A mishap involving gear is responsible for three firemen being burned in a late-night blaze Sunday, the head of the Fairfax County firefighter and paramedic’s union said.
“We should not be getting injuries like this,” Michael Mohler, the union’s president told The Examiner. “So there is an issue with the protective equipment. We’re not sure yet if it was operator error or the equipment was actually flawed.”
Mohler said falling embers from a burning house in the Fox Mill area may have somehow entered the firefighters’ coats. An investigation within the Fire and Rescue Department is now under way to determine exactly what happened, said department spokesman Dan Schmidt.
“It’s going to cover all facets of the incident, how [the equipment] was used, how it was worn, what they were doing during the operation,” Schmidt said. “All those things will come under consideration.”
The three men were treated at Washington Hospital’s burn unit and released Monday, he said. A fourth fireman was taken to a different hospital with cuts and abrasions.
Schmidt declined to release the names of the injured or their companies.
Like all firefighters in the county, the three men were wearing a specific set of gear, Schmidt said. They were using “TL-2” helmets by Phenix Technology, “G-xtreme” suits from Globe and gloves from Fire-Dex. The helmets and suits were issued in the past six months, he said.
“We want to buy the best equipment that’s on the market, that is the philosophy of the fire and rescue department,” Schmidt said.
No one who could speak for Phenix Technology or Fire-Dex could be reached for comment Tuesday. A Globe executive said the company has heard no reports of malfunctions from the G-xtreme suits.
