Glen Ellen Boy Scout Fire Explorer injured on interior attack

Investigation into why teen Scout was part of firefighting crew



Source: THE PRESS DEMOCRAT http://www.pressdemocrat.com - ARTICLE
By BOB NORBERG

Sonoma County fire officials are investigating how a 16-year-old Boy Scout Fire Explorer was allowed to be involved in fighting a Trinity Road blaze, in which he was taken to the hospital suffering from exhaustion.

“Under the Boy Scout rules for Fire Explorers, you can respond to an emergency but you cannot be used in an offensive fire activity,” said Mark Aston, fire chief and director of the Sonoma County Office of Emergency Services.

Aston said a Fire Explorer would be allowed to go into a building for mop-up or if the fire was considered under control.

“Those questions need to be asked of Glen Ellen,” Aston said.

Glen Ellen Fire Chief Peter Van Fleet was unavailable Friday. An official at the station declined comment.

Aston said the Scout, who was with the Glen Ellen Fire Protection District, and another Glen Ellen firefighter suffered from exhaustion and were taken to Sonoma Valley Hospital, where they were treated and released. Their names were not available.

The cause of the Thursday morning fire has not been determined. The owners who live in San Francisco were not there at the time of the blaze, which caused significant damage.

Aston said because the house was in the Mayacamas Fire Department jurisdiction, the investigation is being handled by Sonoma County fire services.

He said the teen-ager and the Glen Ellen firefighter were assigned to a Glen Ellen water tender, on which the personnel were involved in the interior fighting of the fire.

“It's serious matter that this young man was engaged in activities that may have been outside the rules of working as a Boy Scout,” Aston said. “We have to find out who was supervising them and who brought them to the incident and see what exactly took place.”

Glen Ellen was one of several agencies providing mutual aid. The others were Santa Rosa, Sonoma Valley, Kenwood and Schell Vista.

“We don't allow firefighters under the age of 18,” Aston said. “I don't know the rule that the Glen Ellen department has. I have not had a chance to talk to their people.”

“It's an understanding when an agency provides aid, the people are qualified to the standards that we have established. This was a surprise to me.”