By Mark Wineka
Salisbury Post
An investigative team from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health spent most of last week in Salisbury, looking into the events of the March 7 fatal fire at Salisbury Millwork.
Meanwhile, Salisbury Fire Chief Bob Parnell still plans to assemble an additional panel of fire service experts to review the Fire Department procedures followed that day.
Parnell said NIOSH did extensive legwork and covered much of what an outside panel would, but “another set of eyes will help.”
Salisbury firefighters Justin Monroe and Victor Isler died and four other firefighters were injured in the Salisbury Millwork fire, which caused about $2 million in damage and displaced 35 employees.
The fire started in a void space above the basement ceiling of the office.
A National Response Team from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, the SBI and local investigators have labeled the cause of the fire as “undetermined.” Investigators have emphasized, however, that arson or any other malicious activities were not involved in the fire.
An exact description of the events on the morning of March 7 has yet to emerge.
Parnell said it’s still “not the right time” to share what is known, particularly for the family members who are grieving.
The fire chief acknowledged that many rumors and theories are circulating through the community that are not necessarily accurate.
“We need to share exactly what went on and what happened with those guys and what conditions transpired,” he said, estimating it would take at least a couple of more weeks.
In general, he said, unforeseen conditions overwhelmed the crew inside.
Autopsy reports said the men died from heat exposure and carbon monoxide poisoning.
Monroe and Isler were part of a hose team, along with Capt. Rick Barkley, that became caught in the millworking plant that morning. A Rapid Intervention Team was able to bring Barkley out in time. He suffered first- and second-degree burns.
The fire department has been “walking on its knees” since the fire and is gradually getting back on its feet, Parnell said Wednesday.
Parnell said he personally has never participated on a panel looking at a fatal fire. He has read information on a similar panel’s being assembled after last June’s fire in Charleston in which nine firefighters died.
NIOSH’s Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program conducts investigations of firefighter line-of-duty death and tries to offer recommendations for preventing future deaths and injuries.
Each investigation results in a report.
According to the NIOSH Web site, investigators review all applicable documents, such as standard operating procedures, dispatch records and training records for the victims, incident commanders and officers.
The NIOSH team also looks at medical records (if applicable), medical examiner reports, structure blueprints, police reports, photographs and video.
Last week, the NIOSH team also reviewed information from Salisbury-Rowan Utilities related to water supply and pressure that were available that day.
Interviews in a NIOSH investigation include Fire Department management and firefighters who were on the scene at the time of the incident.
When the investigation is complete, NIOSH summarizes the sequence of events related to the fatalities and prepares a draft report.
Each department has an opportunity to review the draft to ensure it is technically accurate.
The draft is then made final with the inclusion of recommendations for preventing future deaths or injuries under similar circumstances.
Once the Fire Department has received the final copy of the NIOSH incident report, it’s made available to the public through the Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention program Web site.
The NIOSH Surveillance and Field Investigations Branch is based in Morgantown, W.Va.
The NIOSH Web site lists 17 N.C. fires that it has reported on since 1986.
The United States has roughly 1.1 million firefighters, of which 313,000 are career and 823,000 are volunteers.
The national agency investigates both career and volunteer firefighter deaths.
The National Fire Protection Association and U.S. Fire Administration estimate that, on average, 105 firefighters die in the line of duty each year, NIOSH says.
Contact Mark Wineka at 704-797-4263, or mwineka@salisburypost.com.