A year ago this month, Frederick County Fire Captain Joshua Laird was killed in the line of duty while fighting a large house fire in Ijamsville, Maryland. On Friday, the fire chief released a devastating after-action report that places blame on the department's "culture and systems." The department, the report said, had not learned from its mistakes.
"These things will go on, my girls still will not have their dad at their wedding, so there is never closure," said grieving widow Sara Laird. She described her awful loss as the fire department revealed some of the mistakes made in his death.
The after-action report says that when firefighters first pulled up to a large house fire on Ball Road last August, they had no idea how long it had been burning or the damage it had already caused. Heavy smoke conditions had firefighters struggling to see, and there was no immediate water supply.
Capt. Laird then stepped inside the house. The report says, "The operations assistant chief told [Capt. Laird] that they were not going inside yet 'because we don't have good water,' but did not directly tell [Laird] to immediately exit the building."
We're making it easier for you to find stories that matter with our new newsletter — The 4Front. Sign up here and get news that is important for you to your inbox.
When he turned around, Laird was gone.
A photo from the report shows where he fell through a floor, conscious, alert and calling for help, making what the fire service calls a mayday.
The report stated: "... upon receipt of the Mayday, there was a lack of tactical discipline, crew integrity issues, and lack of coordination between units operating on the fire ground."
The report concluded: "...[m]ultiple organizational policies were not followed by both company and Chief Officers on this incident."
On Friday, Sara Laird spoke fondly of her late husband and thanked the fire service and community for the support.
"He was a consummate professional, even to the end," she said. "Based on this report and the ATF report, nothing would have changed this tragic outcome, other than the failure of the corrugated stainless steel tubing under lightning strike conditions."
Investigators believe the fire began when the house was hit by lightning.
"I'm grateful to be allowed to be a part of these things, and that does help me in my healing process," Sara Laird said.
Capt. Laird was able to make several radio transmissions after falling into the basement, telling firefighters where he was and what equipment they would need to get to him, but it wasn’t enough. In his last transmission, he keyed the mic and said, "Hey guys, tell my family I love them."
The full report, numbering more than 180 pages, is available on the Frederick Fire and Rescue website.
Sara Laird also thanked the charity Tunnels to Towers, which helped pay off her home.
