Local Firefighters Offer Condolences To Shippan Ave. Fire Survivors

From SPFA president Brendan Keatley:

On behalf of the men and women of the Stamford Professional Fire Fighters Association, I would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to the Badger and Johnson families for the terrible losses they suffered. It was a sad day for the City of Stamford.

The first due units arrived on the scene in just over 5 minutes after the emergency call was received at 4:52 am.

Firefighters from Engine 4 used a portable 24 foot ladder to reach a second floor roof and then climbed scaffolding to get into the home’s third floor to begin search and rescue efforts, for the 3 children and 2 adults.

The second engine company arrived two minutes later. Forty six firefighters utilizing 12 pieces of fire apparatus responded to the fire.

The first priority of the fire fighters was to rescue anyone trapped inside the house. When firefighters arrived at the scene all three floors of the building were fully involved in flames and heavy heat in this rapidly moving fire.

Firefighters made numerous attempts to breach the interior of the house in an attempt to reach those trapped inside; however the severity of the smoke and flames drove them back.

Four fire fighters sustained injuries while attempting to rescue those inside including Captain Mark Shannon, who suffered second degree burns on his face.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, though only 20% of reported fires occurred between the hours of 11:00 pm and 7:00 am, 50% of the deaths caused by fire were reported during this time period.

We urge families to make sure that their home’s smoke detectors are in working order and that carbon monoxide detectors be replaced every five years. Talk to your family about the dangers of fire and explain to your children what they should do in case of a fire.

Have a family escape plan and practice the plan regularly. If you have any fire safety questions feel free to contact your local fire department for further assistance.

The Stamford Fire & Rescue Department (SFR) is a career fire department that has been serving the city since the late 1800’s. SFR consists of 265 firefighters operating out of nine fire stations.

In addition to basic firefighter and officer certifications, SFR personnel are certified in Haz Mat Operations and Technician levels, Emergency Medical Technician, SCUBA, Confined Space and Trench Rescue and many other skills including medical first responder with automatic heart defibrillation capabilities.