Did faulty breathing equipment kill 2 California firefighters? Their families say yes
The families of two California firefighters are suing several makers of life-saving equipment for negligence, alleging the defective devices caused their loved ones’ deaths during a 2020 fire that destroyed the city’s library.
Porterville Fire Department Capt. Ramon “Ray” Figueroa, 35, and firefighter Patrick Jones, 25, died on Feb. 18, 2020, after trying to rescue what they thought was a disabled woman trapped on the second floor of the burning library.
It turned out Figueroa and Jones were the ones who needed emergency help. Lawyer Browne Greene, of Santa Monica, said the two Porterville firefighters entered the burning building that day with the expectation that the safety equipment they strapped on would protect them. Tragically, it didn’t, he said.
On behalf of the firefighters’ families, Greene is seeking financial damages against the companies that produce the Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) and their Personal Alert Safety System (PASS).
Named in the lawsuit are Scott Technologies (also known as Scott Safety), 3M Company, MES, Municipal Emergency Services and Allstar Fire Equipment. Company officials could not be reached for comment Friday. They are being sued for alleged negligence, wrongful death and strict products liability design defect.
According to the lawsuit, the firefighters’ breathing equipment stopped working soon after they entered the building.
“It was supposed to last 40 minutes,” Greene said. “It lasted about 12 minutes.”
A multi-agency report on the Porterville Library fire confirmed there were problems with a lack of breathable air.
The Serious Accident Review Team’s report, compiled by representatives of several fire departments including Fresno, Clovis and Modesto found that Figueroa and Jones were in serious trouble that day.
The report quotes one of Figueroa’s last communications: “Mayday, mayday, mayday Channel 1 … we came up the stairwell. We thought we were in the banquet room, trying to locate the stairwell. We’re running low on air.”
Also failing was the personal alert safety system that gives out an audible alarm and flashing light to help rescuers find firefighters in distress.
“PASS devices are supposed to be able to sense movement, or lack thereof, and activate an alarm as well as flashing lights to help guide rescue personnel to the location of the lost, trapped, disoriented firefighters or any firefighter in need of rescue and assistance,” according to the lawsuit.
Other lawsuits noted
Greene alleged Friday that the manufacturers of the life-saving equipment were aware of the sudden failure of their devices prior to Feb. 18, 2020. The companies were sued before in Texas, New York and Philadelphia for similar issues, Greene said.
The lawsuit alleges the hoses were made of substandard materials and production methods in manufacturing the SCBA hoses, lacked adequate heat resistance
Families of the firefighters said Friday, the two-year anniversary of the fire, that they want to make sure no other family has to go through what they have.
John Jones, the father of Patrick Jones, vividly remembers the night he was told his son had died.
“In my mind, I felt something was wrong so I walked over to turn on the porch light and within five minutes the chaplain and Captain Smith were at my doorstep,” Jones said. “I said to myself, oh God, no, no, no. I also thought that if I didn’t let them in it wouldn’t be real.”
After the fire, Jones and Figueroa’s father, Ramon Figueroa Sr., began asking lots of questions. Figueroa Sr. is a retired police officer who began poring over reports about the fire. Soon, he realized they shouldn’t have run out of air that quickly.
Figueroa said his son was certified as a fire marshal and firefighter trainer. He did not take risks and did not take shortcuts.
“My son and Patrick went into that building to save someone’s life,” he said. “They knew that with those breathing apparatuses it would guarantee them enough time to get in and get out. There was no way they could have known it was going to fail them.”
Two 13-year-old boys were blamed for causing the fire and were charged with murder and arson.
This story was originally published February 18, 2022 at 5:34 PM.
