Lebanon 2014 & 2015 Fire Fatalities

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Overview

The two tragic Lebanon apartment fires described below highlight how unsafe residence living conditions are a significant public policy concern. There is an ongoing need for concerned citizens to understand they can initiate effective responses from public agencies when they suspect there are unsafe living conditions in their residence or a neighbor’s residence.

Local ordinances and state law include provisions that ensure the quality of housing is adequate for protection of public health, safety and general welfare through the establishment of minimum standards for (a) basic equipment and facilities for light, ventilation, and thermal conditions; (b) safety from fire and accidents; (c) the use and location and amount of space for human occupancy; and (d) an adequate level of maintenance. These provisions also provide for the determination, administration, and enforcement of the responsibilities of owners, operators, and occupants of dwellings. Details regarding the local ordinances and how concerned citizens can report unsafe residence living conditions are available online at http://www.finplaneducation.net/lebanon_rental_inspections.htm.

The legal framework is in place for effective response to reports of unsafe residence living conditions. The opportunity to anonymously report unsafe residence living conditions help make the existing robust legal remedies even more effective. However, the two fire fatalities described below highlight that personal responsibility is crucial to ensure the life safety of residents - and that tragedies can still occur in spite of effective ordinances and scheduled enforcement inspections.

2310 Roselawn Drive Fire Fatality

A fatality resulted from an apartment fire at 2310 Roselawn Drive on December 14, 2014. The National Fire Incidence Reporting System (NFIRC) report for this Roselawn Drive fire fatality is available from Lebanon Fire Department (LFD) Chief Chuck Batts.

The information listed next about the LFD response times can be obtained from the CAD Detail Reports on the InterAct reporting system used by the Boone County Sheriff and all the county police and fire departments.

2310 Roselawn Drive Response Times
Incoming 911 Call – 1:48:39 AM
Dispatch Time – 1:49:40 AM
Enroute Time – 1:50:52 AM
Onscene Time – 1:52:16 AM

The LFD was the first fire department on the scene. Engine 12 from the Anderson Lane fire station was the first fire apparatus dispatched to the Roselawn Drive fire. The Dispatch Time is the time that the 911 operator first notified all emergency responders of each fire emergency. From the time the Incoming 911 Call was received, it took the 911 operator one minute and one second to send the dispatch signal for the Roselawn Drive fire.

The Enroute Time is when the firefighters are in the fire truck ready to travel to the fire. Each firefighter must put on all his gear (including his self contained breathing apparatus) before being ready to travel to the fire. The National Fire Protection Association standard is two minutes between the Dispatch Time and Enroute Time. The LFD goal is one minute and thirty seconds for calls during fire station sleeping hours. For non-sleeping hours, the LFD goal is one minute for firefighters to put on their gear and get in fire truck. LFD management emphasizes ongoing and precise preparation to minimize the time it takes to put on full turnout gear after receiving a dispatch call. The Roselawn Drive fire call was dispatched during sleeping hours, and it took one minute and eight seconds for the firefighters to put on their turnout gear and get in Engine 12.

The Onscene Time is recorded when the fire truck is close enough to the scene of the fire to identify the address, recognize the type of structure, and relay the onscene conditions. The LFD goal is three minutes elapsed between the Enroute Time and the Onscene Time. It took Engine 12 one minute and 24 seconds to travel to the Roselawn Drive fire.

The Roselawn Drive fire occurred in one apartment of a two-story apartment building with eight total apartments. The fire was venting from the northwest apartment on the first floor when the LFD arrived on the scene. The fire was knocked down and under control immediately. Some residents were rescued by firefighters out of the second story windows on the south side of the building. Eight LFD firefighters responded to the fire, as well as firefighters from Center Township, Whitestown, and Zionsville.

Three two-person firefighter teams searched the building. A male victim was pronounced dead at the scene in the apartment where the fire originated. His wife suffered injuries and was transported to Eskanasie Hospital in Indianapolis where she was subsequently released. Estimated losses were $100,000 for property and $35,000 for contents.

The cause of the fire was “gross electrical failure” in the baseboard heating unit. The hard wired baseboard heating unit experienced electrical arcing. The defect in the baseboard heating unit could only have been identified by an experienced electrician after dismantling the unit. The baseboard heating unit defect could not have been identified through external visual inspection.

The apartment building is not equipped with an automatic extinguishing system. The apartment where the fire originated was equipped with one battery-operated smoke detector. The smoke detector failed to operate because there were no batteries in the smoke detector. Smoke detectors in some other apartments were heard operating during the fire.

The information listed next (in italics) was obtained from the March 2014 “Smoke Alarms In U.S. Home Fires” report from the National Fire Protection Association: see http://www.nfpa.org/research/reports-and-statistics/fire-safety-equipment/smoke-alarms-in-us-home-fires.

When smoke alarms should have operated but did not do so, it was usually because batteries are missing, disconnected or dead. People are most likely to remove or disconnect batteries because of nuisance activations. Sometimes the chirping to warn of a low battery is interpreted as a nuisance alarm.

Half of the households surveyed in a 2010 Harris Poll done for NFPA reported they had smoke alarms in their kitchen. Two out of every five (43%) households reported their smoke alarms had gone off at least once in the past year. Almost three-quarters (73%) said the activation was due to cooking. Eight percent mentioned low battery chirps.

If a smoke alarm in the kitchen is sounding too often, the problem could be solved by moving the smoke alarm. NFPA 72®, National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code® states that unless designed specifically for the area, all smoke alarms should be at least 10 feet away from cooking appliances. If space constraints make it necessary to have a smoke alarm within 10-20 feet of the kitchen stove, either a photoelectric alarm or an alarm with a hush feature that can be temporarily silenced without disabling the alarm should be used. Smoke alarms should be tested at least once every month to ensure that both the batteries and the units themselves are still working. Conventional (not long-life) batteries should be replaced in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, at least once every year.

If anyone has any fire protection questions or concerns, LFD Fire Chief Chuck Batts welcomes a visit, phone call (765-485-3014), or E-mail (cbatts@cityoflebanon.org).

225 South East Street Fire Fatality

A January 1, 2015, apartment fire at 225 South East Street resulted in a fatality. The National Fire Incidence Reporting System (NFIRC) report for this South East Street fire fatality is available from Lebanon Fire Department (LFD) Chief Chuck Batts.

225 South East Street Response Times
Incoming 911 Call – 12:28:54 AM
Dispatch Time – 12:29:56 AM
Enroute Time – 12:30:33 AM
Onscene Time – 12:32:54 AM

The LFD was the first fire department on the scene. Ladder 11 from the Lasley Drive fire station was dispatched first to the South East Street fire. The Dispatch Time is the time that the 911 operator first notified all emergency responders of each fire emergency. From the time the Incoming 911 Call was received, it took the 911 operator one minute and two seconds to send the dispatch signal for the South East Street fire.

The Enroute Time is when the firefighters are in the fire truck ready to travel to the fire. Each firefighter must put on all his gear (including his self contained breathing apparatus) before being ready to travel to the fire. The National Fire Protection Association standard is two minutes between the Dispatch Time and Enroute Time. The LFD goal is one minute and thirty seconds for calls during fire station sleeping hours. For non-sleeping hours, the LFD goal is one minute for firefighters to put on their gear and get in fire truck. LFD management emphasizes ongoing and precise preparation to minimize the time it takes to put on full turnout gear after receiving a dispatch call. The firefighters were in Ladder 11 and ready to travel thirty-seven seconds after the South East Street fire call was dispatched.

The Onscene Time is recorded when the fire truck is close enough to the scene of the fire to identify the address, recognize the type of structure, and relay the onscene conditions. The LFD goal is three minutes elapsed between the Enroute Time and the Onscene Time. Two minutes and twenty-one seconds elapsed between the Enroute Time and Onscene Time for the Ladder 11 response to the South East Street fire.

The South East Street fire occurred in one second-floor apartment of a two-story with basement single-family residence converted into four apartments (two on the first floor and two on the second floor). LFD Ladder 11 with three firefighters on board was the first fire truck on the scene. Lebanon Police officers were on the rear exterior stairs trying to get the apartment door open when Ladder 11 arrived. The police officers could not get in the apartment after they opened the door because of the smoke inside the apartment.

A total of six fire trucks arrived on the scene with ten firefighters. A team of two firefighters promptly searched the apartment while another team of two firefighters extinguished the fire. A female victim was pronounced dead at the scene in the apartment where the fire originated. Estimated losses were $60,000 for property and $5,000 for contents.

The point of origin for the fire was an upholstered couch. There were no unusual burn patterns to suggest that arson was involved. The burn patterns were consistent with some type of dropped cigarette. The cause and manner of death can be obtained by public records request to the Boone County Coroner.

The building is not equipped with an automatic extinguishing system. The apartment where the fire originated was equipped with one battery-operated smoke detector. The smoke detector failed to operate because there were no batteries in the smoke detector.

If anyone has any fire protection questions or concerns, LFD Fire Chief Chuck Batts welcomes a visit, phone call (765-485-3014), or E-mail (cbatts@cityoflebanon.org).

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This page was last updated on 06/02/15 .