Many of us have been following the tragic townhouse fire in Flint, Michigan this past Saturday that took the lives of four children ranging in age from 1 to 4. A full investigation is underway to determine two key issues. The first is how the blaze started.
Currently the theory is that one of the children’s fathers allegedly fell asleep while babysitting with food on the stove. Some neighbors claim he was not in the building at all when the fire raged.
The second issue, more germane to The Fire PIO, is how the Flint Fire Department will answer allegations that their response time was inadequate, and what the closing of a local firehouse might have played in the tragedy.
Obviously the tragic toll this has taken on the families of the deceased and how these events must be weighing on the Flint Fire Department, make this an inopportune time to put the fire and response under a critical microscope.
I will keep you posted, from a PIO’s standpoint, on how the department responds to the response time and firehouse closing issues over the next several weeks.
Here is a general television news overview of the fire and its aftermath from ABC’s WJRT-TV.
A look at some print coverage.
Two stories questioning firefighter response.
Timeline of the run from MLIVE.com
Also on The Fire PIO…
- What’s in your Email Subject Line? – August 11, 2010
- The Fire Pio’s List of Awareness Months and Weeks – August 16, 2010
- Watch out for the Reporter who Flips the Script – October 21, 2010
- Sketchy Characters on the Fireground – August 12, 2010
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