Serious Injury Report Report Slides F2026-01: Four Career Firefighters Injured from a Floor Collapse in an Abandoned Residential Structure Fire - Kansas

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program
• Description:
  On December 29, 2025, four firefighters were seriously injured when a floor collapsed during interior operations in an abandoned residential structure fire. At 03:44 hours, the public safety answering point (PSAP) received a 911 call reporting a structure fire with visible smoke and flames. The caller stated they did not think anyone was inside. At 03:45 hours, the PSAP dispatched Pumpers 4, 11, 14, 18, 19, Quint 2, Truck 14, Rescue 6, Medics 2, 18, Battalion 1, and Shift Commander for a low-rise alarm. Around 03:49 hours, Pumpers 18, 14, and Medic 18 arrived on scene. Pumper 18 officer gave a size-up of a single-story wood frame with heavy fire showing from Sides Bravo and Charlie. He reported that Pumper 18 would stretch an attack line and directed the second arriving pumper to establish a water supply. As Pumper 18 firefighter stretched the attack line to the front door, the crew of Medic 18 and four members of Quint 2 joined them. As Pumper 18 officer was conducting a 360 size-up, he viewed Side Delta then returned to his crew. Quint 2 firefighter along with a Medic 18 firefighter forced open the front door. Pumper 18 firefighter, Pumper 18 officer, and two Medic 18 firefighters made entry on the first floor. As the attack line entered the structure, Pumper 14 officer reported he had secured a second attack line at the garage with heavy fire showing. He extinguished heavy flames coming from the garage, significantly reducing fire conditions. Pumper 18 crew encountered heavy smoke conditions, no visibility, with no elevated heat. The crew of Quint 2 followed Pumper 18's crew and noticed flames coming through the floor. At 03:53 hours, the Shift Commander arrived on scene and assumed incident command (IC). Around the same time, there was a partial collapse of the living room floor. This caused Pumper 18 firefighter, Pumper 18 officer, and one Medic 18 firefighter to fall into the basement. Pumper 18 officer attempted to declare a Mayday. However, his message was unreadable. Medic 18 firefighter's radio was off. Once he turned the radio on, he declared a Mayday identifying himself. The IC acknowledged the Mayday and made a request to clear the airway. Dispatch announced a second alarm with Mayday. Medic 18 firefighter declared a second Mayday. Crews from Pumper 14, 11 (as the rapid intervention team (RIT)), Quint 2 and Truck 14 entered the basement to extinguish the fire and execute the rescue. Pumper 14 officer reported they located a downed firefighter and were working on extrication. At 04:01 hours, Medic 18 was removed from the basement. Pumper 14 firefighter returned from the hydrant, entered the front door, and fell into the collapsed hole. He declared a Mayday, reporting his location and available air supply. At 04:04 hours, the Safety Officer confirmed two firefighters were rescued from the structure. At 04:06 hours, Pumper 11 officer reported Pumper 14 firefighter was located and out of the structure. Pumper 18 firefighter, Pumper 18 officer, Medic 18 firefighter, and Pumper 14 firefighter were transported to the local hospital. At 04:08 hours, IC announced all personnel to evacuate the structure and ordered defensive operations. IC reported at 05:53 hours, the fire was out and no further units were needed. Contributing Factors: Scene size-up and risk assessment; Basement/below grade fire; Abandoned/derelict/vacant building; Benchmarking of critical information; Proficient use of self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) accessories; Mayday operations/firefighter survival; Personnel accountability system; Available personnel/adequate staffing. Key Recommendations - Fire departments should: 1) Complete an initial scene size-up and risk assessment to inform a risk/benefit analysis. 2) Ensure the first arriving firefighters choose initial and ongoing operational strategies based on the tactical considerations for basement and below grade fires. 3) Develop and implement Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)/Standard Operating Guidelines (SOGs) for operating at abandoned, derelict, and vacant building fires. 4) Educate personnel on use of radio communication processes for sharing critical information, such as conditions and actions. 5) Ensure all fire officers and firefighters are properly trained in the use of SCBA accessories, such as radio interface communication capabilities. 6) Ensure all fire officers and firefighters are trained in Mayday operations and survival. 7) Use a personnel accountability system to identify the location and function of all operating personnel. 8) Ensure that adequate staffing is available to respond to emergency incidents.
• Subjects:
  Emergency Responders Firefighters Occupational Health Risk Assessment Safety
• Keywords:
  Region 7; Fire fighters; Fire fighting; Emergency responders; Recommendations; Fire safety; Risk assessment; Communications equipment; Self contained breathing apparatus; SCBA
• FACE - Firefighter:
  Cause of Death Trauma (0004) ; Structure Fire (0011) ; Residential (0012) ; Collapse (0014)
• Source:
  Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, FACE F2026-01, 2026 Apr; :1-16
• Series:
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
• Subseries:
  Firefighter Fatality Investigation
• DOI:
  10.26616/NIOSHFFFACEF202601RS
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Kansas ; West Virginia ; Kansas City Region [OSHA] ; Philadelphia Region [OSHA]
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSR - Division of Safety Research
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  16 pdf pages
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20071455
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2026
• NORA Priority Area:
  Public Safety
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  92 - Public Administration - (NAICS 2022)
• Start Date:
  20251229
• Resource Number:
  59278861
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:f35058b8f8512ebe40fa20f91afbb4af71e28318c3ce638084262741fa1cbc3a26ca8b2fcb82d39688b34ce64412a2545ae773af4afcb5d0d8b2fd5476a5f920
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/259054/cdc_259054_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1022.53 KB ]