Four years after New Carlisle Assistant Fire Chief Jamie Middlebrook was killed while fighting a fire, a federal agency has released a report on the incident and announced several recommendations as a result of its investigation.
The report was created by the Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program within the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
The agency is tasked with conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work related injury, illness and fatalities.
Participation in the investigation is voluntary.
On August 5, 2014 around 9 p.m., firefighters from the New Carlisle Fire Department were called to a fire at K-Fex, Inc., an excavation and septic company at 5885 N. 800 E in New Carlisle.
The fire was in a pole barn-type building with wood truss supports and a pan ceiling. A pan ceiling is a metal ceiling attached to the truss. This type of ceiling makes it difficult for firefighters to see a fire in the ceiling.