Did two-man fire trucks cost lives?
WEST WARWICK — The first fire engine arrived at the burning Station nightclub with two firefighters. Each grabbed a hose off the pumper, says their chief, and ran for the front entrance clogged with fallen patrons. That left no one at the truck to immediately start the pump and fill the lines with water. “Turn the hose on!” someone screamed across the parking lot. About 35 seconds passed with one firefighter standing ready with a hose near the entrance before any water flowed, according to a videotape of the fire. Arriving with West Warwick’s Engine 4 was the town’s Ladder Company 1 truck. It, too, had two firefighters aboard — half the minimum complement of firefighters that a national fire-prevention group recommends for each fire truck. In the weeks that have followed, Governor Carcieri has led the praises of the scores of firefighters who eventually responded to The Station to save lives.
