RS742 was dispatched at 0400 on the Rapid Intervention Dispatch (just after initial dispatch) to the 4700 block of Iris Street for the house fire on Thursday November 2. Units arrived on scene to find heavy fire from the basement and first floor. A single occupant met crews in the front yard and confirmed that there was someone trapped inside the house. Crews conducted a rapid search of the bedroom through a second floor window using the Vent, Enter and Search technique and were assisted with additional interior crews. A victim was located in a bedroom in quadrant B, however extrication was impeded due to the elevated height of the windows in the bedroom and fire blocking the exit through the house. RS742′s driver worked with the aerial tower 718 to cut away the window sill using a saw. Visibility at the window was poor due to heavy smoke from the basement and first floors. After the window sill was removed, RS742 driver ascended the ladder, met with a crew from Engine 718 and removed the victim down via a ground ladder from the second floor. Conditions within the bedroom rapidly deteriorated as the bedroom door burned through. RS742 driver entered the bedroom to assist interior crews and guide them to the wall where the window sill had been removed. Command sounded the evacuation tones soon after an adjacent bedroom reached the flashover stage. Crews rapidly exited the bedroom just prior to flames extending from the windows. Firefighting was limited to exterior operations for the remainder of the incident. RS742′s crew then isolated the utilities and assisted with exterior firefighting operations. Unfortunately, the victim succumbed to their injuries at the hospital.
Squad Crew: LT St. John, Deputy Chief Mark Dempsey, MFF Dave Shaklan, FF Yakov Bier, FF Roger Marks. Observer: Samson Melamed.
