VIDEO: A Minquas fireman critically injured last March was one of several firefighters who were not wearing proper equipment while battling a Mill Creek house fire, according to a report obtained by The News Journal.
An investigation into a series of errors in battling the blaze also found that two firefighters were unfamiliar with equipment used to fight the fire, and firefighters disregarded orders to exit the burning house.
Dave Smiley suffered second- and third-degree burns when he fell through a second-floor hole during the March 14 blaze. He was wearing a helmet that didn't meet standards, didn't have proper firefighting gloves and wasn't wearing waist straps on his self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), according to a report by the Delaware State Fire School, which was asked to investigate the fire.
"None of the firefighters from Minquas that could be observed in the video were wearing the waist strap on their SCBA," the report says. "This appears to have directly led to the difficulty firefighters had in rescuing the injured firefighter. When they attempted to lift him from the hole, they were simply pulling the SCBA from his back."