Officials with CONN-OSHA, the state’s occupational safety and health agency, said no OSHA standards were violated in the death of a Plainville firefighter last year.
Ray Moreau, 60, was a 35-year veteran of the Plainville Fire Department, when he was killed responding to a fire on Maria Road on July 27. According to the report filed back in December, Moreau was near his fire truck grabbing a breathing apparatus, while crews battled the ongoing blaze nearby. During this time, another fire truck’s tires got caught on a hose and became entangled, unbeknownst to the driver, which then pinned Moreau along the cab of the fire engine.
Moreau, pinned and unable to free himself as the hose was pulled taut, began to be pulled vertically along the cab of the apparatus, according to the report filed by CONN-OSHA. As he remained pulled along the cab, the intake valve for the water supply line, failed at the attachment site. The intake valve, which weighs 35 pounds, struck Moreau and lifted him six to eight feet into the air and 10 feet in front of the fire engine.
Moreau was rushed to The Hospital of Central Connecticut in New Britain where he succumbed to his injuries, the report said.
During CONN-OSHA’s investigation, which began a day after the fire on July 28, officials said they met with the Plainville Fire Department’s Assistant Chief and Fire Chief and reviewed the department’s policies and procedures. Officials say that after a full review, they found no CONN-OSHA standards had been violated and no citations were proposed.
But the agency did recommended the department to establish a standard operating procedure outlining annual evaluations of apparatus operators and establish training on situational awareness. In addition, training on hose deployment, pump operations, and personal protective equipment should be conducted regularly and discussed on a regular basis, the report found.
Officials said that the Plainville Fire Department has taken steps to implement the recommendations.
Stephen Underwood can be reached at [email protected]