DALLAS -- For months, the widow of fallen Dallas firefighter Stan Wilson has been fighting for answers.
Dallas Fire-Rescue has now turned over to her its 111-page investigative report about what happened the day her husband died in a building collapse. It details the mass confusion, communications failures and command break down that took place that fateful day.
"We are very lucky that four firefighters weren't killed that day," said Barry Hasten, an attorney for Wilson's widow, Jenny. "If things are not changed, we're going to lose more firefighters."
The biggest sticking point is why did Wilson and others go back into the building that day, even though a search had already been performed and the order had been given to fight the fire defensively?
The firefighters who were with Wilson say Deputy Chief Bobby Ross ordered them back into the building. Ross denies having issued the order.
The report draws no conclusions about who's telling the truth. It lays no specific blame at anybody's feet.
"Ultimately some of the tactics and strategies employed led to firefighter Wilson's death," the report states.
Hasten says that his widow, Jenny Wilson, does not believe that the full story has been told and is disappointed with the department her husband served for 28 years.
"It doesn't appear when I look at their report that anybody wants to take ownership of it," he said. "We got one guy that says he didn't and we've got six or seven guys that says he did."
Retired firefighter Jim Crump said what the report reveals is a complete failure of leadership on the part of Bobby Ross.
"Bobby Ross as an incident commander miserably failed every single firefighter on the scene," Crump said, adding that Ross violated basic firefighting tenants. "I know the people that say they heard Bobby Ross give the order and I'll charge hell with a bucket for every one of them."
Ross did not respond to a request for comment. Fire Chief Louie Bright is scheduled to give a statement Friday afternoon.
The event that led to Stan Wilson's death began on the morning of May 20, 2013.
Firefighters are called to the Hearthwood Condominiums in the 12000 block of Abrams Road in Northeast Dallas shortly before 3 a.m.
Upon arrival, firefighters reported that fire was coming out of the roof of the building. Firefighters were hampered by heavy smoke and fire.
Ross arrived on scene around 3:10 a.m. He does not radio "with a size up of conditions found or that he was assuming command" – which is contrary to the normal practice.
"That's not how the Dallas Fire Department does business and it just gets worse form there," said Crump, who has been critical of Ross and the department.
The reports indicated that there was chaos from the start, a break down in communication, and confusion about who was doing what, when and where they were located.
There "existed a great deal of confusion… as the fire rapidly escalated and because of the lack of experience at the command post," Ross said, according to the report.
Here's how one firefighter described the situation at the command post: "It was chaotic in a word. … Divisions were not correct based on the fact that they had been changed. What they had on the board was not what they were conducting."
At one point, there were no commanders at the command post. Ross had left the command post to "walk around the fire building" and to evaluate the "structure and fire conditions."
"To effectively coordinate and direct firefighting operations on scene, it is essential that the IC does not become involved in firefighting operations," the report states.
Firefighters searched the first and second floors of the building within the first 30 minutes. Ross later said that he was not aware that the searches had been conducted.
As the fire continued to spread, Ross issued the order to fight the fire defensively and to evacuate everyone from the building about 3:45 a.m. Ladder pipes began dumping massive amounts of water on the building – roughly 12 tons of water per minute.
Wilson and the other crew members of Truck 53 arrived about 4:10 a.m. Battalion Chief George Tomasovic arrived about 4:30 a.m.
Tomasovic told investigators that Ross told him that people were still being pulled from the first floor of building five.
"Make a quick search of the first floor…. Make it real quick," he recalled Ross saying.
Capt. Jeff Modawell, firefighter Scott McCaleb and others also recalled Ross issuing the order.
"It was absolutely clear that DC Ross wanted the fire building searched," McCaleb said, adding that Ross walked up to them and said, "Get in there."
Captain Michael Watson said he questioned Tomasovic about going back into the collapsing building.
He was disturbed "given the poor state of the building having been subjected to fire and master streams for a considerable period of time," the report said.
Other firefighters also reported being concerned when they saw Tomasovic and the members of Truck 53 entering the building.
For his part, Ross adamantly denied issuing the order. He says he told them to get "pike poles" and break out the balcony glass door on the first floor.
But the report finds fault with even that, stating that "even such a task as breaking windows from the exterior of building #5 would have placed firefighters within the collapse zone."
About 4:45 a.m., Wilson, Tomasovic, Modawell, McCaleb and firefighter Johnny Espree enter the building.
"It wasn't smoky," Tomasovic told investigators. "There was no fire. There was good visibility. We all went in."
They had been in the building few minutes, knocking on the doors of the apartments of the first floor, when the building collapsed.
"I saw it cascading down, the collapse, it just came down the hallway at us. I could see it start at the far end of the hall, cascading, it came down fast and heavy," Tomasovic said.
Modawell recalled it this way: "Total and complete collapse with no warning at all from where I was at…. The total collapse filled the doorway from floor to ceiling."
Modawell and McCaleb pulled Tomasovic from the debris. Modawell transmitted a "Mayday." Other firefighters rushed into rescue them. Even still, the report reveals that there was a delay in turning of all the ladder pipes due to fire personnel being on different radio channels.
Ross told investigators that he was "very surprised" that they were in the building when the Mayday call occurred. He said no one at the command post knew they were in the building prior to the Mayday call.
On the day of the fire, a fire official said that the reason firefighters went into the building was to rescue a small boy. The report makes no mention of that account.
Hours later, Wilson's body was pulled from the building.
Chief Bright "ensured that Stan was removed with all of the honor and respect he deserved as a member of DFR," the report states. "Stan was placed in a Stokes basket and covered with an American flag."
Hasten, the attorney for Wilson's widow, said she feels that her family has been accorded the respect in deserves by receiving a full accounting of what happened that day. He said she wants someone held accountable.
The cause of the fire has been ruled undetermined. An investigation found that the fire started in a trash chute.
Here are some of the report's recommendations:
- Ensure that incident commanders establish a stationary command post, maintain the role of directing fire ground operations and do not become involved in firefighting efforts.
- Ensure that incident commanders conduct an initial size up and risk assessment of the incident scene before beginning interior firefighting efforts.
- Conduct training on the use and operations of elevated master streams and its effects on structural degradation.
- Provide ongoing training covering structural collapse hazards to all firefighters.
- rain all members on procedures for conducting effective primary searches of structures.
Read the full report below.
