Near Miss Incident Report: CO Incident

Submitted by Assistant Fire Chief Rusty Wilson, Irving, Texas

NEAR MISS INCIDENT

City: Irving, Texas

Synopsis: CO Incident

Department Type: Paid Municipal

Date of Incident: Late Summer 2013

Time: Unknown

Event Description:

Late this summer, an ambulance company returned the extra ambulance to its appropriate station around mid-day. Two young tailboards took initiative and decided to back the ambulance into the bay to the appropriate parking spot. One was driving and one was the backer. Due to all the noise in the bay, (i.e. Plymovent, large cooling fan and radio), neither of the firefighters could hear the gas generator running on the ambulance. At approximately 2-3 am the truck was returning from a run and was informed that the CO detectors in the station had began to alarm. The engine company had noted a high reading of CO in the apparatus bay and promptly ventilated the area. Upon investigating the bay the crew found the generator on the extra ambulance still running. It was promptly shut off.

Summation:

The two firefighters that parked the ambulance were not paramedics, therefore did not know that the audible alarm and visual red blinking light were warning devises on the ambulance for this reason. They thought it was the alarm for the keys being left in the ignition. The other noises in the bay were major contributing factors.

 

Lessons Learned:

• Ensure ALL personnel know how to operate all aspects of the assigned equipment at the station.

• A walk through of the station prior to everyone going to bed would have been helpful.

• Had we not installed the CO monitors a few years back, this event could have ended much like the event in East Texas that resulted in death at the station.

 

Actions Taken:

On November 21, 2013 all station officers were made aware of the event and were asked to check the operation of all CO detectors in their stations and report results back to the Shift Duty Officer. Some reported monitors either not working due to dead batteries or the batteries had been removed. As of November 24, 2013 all station CO monitors are working. Diligence should be taken to test these monitors and replace batteries on the same schedule WE “the Fire Department” suggest to the citizens. A Near Miss Report was sent to the appropriate Assistant Chief.

Submitted by Assistant Fire Chief Rusty Wilson, Irving, Texas

Submit Your Near-Miss Reports
In an effort to maximize the benefits of near-miss reporting, the commission encourages all departments to submit near-miss reports to us. We would like to share these reports with the community, and would be happy to do so anonymously, if you prefer.

We commend the Irving Fire Department for sharing its experience with the Texas fire service community. If you would like to send in your near-miss report, please contact our injury reporting staff. Thank you!