Nate Flynn LODD (2018)

Nate Flynn LODD (2018)

On July 23, 2018, a lightning strike at approximately 01:20 hours ignited a fire within the residence located at 7005 Woodscape Drive, Clarksville, Maryland. Smelling smoke, the residents called 911 to report the lightning strike and visible smoke in their home at 01:52:14. The Howard County Communication Center, which serves as the Public Safety Answering Point for Howard County, then dispatched a Local Box Alarm 5-62 to the residence. The Local Box Assignment from Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services (HCDFRS) included Paramedic 56, Engine 101, Engine 51, Tower 10, and Battalion 1.The residential structure at 7005 Woodscape Drive was a uniquely shaped single-family dwelling spanning approximately 8,400 square feet. There are no fire hydrants on Woodscape Drive, however the residence included a swimming pool at the rear of the property. One aspect of 7005 Woodscape Drive that contributed to this incident’s complexity was the grade change along the rear of the residence (referred to as Side C throughout this report).HCDFRS established command at 02:00:29 and upgraded the dispatch assignment to a full metro-box alarm. While en route, Battalion 1 (Incident Commander) instructed Engine 51 to use the pool at the rear of the property to establish a water supply, unaware that the first two arriving engines had not initiated a water supply plan. At 02:07:51, Engine 51 entered the structure on the upper level of Side C (laundry room door) but did not advise command of either their level of entry or the conditions they encountered. Repositioning to the lower level of Side C, Engine 51 re-entered the structure but did not make the Incident Commander aware of the grade change along Side C. At 02:12:41, the Incident Commander advised all units that residents had evacuated the structure.At 02:15:48, Engine 101A advised the Incident Commander of visible fire on the upper level of Side C and that they needed to redeploy back up to their initial entrance (upper level of Side C) to reach the fire. Advancing a pre-connected hose line from Engine 51, Engine 101 entered the structure through the laundry room door located at the upper level of Side C. At approximately 02:20:11, FF Flynn had fallen through the first floor into a basement level crawlspace containing active fire and high heat conditions.Engine 101A, recognizing that FF Flynn had fallen through the floor, declared a MAYDAY emergency on Bravo 1, the radio talk group used for operations during this incident. While clarifying the MAYDAY emergency with Incident Command on Bravo 1, FF Flynn transmitted his own MAYDAY statement including a clear “Who, What, Where” on Bravo 2—an unmonitored radio Talk Group. The Incident Commander quickly deployed the Rapid Intervention Crew (RIC), which entered the basement at approximately 02:27:17 in search of FF Flynn. Overcoming numerous obstacles, including multiple crew members becoming entangled in wiring, the RIC located and extricated FF Flynn by 02:43:39—fifteen minutes and five seconds after their initial entry.After FF Flynn was removed from the dwelling, those on scene followed and exceeded all BLS, ALS, and ACLS protocols as FF Flynn was transported to Howard County General Hospital. Tragically, FF Flynn did not survive.https://www.howardcountymd.gov/sites/default/files/2021-08/Flynn%20LODD%20Report_FINAL%20(Declassified).pdf