Fire Chief’s Briefing for May 29 through June 6, 2011
Here is a summary of Brentwood Fire and Rescue’s emergency responses for the period of May 29 through June 6, 2011
We responded to 83 emergency requests for service.
These calls can be broken down into the following categories:
Fires: 4
EMS/Rescue: 40
Hazardous Condition: 4
Service Call: 6
Good Intent: 4
False Call: 23
Here are some highlights from this period’s emergency activities:
Monday, May 30 at approximately 6:56 pm
E3 responded to a grass fire on. E3 arrived on scene to find that PD had extinguished an approximately 4’x10’ grass fire with the dry chemical fire extinguisher carried in their police car. E3 used a 2.5 gal. water extinguisher to ensure extinguishment. There was no obvious cause of the fire, and there were no other hazards. E3 cleared the scene and returned to quarters without incident.
Wednesday, June 1 at approximately 1:45 pm
E3 responded to a report of a pedestrian hit by a vehicle. E3 arrived on the scene and established Command. One PT was found lying in the roadway, and one vehicle was on the side of the road. A bystander was maintaining C-Spine immobilization of the PT. E3 took over C-Spine control while initiating a head to toe assessment of the PT. During the assessment Franklin Fire Department arrived on the scene and took over PT care, as this call was actually in Franklin, not Brentwood. EMS then arrived on the scene. Crews from BF&R and FFD assisted EMS in applying a traction splint to the PT's left leg and administering oxygen. The PT was then loaded on to the cot and into the EMS unit. They were transported Emergency Traffic to Vanderbilt. E3 went available, and command was terminated.
Wednesday, June 1 at approximately 3:28 pm
E1 responded to a call for fire department assistance involving a handicapped person locked inside their vehicle. E1 arrived on scene, unlocked the vehicle, and was placed available.
Thursday, June 2 at approximately 9:26 am
A citizen called in to report a large column of black smoke to the east of I-65 around Old Symrna and Wilson Pike. Initially E2 responded non-emergency while searching for the location, until dispatch could advise if it was a structure or brush fire. Upon locating the fire, the Fire Marshall advised E2 that an active burn permit was on file for the address. No hazards were found, and E2 went available and returned to quarters.
Thursday, June 2 at approximately 1:01 pm
E1 responded to a personal injury accident. While en-route, Rescue 1 advised that there was one vehicle against the wall and that there were two EMS units already on scene. Upon arrival of E1, EMS and an additional ambulance from another jurisdiction area were on scene administering PT care. E1 officer was advised by the EMS paramedic in charge of PT care that the PT needed to be removed from the vehicle, but that they were unable to remove them due to limited access while the vehicle was against the wall. It was determined that the best method to remove the PT would be to completely remove the vehicle’s roof. Prior to extrication one 1 ¾” hose line was placed on the ground in case any fire hazards occurred. The vehicle was stabilized using cribbing blocks. Extrication was started and the roof was removed from the vehicle, allowing the PT to be removed as well. The PT was loaded into the ambulance and 1 Brentwood FF/Medic rode in with the ambulance crew to assist with PT care. Rescue 1 and Engine 1 remained on scene for traffic control until a tow truck removed the vehicle and debris from roadway. Once all hazards were cleared from the roadway, all units cleared the scene and command was terminated.
Saturday, June 4 at approximately 3:35 pm
A team of expert fire investigators spent several hours combing through the debris at the Adkins residence on Sunday to determine what sparked the devastating fire that occurred on Saturday afternoon.
A fire investigator from the City of Brentwood Fire & Rescue Department as well as a private fire investigator and forensic electrical engineer employed by the Adkin’s insurance company worked diligently throughout the day to pinpoint the cause and origin of the fire.
As of approximately 9:45 p.m. last evening it was determined by all three experts that the fire was caused by an overheated and/or loose electrical connection in a power strip located under a work bench in the garage. The recovered power strip, wiring, breaker panel, and other evidentiary indicators in addition to eye witness testimony have led to this determination.
The property has been turned over to the Adkins family and their insurance company. No confirmed dollar loss has been calculated.
Saturday, June 4 at approximately 6:54 pm
E3 was dispatched to a report of a grass fire along the railroad tracks. E3 requested E1 and Brush 1 (a pickup truck with an on board water tank and pump that can go places an engine cannot). Upon arrival E3 found numerous fires along the track and established command. Command sent E1 to Crockett Road Bridge and E3 took care of the fire south of Wilson Pike Bridge. Franklin Fire Department responded to reports of fires on the track in Franklin and requested that we move communications to the mutual aid radio channel. Franklin E2 and E6 connected up with Brentwood E3 and extinguished fires south of the Wilson Pike Bridge and E1 and Brush 1 connected up and extinguished fires north of the Wilson Pike Bridge. All fires were extinguished, command was terminated, and all units went available.
Monday, June 6 at approximately 12:48 pm
At 12:48 hours on Monday, June 6, 2011 the fire and rescue department received a call on the non-emergency number to assist a citizen with possible explosives found in his basement crawl space at a home in the Liberty Downs subdivision. We notified the Brentwood Police Department who in turn notified the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) Bomb Disposal Unit.
Engine 2 was dispatched to stand by at the residence to assist the THP Bomb Disposal Unit. Upon arrival we met with the homeowner who explained that a worker at his home had found a bore hole near the foundation with wires sticking out and advised him to call the fire department.
Once the bomb disposal unit arrived and it was determined that a stick of dynamite was present, E2, assisted by Brentwood Police Department, began to evacuate nearby residents from approximately 350 feet away.
Once evacuation had taken place and the scene was secure, the Bomb Disposal Unit began to remove the dynamite from the hole. Once the dynamite was removed from the crawlspace, the disposal team carried the dynamite and blasting cap to Station 4 to dispose of them.
Engine 2 called all residents to return to their homes and cleared the scene. Total on-scene time was approximately four hours.
It is believed that the unexploded charge had been in place since the home was built over two decades earlier.
