Connecticut Fire Department Cited For `Serious` Safety Violations In Blaze That Killed Firefighter

April 09—The Hartford fire department has been cited for five "serious" violations by state Department of Labor officials investigating the fire that claimed the life of firefighter Kevin Bell.

The violations issued by Conn-OSHA are equipment-related to individual firefighters from engine Company 16, which Bell belonged to, that participated in trying to put out the Oct. 7 fire at a home on Blue Hills Avenue. Bell died and a second firefighter was seriously injured.

The OSHA violations include:

• The department failed to ensure all firefighters had been fit tested for their respective self-contained breathing apparatus within the past year.
• The department did not issue, and require the use of protective fire/heat resistant hoods by firefighters responding to the blaze.
• All firefighters had not received required medical evaluations prior to annual fitness testing.
• The department failed to ensure that all self-contained breathing apparatus air cylinders underwent testing every five years as required by federal law.
• The department failed to ensure that firefighters wore helmets or wore equipment properly. OSHA investigators said several firefighters weren't properly wearing ear flaps and chin straps at the fire scene.

City officials have been ordered to attend a conference with Conn-OSHA inspectors on April 23 to discuss the violations and present any evidence to refute the charges. The city could face fines of $1,000 per violation if they do not propose a plan to fix the violations cited by OSHA investigators.

The violations do not name individual firefighters and it is unclear if any of the violations pertain specifically to Bell's equipment. Bell's equipment was seized at the hospital and sent to federal investigators.

Bell, 48, was killed in a house fire at 598 Blue Hills Ave., becoming the first city firefighter to die in the line of duty in 40 years. Another firefighter, Jason Martinez, was badly burned and forced to jump from a second story window.

A six-year veteran of the department assigned to Engine 16 at 636 Blue Hills Ave., Bell was in the house for less than 12 minutes before another member of the department called a mayday, according to radio transmissions,

He was discovered missing after all the firefighters were ordered out of the building for a head count and was unaccounted for in the house for more than eight minutes, records show.

When it was discovered that Bell was missing, a team from Tactical Unit 1 was sent into the burning house and found him in less than 30 seconds. Bell was found in a room on the second floor to the right of the staircase.

Bell had been in the house for less than 21 minutes, according to records. An air tank is rated for 30 minutes of air, but there are a variety of factors that go into how long a firefighter's air bottle lasts, including level of exertion or how much air is taken in with each breath.

Bell was responsible for carrying a hose up to the second floor and putting water on the fire.

In the aftermath of his death, the state fire marshal's office, Conn-OSHA and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health began investigations, and the breathing apparatus that Bell was wearing was sent to its manufacturer for testing.

Two days before Bell's death, an internal fire department email revealed that an inspection of his engine company's equipment found numerous safety issues, including empty air tanks.

NIOSH's 20-page report raises questions about the conditions of the 10-year-old breathing apparatus that the men wore that night. Among the conclusions:

Bell's breathing apparatus failed the "remaining service life indicator" test. Bell's cylinder had two alarm systems on it, and although the first one worked, the second alarm, which would have gone off when he had about 20 percent to 25 percent of his air left, did not pass the federal tests. Hartford fire officials said the alarm did sound, however. Martin would not say why Bell did not make it out of the house, saying that his death is still under investigation.

Bell's 4-year-old Scott Air Pak was in fair condition overall, although there were numerous scratches and gouge repairs on the cylinder, and parts of it were dirty.

The air cylinder worn by the second firefighter had not been tested in the past five years, as required by federal law. Bell's air cylinder had been pressure-tested in April 2013.

The second breathing apparatus did not meet NIOSH's pressure tests because it "did not maintain positive pressure" throughout the 30-minute testing period.

NIOSH said that the probe of the breathing apparatus has concluded and that "in light of the information obtained during this investigation, NIOSH has proposed no further action at this time." NIOSH is still investigating the circumstances of the fatal fire and how the department responded.