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Prince William Fire Department must be overhauled, officials say
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Related Topics: WASHINGTON
WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Overhauling the Prince William County Fire and Rescue Department in the wake of firefighter Kyle Wilson’s death last year is a “moral imperative,” County Executive Craig Gerhart told the Board of Supervisors Tuesday.
The leader of an eight-month investigation into Wilson’s death recommended nearly doubling the size of responding units to house fires from 16 firefighters to at least 31. With that manpower, crews would be better prepared to deal with mammoth, fast-burning homes.
The responding units to the house fire that caused the department’s first line-of-duty death did not have enough firefighters to cope with the size and complexity of the fire.
“We have single-family residences that are up to 18,000 square feet now, but we have not changed our staffing or dispatch complement to meet those,” said Battalion Chief Jennie Collins.
Collins delivered a more than 90-minute presentation that included video taken from the scene, computerized re-creations of the fire and the audio recording from Wilson’s final radio transmission.
“I need water. I’m burning up in here. I need water fast,” Wilson said.
Supervisors were visibly moved by the presentation and vowed to respond.
“The public needed to see this. We say it so loosely when we speak to you that you put your lives on the line,” Supervisor Maureen Caddigan said.
“We can’t let this slip through the cracks.”
However, a rampant erosion of property values last year and a bevy of competing priorities including teacher salaries and illegal-immigration enforcement make funding a difficult issue in the face of at least a $51 million deficit.
“I want the citizens to know that yes, illegal immigration is important, but you are more important to us,” Caddigan said.
The house on Marsh Overlook Drive, built in 2002, is similar to the one Supervisor Frank Principi owns two streets over.
“We as a board need to do everything humanly possible to ensure you all have the resources to meet all of these recommendations,” said Principi, D-Woodbridge.
dgenz.examiner.com
Comments from Examiner Readers
2:29 PM MST on Mon., Feb. 4, 2008 re: "Major fire department expenses add to Prince William's budget troubles"
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Examiner Reader said:
it was a tragic event but by not learning how to properly establish, require and enforce building codes will only cause more of these type incidents. You can always throw money and people at a problem but if you do not have proper allocation of resources and personell management then this individual has given his life in vein and nothing was learned from this event
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