Firefighter’s injury indicates larger funding problem
A Tri-Community Volunteer Fire Department firefighter suffered smoke inhalation during a Sunday fire that could have been prevented, according to officials.
Shane Saucier was battling a blaze at 125 Dry Branch Road when the seals on his mask with his self contained breathing apparatus failed, allowing smoke to reach him as he and another firefighter mounted an interior attack.
“All of our air packs are 17 years old and in this case, the mask failed,” Fire Department President Dewayne Stuckey said. “We’ve had problems with the regulators before and this was probably the fifth case of a problem, though the first significant one. He was up in the middle of a hot fire, and he breathed in some intense smoke. He and his partner exited the home, and he hacked and coughed.”
Saucier was treated at the scene by fellow firefighters and paramedics from AAA Ambulance Service.
“They gave him some oxygen,” Stuckey said. “He’s doing fine today.”
AAA also checked homeowner Doris Goar, who escaped the flames, at the scene. The fire was initially called in as a kitchen fire, but flames quickly spread. When firefighters arrived on the scene, flames had already vented through the roof.
“It was a big fire,” Chief Cole Robbins said. “We sent about everything we had up there.”
During the course of the fire, the failure occurred and raised concerns among the department’s leadership.
“They are about $5,000 apiece,” Stuckey said. “They were $1,200 apiece when we bought them 17 years ago. We keep servicing them and replacing parts, but just like a car, these things wear out. It could be endangering firefighters’ lives. Turnout gear and the breathing apparatus is what protects them.”
Robbins said firefighters recently had the equipment inspected, but the age of it concerns him.
“When the equipment is as old as it is, failures can happen ,” he said. “Our funding to replace equipment has been extremely limited in recent years. We hope the political leaders and residents of the fire district and around the state soon realize the challenges that the rural fire service in Mississippi is currently facing. As always, we are ready and willing to serve and need your continued support.”
Robbins, who serves as southwest vice president for the Mississippi Fire Chief’s Association, was recently in Jackson to discuss funding with legislators.
“We’ve been facing these budget challenges for years,” he said. “We’ve lost some of the grants for fire trucks. Without the grants for trucks, we have less money to spend on equipment. We need a truck and we need equipment and we’ve got to choose. It’s a difficult situation.”
He said they continue to do fundraising and apply for grants. That includes a grant for air packs that it has sought for the past three years without being funded.
Firefighters battled the blaze on Dry Branch Road for several hours after being dispatched to the call at 1:38 p.m. The department responded with five engines, one tanker, a squad truck and 14 firefighters. The Hickory Grove Fire Department from Lamar County was called to assist with a tanker. Firefighters were called back at 7:33 p.m. and cleared at 9:33 p.m. The home sustained major damage and is likely a total loss.
Robbins said that though fire departments have never received large amounts of money, the cuts have had an impact across the state.
“For years we have continued to receive the same level of funding while the costs have skyrocketed,” he said. “Where Marion County was receiving $70,000 a year from the rural fire truck acquisition program, we now receive nothing. We had to make up for the loss by digging into our budgets to replace trucks. Also, our trucks are getting older every year and we spend more money on truck repairs than we did the year before. This gets us into the position we are currently in. We are completely unable to purchase the equipment that we need.”
Pictured Above: Tri-Community Volunteer Fire Department firefighters battle a blaze Sunday afternoon at 125 Dry Branch Road. A mask failure led to one being treated for smoke inhalation. Officials are now drawing attention to the problem of aging firefighting equipment in Marion County as the masks and air packs are 17 years old. | Photo by Mark Rogers
