WTNH
Firefighters outside 20 Arthur St.
The brutal summer heat upped the ante early Wednesday morning as firefighters spent close to two hours getting a two-alarm blaze under control at 20 Arthur St.
The fire displaced seven adults and five children who lived in the building, according to Fire Chief John Alston. The Red Cross is helping them find temporary new lodging.
Six firefighters were also injured fighting the blaze. Alston said none of the injuries was life-threatening. Medics treated five of the six at the scene, mostly for heat-related problems. A sixth firefighter went to the hospital with an eye injury.
The call came in at 5:37 a.m. Forty firefighters worked until 7:31 a.m. to get the fire under control.
Alston said the department needed more firefighters than usual because of the heat wave.
For starters, heavier air makes smoke lose its buoyancy and remain at street level rather than rise, Alston said.
Supervisors rotated firefighters in and out more than usual, Alston said. “We wanted to keep the troops fresh so they wouldn’t deplete themselves.”
Firefighters experience a rise in body temperature as soon as they put on their gear, then another when they go into the fire. The weather makes that worse during a heat wave.
So does the gear, Alston said: The moisture from firefighters’ sweat remains soaked in their shirts rather allow it to evaporate. The chief said the department is currently looking at purchasing lighter gear that also allows the moisture to “evaporate or moe through the garment.”
With the current gear, “the best we can do is get them in, get them out, rotate them, and hydrate them and keep an on them.” Supervisors on scene Wednesday were making sure the firefighters were drinking water and opening their coats on breaks.
Firefighting under good conditions is best done by people less than 45 or at most 50 years old. I am speaking of the folks that actually go in and work in the burning buildings. That is a big consideration when one talks about retirement age, years on the job and so forth.