By Travis Dotson

This quote: “I had been hit by IED in Afghanistan. I’d rather go through that than be burned again.”

Damn – for real? That says a lot. That scares me.

This quote: “When the hose burst it got me in the groin. I spun around. I ran to the shade. I was not sure if that was the water pressure stinging me or what. Then I ripped my shirt off and I was all red. I ran to the engine and ripped off boots and pants. That’s when I noticed my skin falling off.”

Damn! That scares me even more. I do not want that to happen to me or anyone I know. I don’t want that to happen to anyone period.

Image from the report cover

Where are these quotes from? You guessed it – an accident report. It’s called the Crescent Fire Scald Injury. It’s 19 pages long. You should read it – if you want to be scared out of your wits. Or if you want to learn something that could keep your skin from falling off.

Do you run a pump? Do you know someone who does? If you are reading this, chances are the answer to one of those questions is yes. You now have a decision to make.

There are some real hose head nuggets in this report. Real technical nuts and bolts stuff that you can take action on. Check this out:

Finding: An obstruction in the pump bypass line on the Region 5 Type 3 Model 62 fire engine did not allow for adequate water flow through the line during the pumping operations. This condition led to the excessive heating of water sufficient to sustain burns.

Required Action: 1. Check the #17 pump bypass valve for obstruction. Inspect water flow through the pump bypass line by engaging the pump, opening the tank to pump valve (#1), closing the pump to tank valve (#2), opening the pump bypass valve (#17), and closing all other valves. Run the pump up to 400 psi and visually check the water flow at the line’s return point at the top of the tank. The return point should be located near the tank tower on top of the engine. Water flow at the return point should be a fairly strong stream of approximately 6 GPM.

There is more.

You should go see what else you need to do.

You can get the full report here: Crescent Fire Scald Injury

Please help keep you and your fellow firefighter’s skin on.