News: Who's fault? - Fire Engine destroyed being towed

Fire Engine ripped up while being pulled from mud

The entire rear portion of a Pope Valley volunteer fire department engine was ripped from its chassis while trying to be pulled out of the mud where it got stuck while responding to a fire. The big questions now are who is responsible, and who is going to pay, according to CalFire Division Chief of Operations Todd Derum.

Some have pointed the finger at Pope Valley Fire Chief Brad Fitzpatrick, who was operating the tow truck at the time the engine was damaged. Fitzpatrick, who has been a Pope Valley volunteer firefighter for more than 40 years, also owned Pope Valley Garage for decades. “Brad has more than 20 years of experience in recovering and towing vehicles. It’s his business. He probably had more experience of getting large vehicles out of mud than anyone else who was there that day,” Derum said. Fitzpatrick did not return phone calls to the Register. When the Register contacted Pope Valley Assistant Fire Chief Dennis Elkins, who was driving the engine when it got stuck, he refused to comment. “I don’t want my name in the newspaper,” Elkins said. Derum, who is investigating the incident, said, “It is too early into the investigation to know who is responsible.” Derum compared the damage to the engine to a pickup. “A pickup has the cab mounted on a chassis and bed of the pickup sits behind the cab on the extended chassis. The same thing with a fire engine. So the damage to the engine would be the same as if the bed of pickup being ripped off, only bigger, much, much bigger.” The fire department’s woes started around 11:30 a.m., Jan. 18, when they rolled to a small grass fire near Aetna Springs. Elkins drove the engine down an old dirt road, and because of all the recent rain, the engine got stuck, Derum said. Firefighters laid hose from where the truck was stuck in the mud and put out the one-acre grass fire. They called the command center, which sent a tow truck and a couple of bulldozers, Derum said. The first tow truck was not able to recover the fire engine. So a tow truck belonging to Fitzpatrick,was sent from Pope Valley Garage, Derum said. That tow truck, operated by Fitzpatrick, hooked up to the stranded engine and attempted to haul it out. There are conflicting reports that Fitzpatrick was told by the CalFire incident commander to use his tow truck. “I won’t know if he was defying any orders from a superior until the investigation is finished,” Derum said. The crippled fire engine was loaded onto a carrier and driven to the manufacturer in Woodland, near Sacramento. “We are having them take a look at it to see if the apparatus was properly built. That could be the reason it ripped apart,” Derum said. In addition to that avenue, Derum said he is also investigating who was in charge to implement getting the engine out of the mud and the sequence of events, along with recommendations for driver training. “I also need to know what lead them to make the decision to take the dirt road. Once I get the answers to these questions, I will take corrective actions,” he said. “This incident is not going unnoticed. I will get the answers I need.” Derum said if the investigation reveals any negligence, “I will recommend to the fire chief that person be held accountable.” If the engine can be repaired, the cost will be covered by the county fire’s insurance. “If we have to buy a new engine, which fully equipped costs between $400,000-$600,000, it will have to be paid for by the county," said Derum. The damage to the engine is estimated between $30,000 -$50,000, Derum said. A county reserve engine has been assigned to the Pope Valley volunteer fire station to replace the damaged one.  
Source: Napa valley register.com- Article