Baltimore Fire Chief Jim Clack said the department has improved safety since the death of a fire cadet during a training exercise this past year.
“I’m happy to report that we’ve made significant progress and, in fact, we’ve met most of those goals outlined by NIOSH [National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health],” said Clack who was not in charge when fire cadet Racheal Wilson was killed during a live-burn training exercise in an abandoned city row house in February 2007.
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Clack said the department had adopted most of the recommendations made by NIOSH in a report issued this past year after an investigation into Wilson’s death.
Among the changes, Clack touted, were the elimination of live-burn training exercises in abandoned houses, stricter guidelines for cadet fitness, and better equipment for trainees, including “turn-out” gear. The protective gear includes special pants, jackets and gloves.
“I can tell you today that every recruit in Baltimore City has at least one set of brand new turnout gear when they start with us,” Clack said. “That hasn’t always been the case but it is now.”
AP contributed to this story.
