Reported by: Tom McKee
Photographed by: 9News
Web produced by: Neil Relyea
The April deaths of two Colerain Township firefighters have already produced changes in how the department operates.
They were outlined Friday in a preliminary report on the timeline of events that claimed the lives of Captain Robin Broxterman and Firefighter Brian Schira.
Captain Steve Conn says actions already taken include a comprehensive review of structural firefighting tactical procedures -- especially when they involve basement fires.
Broxterman and Schira were fighting a basement blaze at a home on Squirrelsnest Lane when a family room floor on which they were standing collapsed.
The preliminary report detailed how the two plus Firefighter Kenny Vadnais took a charged line into the home of Matthew and Sharyn Cones within minutes after arriving on the scene.
They advanced down a stairway into the basement, but retreated on Broxterman's order because of the size of the fire they encountered.
At the top of the stairs, Vadnais went out the front door to get more hose and found himself alone.
A "Mayday" was called several minutes later and after an intensive search of debris in the basement the bodies of the two firefighters were found.
It's been theorized that Broxterman and Schira might have been trying to exit the house through a sliding glass door in the family room.
The floor broke apart under them as they made their way across the fire-weakened beams.
"I don't think there was anything in the report that jumped out at us," said Captain Conn. "There are some little things here, little things there, that compounded and once they got too much it was just a cascade effect and we could not go back on it."
The preliminary report was put together by teams from the Colerain Township Fire Department and the Cincinnati Fire Department.
A final report is expected within 10 to 12 months.
It's expected to "introduce recommendations and provide a framework for strengthening firefighter safety and survival awareness within the Colerain Township Fire Department.
Captain Conn said the department isn't waiting to make safety changes.
Besides the review of tactical procedures, other post-incident activities have included:
- Enhanced support staff and command officer notification and response procedures:
- Supplemental first-alarm structure fire complement with an additional ladder company
- Purchased additional thermal imaging cameras
- Recommend the purchase of radio headsets for fire apparatus operators
- Review of radio communication procedures
- Research improved SCBA (Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus) and portable radio interface technology
"Our goal is the safety of our firefighters," said Captain Conn. "We want to make sure that our firefighters go home to their families and that we don't ever had to go through this again."
The cause of the fire has been listed as "accidental" and traced to an electric fan in a room where orchids were grown.
The home belonged to Matthew and Sharyn Cones, but has been demolished.
Matthew Cones pled no contest to a charge of cultivating marijuana at the house.
He was found guilty and put on probation.
Officials said that charge had nothing to do with the fire's origin or the deaths of Broxterman and Schira.
