Sept. 11, 2015

City, CFD release initial investigation report on death of FAO Daryl Gordon

Gordon suffered fatal injuries March 26 battling fire at Madisonville apartment building

CINCINNATI – A preliminary report on the investigation into the death of firefighter Daryl Gordon indicates an elevator door inside a burning Madisonville apartment building failed to automatically lock as designed.

The City of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Fire Department fittingly yet unintentionally released the initial findings Friday, Sept. 11.

"What we are doing is working to determine ways to prevent firefighter injury and death," said City Manager Harry Black. "Methodically and thoroughly doing so is one way the City of Cincinnati will continue to honor the life and legacy of Fire Apparatus Operator Daryl Gordon."

On the morning of March 26, Gordon was heroically searching for people trapped inside a burning, smoke-filled apartment building at 6020 Dahlgren Street when he fell multiple stories down an elevator shaft. The 30-year veteran of CFD was extricated from the building but was pronounced dead at University of Cincinnati Medical Center later that day.

In the wake of that tragedy, the City of Cincinnati joined forced with the Fire Department to create the Dahlgren Investigative Work Group and the Dahlgren Investigative Committee. The role of the two groups was to ensure all factors leading to Gordon’s Line of Duty Death (LODD) would be fully investigated and appropriate actions were taken to lessen the chance of a similar occurrence in the future.

CLICK FOR INVESTIGATION PHOTOS

After months of thorough investigation, the work group has come up with a preliminary report that contains facts surrounding Gordon’s death, primarily focusing on the event timeline and details about the multiple-alarm fire on Dahlgren Street.

Investigators concluded the elevator door failed to automatically lock as designed.

CFD firefighters had written a warning on the door to the elevator shaft – "Do Not Enter, Open Shaft" – two minutes before Gordon opened the elevator, stepped inside and fell several floors. A radio transmission warning firefighters the shaft was open failed to go out due to the volume of radio traffic at that time, according to the report.

"We believe he did not see that marking due to heavy smoke," said Assistant Fire Chief Ed Dadosky during a press conference at City Hall on Friday.

Information contained in this preliminary report has been compiled using data obtained from fire crew members’ SCBA Integrated Control Modules (ICM), Motorola radio transmission data, and interviews conducted in conjunction with the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Also included are photos from inside the apartment building and the investigative findings of work group members.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE REPORT

Using the findings of the work group, the Dahlgren Investigative Committee will generate a second, more comprehensive report. That report will examine topics such as standard operating procedures, training and experience levels of fire personnel, equipment and technology currently used by the Cincinnati Fire Department, and many other factors that may be relevant to the investigation into the death of FAO Gordon as well as injuries sustained by the other firefighters.

The goal of the second report and the overall investigation is to come up with ways to cut down on the chance of injuries to and the deaths of firefighters in the line of duty.

The thoroughness of this process is one way to honor the sacrifice made by FAO Gordon and his family: ensuring the City has done everything possible to make sure no other Cincinnati firefighters will lose their life doing their job.

Gordon, 54, had three decades of exemplary service working for the Cincinnati Fire Department. He most recently held the position as an FAO for Heavy Rescue 14 but had held various positions since joining the department on June 30, 1985. Gordon was a 10-year employee of UC Health Air Care and Mobil Care unit.

Gordon’s wife, Angela, and two daughters, Angelique and Chelsea, survive him.