Neighbors fault city's Fire Department brownout policy in death of Autistic West Philadelphia boy

[RamboLiberal]

A 12-year-old autistic child who died in a West Philadelphia rowhouse fire Saturday night might still be alive if not for a recent city policy of temporarily shutting firehouses to save money, the head of the firefighters union and community members said Sunday.

"This is just a Russian roulette game, and now a kid is dead," said Bill Gault, president of Local 22 of the International Association of Fire Fighters.

-----

Engine 57, the closest fire company, had been on brownout that day and went back into service at 6 p.m., Ayers said.

But at time of the fire, the engine was en route to pick up apparatus at a department repair shop at Front Street and Hunting Park Avenue, he said.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20100809_Neighbors_fault_city_s_Fire_Department_brownout_policy_in_death_of_West_Philadelphia_boy.html

THE HEAVY fire that killed a 12-year-old boy with autism on Saturday night in West Philadelphia ignited a controversy about fire safety that smoldered thoughout the day yesterday.

The blaze that also damaged three neighboring homes rekindled the debate about the new city policy of "rolling brownouts" for fire stations and prompted angry neighbors to charge that the response was too slow - new policy or not.

City officials said that a truck responded in three minutes, and were quick to counter any argument that the program mandated by Philadelphia's budget crisis was to blame.

The debate raged even as details about the victim - whose name still has not been released by authorities, but who neighbors said was named "Frank" - were slowly emerging.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/20100809_Fatal_West_Philadelphia_fire_sparks__brownout__policy_questions.html

[msanthrope]

1. A fire truck was there in 3 minutes....it was a bad fire, no

working smoke alarms, and there's some evidence it had been smoldering for awhile before the FD was called.

The closest firehouse was not closed because of a brownout, but becasue the equipment was getting changed out.

[RamboLiberal]

2. 90 seconds can be difference between life & death in a fire

The company that would normally respond says they would've been there in 90 seconds. If the firehouse had been staffed earlier in day would the equipment have been gotten then? And it was longer than 3 minutes before first firefighters who could effect a rescue got there.

The story here is that the head of the Philadelphia Firefighters Union, Bill Gault, said the death – and the three houses that suffered damage from the flames – could have been prevented. Engine 57, located at 56th and Chestnut, “literally around the corner from the fire,” says Fox29, couldn’t respond because firefighters at the station were just coming on duty and picking up equipment 10 miles away. Gault said that if not for the rolling brownouts, the task would have been completed earlier in the day and they would’ve responded on time. Crews from Engine 68, about a mile away, responded to the fire instead.

Lloyd Ayers, the Philadelphia Fire Commissioner, told Fox 29 that Engine 68 was on the scene in three minutes. The required standard is four minutes. However, the first vehicle on the scene was an SUV, not an engine. He also mentioned how the house’s smoke alarms were non-functioning. Ayers was on Good Day Philadelphia to defend the response.

Ayers said when firefighters arrived at the burning house it was clear the house had been smoldering for quite a while. “It’s just obvious it had been smoldering for some time. It broke out, there was a lot of fire. This fire was not called in immediately after it started.” Ayers explained “when firefighters got here they knocked the fire down, they went to rescue this 12 year old boy who had unfortunately lost his life in this fire. Two of our firefighters actually fell through the stairwell trying to come back down after not being able to get to the young boy right away.”

http://blogs.philadelphiaweekly.com/phillynow/2010/08/09/philadelphia%E2%80%99s-first-%E2%80%98rolling-brownout%E2%80%99-death/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=philadelphia%25e2%2580%2599s-first-%25e2%2580%2598rolling-brownout%25e2%2580%2599-death

Fire department records indicate firefighters arrived on the scene three minutes after receiving the call. But there are reports the first responder to arrive was actually a battalion chief in an SUV. A fire truck from Engine 68 didn't arrive until several minutes later. That station is just over a mile away from where the fire was burning on South 55th Street.

http://www.myfoxphilly.com/dpp/video/Commissioner_Lloyd_Ayers_Fatal_Fire_Autistic_Boy_08_09_10

Who knows if child could've been saved, but what about the next time when a closer fire station is closed.