Investigation into Hampton apartment fire reveals lack of training, other issues

HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) – New documents reveal the mistakes made in the response to an apartment fire last fall in Hampton that displaced 50 people and injured 12, including 8 firefighters.

The Virginia Department of Labor and Industry opened an investigation in the aftermath of the incident. As a result of the findings, the city of Hampton has been ordered to pay almost $20,000.

According to the investigation, Engine 10 was the first on scene in the early morning hours of Oct. 21, 2022, this included a lieutenant and three other firefighters.

The lieutenant announced over the radio that they were the incident commander, which put that person in charge of monitoring the structure that was on fire and ensuring that a supply of water was sent to the hose for the firefighters on the front lines, among other things.

Instead, the lieutenant left one of their firefighters to man the engine and charge the hose while they went inside the structure with two others.

“A flashover event occurred in the structure, and the entry crew from Engine 10 caught on fire, resulting in a need for their rescue from additional firefighters, and a total of eight (8) firefighters received serious thermal burns requiring treatment at a hospital,” the investigation reads.

The investigation found that the firefighter left alone was inadequately trained in how to charge the hose, which led to no water reaching the firefighters inside the apartment building. They were also not on the same radio channel as the firefighters inside.

“The firefighter responsible for providing the water at Engine 10 was also unable to see the stairwell where the initial entry crew entered from his position. He was unaware that the entry firefighters were injured until it was reported to him later after they had been transported,” according to the investigation.

Problems with the Engine 10 team were not the only issue identified in the report. It also found that the helmets used by the firefighters were not well maintained. The reflective tetrahedron stickers on them were obscured by other stickers which could’ve made it harder for others to see them in low visibility.

Reached for comment, Hampton Battalion Chief and Chief Deputy Fire Marshal Anthony Chittum sent this message:

“The Hampton Fire Division meets or exceed the best practices, standards, and expectations of similar public safety agencies across the country. The Division is internationally accredited by CFAI and holds the highest ISO rating of  ‘1.’ The Division is constantly training and looking for continuous opportunities for improvement. Because of the thorough investigation conducted by, and the recommendations received from, the Division’s Health and Safety Branch, Professional Peer Review Panel, and the City of Hampton’s Risk Management Department, we have or are progressively addressing the areas that were noted in the after action report.”