Battalion Technician added to Baltimore fire department after release of Stricker Street fire report
BALTIMORE -- The Baltimore City Fire Department added a new Battalion Technician after recommendations from the Stricker Street fire report.
The Battalion Technician is staffed by a firefighter who assists the Battalion Chief with incident management and accountability. It also complies with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to make scenes safer for firefighters.
A report was released detailing what went down during a deadly rowhome fire on South Stricker Street.
Three firefighters lost their lives when the building collapsed in late January.
The report gives recommendations on how to prevent another tragedy like this one from repeating.
There is a lengthy list of recommendations spanning page after page.
Some include taking a closer look at the effectiveness of the technology currently in use, plus creating standards and a training program for responding to incidents in vacant buildings.
The purpose of the report was not to find fault but to make recommendations in hopes of preventing another tragedy from happening.
The Board of Inquiry found problems with certain types of training, communication, and difficulties in controlling the scene after the collapse.
It also notes the department stopped efforts to mark unsafe vacant buildings, and it was "detrimental to the outcome of the fire."
The report also pushed fire chief Niles Ford to resign from his position.
