By DAN TELVOCK
Chancellor Volunteer Fire and Rescue did not follow standard operating procedures requiring within three days a detailed follow-up report on a Feb. 5 fatal house fire.
Spotsylvania County Fire and Rescue Chief Chris Eudailey said yesterday this was an oversight by the volunteers and that a report will be completed.
The report is supposed to be written by the incident commander in charge of the 45 volunteers who responded to the house fire on Spotswood Furnace Road. It is important because it could answer some questions raised about the fire-fighting and rescue tactics used.
Firefighters saved a 17-year-old girl from the house and the girl's mother escaped on her own. But Sandy Hill, 43, died as a result of the fire.
Although an autopsy report has not been finished, fire officials believe Hill died of smoke inhalation.
Hill was trapped in her bedroom for more than 20 minutes. For some of that time, she was pleading with a 911 operator for help and provided directions of where she was in the house.
According to the county Fire and Rescue Department's standard operating procedures, a follow-up report in a fatal fire should contain six parts:
A narrative of the incident, including a summary of the operation
A review of problems or obstacles encountered
A review of operations that went well
A diagram of the incident
Recommendations for changes to standard operating procedures and any commendations
A critique with all crews.
Kevin Dillard, Chancellor's administrative chief, said he expects the report soon.
"Some good things will come out of this," he said.
Separate from the follow-up, Eudailey has assigned a four-person team to conduct an internal review of the operations, communications and tactics used at this house fire. He said that team--consisting of two volunteers and two career members--has met four times since March 12.
One of the chief questions the review team is trying to answer is why it took so long for firefighters to find Hill.
Three times, rescue crews reported that a search of the second floor had been fruitless. More than 20 minutes after the initial 911 call was made at 12:54 a.m., firefighters found Hill on her bedroom floor.
She was not breathing and was unresponsive, and was pronounced dead at Mary Washington Hospital.
In addition to the written critique, standard operating procedures require a post-incident review as soon as practical. Dillard said a verbal review was done with some of the responders about two weeks after the fire.
The Department of Fire and Rescue has two sets of standard operating procedures: one for paid staff and another for the combined system of career staff and volunteers.
Fire and rescue experts said it is uncommon for a combined system to have two sets of standard operating procedures.
Dillard said one change that could result is developing one set of standard operating procedures for the entire combined system.
Dan Telvock: 540/374-5438
Email: dtelvock@freelancestar.com