午4:19到达他。
下午4:24，打电话出来，巴伊克被困在三楼。然后在下午4:28在指挥官和Baik之间的广播中听到了讨论。
NIOSH concluded the fire department failed to have a rapid intervention team available to come to the firefighters’ aid, failed to immediately treat one of the firefighters who managed to make it to relative safety before collapsing and did not properly manage firefighters’ air supplies — both firefighters’ air cylinders were empty when they were found.
NIOSH报告指出，该部门的事件安全官员必须在大火期间在现场进行援助，在初次派遣后20分钟到达。
Many remedies
在2011年3月对Conn-Osha的引用的回应中，该市消防部门概述了一系列变化。
Those included new “mayday” procedures and a requirement that the incident commander “acknowledge” a mayday call, new classes on how the process works and drills and training involving firefighters and dispatchers, according to a letter written by Capt. Gary Baker.
In another letter, Baker tells CONN-OSHA that new procedures were in place to inspect the cylinders firefighters wear so they can breathe in a smoke-filled environment, along with testing of those cylinders and new documentation requirements.
该市卫生部门创建的新规定要求uiring firemen to fill out a respirator medical evaluation questionnaire. The department also required those whose responses indicated possible medical issues receive a medical exam and clearance to wear a respirator.
贝克告诉Conn-Osha，该部门还修改了测试呼吸器是否正确适合消防员并购买了新的合身测试机的方式。
该市消防联盟主席戴维·邓恩（David Dunn）没有立即回应有关该部门程序更改的评论请求。
Edwards said a variety of improvements were made in the years since the 2010 deadly fire.
“We’ve since instituted a new position of Incident Safety Officer,” Edwards said. “Their sole role is the safety and well-being of each member operating at an emergency scene. Other than the on-scene Incident Commander, the Incident Safety Officer is the only other member that has the authority to halt emergency operations due to unsafe operations.”
Edwards said the city developed a new “mayday” procedure and better air management techniques.
“We train each of our members that their self-contained breathing apparatus is their best friend,” Edwards said. “That’s the only device that allows them to breath in a hazardous atmosphere. We’ve also replaced our self-contained breathing apparatus utilizing newer technology and one that incorporates a larger cylinder. We also have a preventative maintenance program that addresses annual testing and maintenance.”
这位负责人说，成立了一支快速的干预小组，以定位并在需要时拆除倒下的消防员。
爱德华兹说，该市还进行了全国认可的物理敏捷性测试，旨在确保每个成员都准备在火灾场景中执行重要的工作任务。
“All of the changes implemented not only has made the department stronger physically but also mentally and Chief Edwards is leading us to a more resilient community through the eyes of the fire service,” Appleby said.
Includes prior reporting by staff writer Daniel Tepfer.
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