On June 3, 2011, I was working my shift at Milwaukee (WI) Fire Department Engine 31. I was the Red Shift lieutenant at the time and had worked with the department for 17 years. At 1924 hours, the station fire tones sounded. We were being dispatched to a structure fire in our first-in area. The computer-aided dispatch printout read, “Smoke coming out of building.” We were out the door in less than a minute and arrived first on scene at 1927 hours. The nine minutes that followed ended with my calling a Mayday and diving headfirst out of a third-floor window.
Every time there is a close call or a line-of-duty death, we must learn from it. History has shown that there are always lessons to be learned and, in some cases, sound practices that can be reinforced. We can accomplish this internally with a thorough postincident analysis. We do our fellow firefighters absolutely no good if we shun this important process at the company and command levels. We must exercise humility, put aside pride, and quell fears of possible embarrassment for the betterment of our firefighters and the organization.
I wasted no time in starting my own postincident analysis. Sprawled out on the trauma room gurney, surrounded by nurses and doctors, I asked the emergency room staff for a pen and paper. They were happy to oblige, and I frantically began writing down significant details I could recall from the fire. I was worried that additional doses of narcotic pain medicine would cloud my memory.
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