Federal investigation of Evergreen Fire calls for better training and preparedness for first responders

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, a division of the CDC, has issued a unflattering report following the devastating fire on March  23, 2021, that resulted in the death of firefighter Jared Lloyd and a resident at the Evergreen Assisted Living Facility in Spring Valley.

Investigation of the cause of the blaze unearthed a litany of issues both with the enforcement of fire safety codes at the facility and the preparedness of the responders sent to put out the inferno. 

As previously reported by the RCT, Evergreen Home was singularly ill equipped for such an emergency. The damning report issued by the OSH has confirmed and reiterated that the building’s fire alarm system had been taken off-line at the time the fire began, that the building lacked any sort of sprinkler system, and that Evergreen had failed to meet several local building and safety codes.

While those issues soon became public knowledge in the months following the disaster, the OSH this week  detailed organizational mishaps by first responders that exacerbated an already dangerous situation. 

 The OSH has stated that the fire teams sent to Evergreen lacked proper organization and command structure and that those issues hindered efforts to resolve the emergency. Specifically, the report cited a lack of pre-incident planning, lack of crew integrity, inadequate personnel accountability system, inadequate tactical and task level management, and a lack of command safety and Mayday management as major obstacles to their efforts to contain the fire. 

The federal agency listed over a dozen procedures that should be followed in fighting fires in Rockland County.

They include:

– Develop a pre-incident plan for high-risk occupancies, including low frequency/high risk scenarios, such as assisted living facilities, that is supported by national standards

– Ensure that company officers and firefighters maintain crew integrity when operating in the hazard zone 

– Use a functional personnel accountability system, requiring a designated accountability officer or resource status officer 

– Ensure that the Incident Command System (ICS) general staff functions are expanded during Type IV incidents when they extend to multiple operational periods

– Establish divisions/groups to provide an effective incident management organizational framework for the expansion of the incident action plan (IAP)

– Incorporate the principles of command safety into the incident management system during the initial assumption of command

– Ensure that a rapid intervention crew (RIC) or firefighter assist and search team (FAST) is dedicated, assigned, and in place before interior firefighting operations begin and throughout an incident

– Ensure that all firefighters and fire officers are trained in fireground survival procedures and Mayday operations

– Provide a Mayday tactical worksheet for incident commanders (ICs) in the event of a Mayday

– Ensure that all members engaged in emergency operations receive annual proficiency training and evaluation on fireground operations, including live fire training

– Have Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)/Standard Operating Guidelines (SOG) to ensure that water supply is established during initial fireground operations, particularly in areas with limited water pressure, limited hydrants, or no hydrants.

Two Rockland County residents were charged with manslaughter in connection with the tragedy. Nathaniel Sommer and his son, Aaron, each were sentenced to probation: Nathaniel Sommer, 72, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of second-degree manslaughter, one for fire Lieut. Jared Lloyd and one for resident Oliver Hueston on April 20 2023. Aaron Sommer, 29, pleaded guilty to second-degree reckless endangerment, a misdemeanor. Nathaniel Sommer was sentenced to five years of probation while his son was sentenced to three years of probation. The fire started as the men were cleaning an oven in preparation for the Passover holiday.