Firefighter deaths fury
Line manager blamed for flouting rules
JOBURG firefighters have blamed one of their managers for the death of two of their colleagues. They claim the man, whose name is known to The Star, flouted procedures, leaving the incident site to go to the source of the blaze.
The line manager went into the basement of the burning six-storey Nedbank Mall in Albertina Sisulu Street, in contravention of standing rules, according to Joburg Emergency Management Services (JEMS) colleagues.
A malfunctioning transformer in the basement of the Nedbank Mall sparked the blaze on Sunday that claimed the lives of Michael Letsosa, 33, and Dan Zwane, 54.
The two men – who worked at the Fairview Fire Station in Commissioner Street – appear to have run out of oxygen and died from smoke inhalation.
Speaking in the aftermath of the blaze, a firefighter who was at the scene, said the incident manager had taken the pair with him into the building to determine where the billowing smoke emanated from. This meant that no one was in charge of the scene.
“They did not even take a hose that would have been a guideline out of the building if they got lost. Another thing is if they were going to find the ignition point, what would they have extinguished it with?
“As an incident commander, he was supposed to have stayed outside, ensured they had a guideline, whether they had enough oxygen, checked what time the firefighters went in and sent in a rescue team if they were not back after a certain time.”
Traumatised colleagues of the dead men gave a detailed account of how their colleagues died.
One of the JEMS employees The Star spoke to said the three firefighters who went into the basement were gone for a long time.
The incident commander crawled out of the building first, battling to breathe.
“Two men down,” he came out saying.
The medical team rushed to give him oxygen, while another team of firefighters started preparing to go down and look for the two men.
“It was only then that the correct procedure was followed. It should have been done the first time,” the employee said.
Colleagues of the dead men claimed that the manager – who was in hospital where he was being treated for smoke inhalation – committed errors that resulted in the deaths at the weekend.
“What happened was a result of poor management of the scene by the incident commander,” one firefighter said holding back his tears.
The first casualty that the group came across was Letsosa.
“You could tell that when he ran out of oxygen, he took off his breathing apparatus and boots because they were heavy and had tried to run for it.
“He ran for a while and collapsed after failing to find a way out. He was on the floor, still making some sounds.”
The team rushed him outside, where the paramedics tried to resuscitate him and only stopped when there was no sign of life.
Zwane was found a short distance away.
He had also disconnected his breathing apparatus when it was no longer of any use.
Just like Letsosa, he had also desperately tried but failed to get out of the smoke-filled basement.
“They were found at separate points and no one knows just at what point they separated.
“In terms of the firefighters’ regulations, you cannot leave your partner inside.
“You are supposed to use other skills, such as fireman carrying.
“The incident commander should have at least come out with one of them, or known their location,” the man said. “The problem was not equipment, it was the incident commander and the decisions he made.”
Another firefighter agreed with him, saying the incident commander should not have gone into the building.
“He was in charge and should have established that safety measures were followed.
“It looks like the scene was not controlled,” he said.
Spokesman for the Joburg Emergency Management Services Robert Mulaudzi said the incident commander went into the building to guide the firefighters on what to do and to ensure their safety. He said the team had a hose with them.
“We have launched an intensive investigation and will await the report and act accordingly,” he said.
One of the firefighters said the incident commander should be suspended and fired.
“When firefighters were hospitalised for smoke inhalation after a fire in the city last year, nobody died, but the incident commander was suspended.”
Mulaudzi said the man was not on suspension, but on sick leave.
He should be suspended and fired over what happened