KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A newly released report says two firefighters killed while battling a Kansas City blaze shouldn’t have been in an alley next to a building that collapsed.
The Kansas City Star reports that the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health says a series of operational failures contributed to the October 2015 deaths of 39-year-old John Mesh and 43-year-old Larry Leggio. Among the issues was a failure to establish and maintain a collapse zone around the building.
Firefighters already have adopted safety steps that were among the recommendations in the report that was released Thursday. They include counting heads after firefighters are ordered out of a collapse zone.
Fire Chief Paul Berardi says he doesn’t want to “make excuses.” He says the focus is to “correct” issues so they don’t happen again.
___
Information from: The Kansas City Star, https://www.kcstar.com
Please read our comment policy before commenting.