HAMPTON, Va. — The Hampton Fire Department has been the focus of a Department of Labor and Industry investigation for months after eight firefighters were seriously injured responding to an apartment fire. Now, they've been fined for safety violations.
The News 3 Investigative Team obtained information about the citation they received.
An electric blanket was to blame for a fire from October of 2022 that left eight firefighters injured, according to fire officials.
It all happened around 1:30 a.m. at the Township in Hampton Woods Apartments in the 200 block of Marcella Road. Fire officials said due to the building's age, sprinkler or fire alarm systems were not required or present. However, smoke alarms alerted people who were in the apartment where the fire started.
Last November, News 3 told you how the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry opened an investigation.
RELATED: Hampton apartment fire: building did not have sprinklers, alarm system
We’ve now learned that the city says it's paid almost $19,978 in penalties for occupational safety and health violations.
The city was fined $9,989 for failing to provide a safe work environment.
The report states, “The employer failed to furnish to each of his employees safe employment and a place of employment free from the recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause serious physical harm to employees in that the employees were exposed to the hazards of thermal burns, smoke inhalation, asphyxiation, from an apartment structural fire where the incident commander immediately entered the structure, failing to ensure that the one firefighter left outside the danger zone properly charged the hand hose brought in for fire attack and search and rescue.”
The city was also fined another $9,989 for communication issues. It states the firefighter manning the water line outside was not on the same tactical radio frequency as the first crew who went inside the building.
The report states, “The firefighter responsible for providing the water at Engine 10 was also unable to see the stairwell where the initial entry crew entered from his position. He was unaware the entry firefighters were injured until it was reported to him later after they had been transported. The water supply to the hand hose was not properly charged and no water was flowing to the interior firefighting crew. The use of the primary radio channel, TAC 2 channel, and TAC 6 channel for the incident caused confusion and overlapping safety-sensitive transmission to the Battalion Chief once in command.”
Additionally, it states the city was cited, but not fined, for a firefighter inadequately trained on how to use the water hose and for some helmets having stickers that blocked reflective gear.
Hampton Fire Department released a separate 72-page report back in April outlining what went wrong and recommendations on how to improve operations following a fire.
News 3 spoke to Marta Fernandes, the Virginia Occupational Safety and Health Program Director, about these kinds of investigations. She did not talk about the case specifically but gave information about how they work to keep people safe on the job and look into problematic situations.
“What we want to minimize is the recurrence of that hazard in the workplace. When we issue violations, the employer is required to provide us with some corrective actions that are adequate to prevent a hazard from happening again,” said Fernandes.
News 3 asked where the money collected from the penalties goes. Stephen Clausing, the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry Communications Manager, said, “Per the code of Virginia, all funds that are received from civil penalties from V.O.S.H., then go back into the Commonwealth General Fund.”
All eight firefighters have recovered from their injuries and returned to work, according to the city.
Hampton was originally cited for more than $28,000 in fines, but the city says after they attended an informal conference and presented data and facts, the citations were reduced.
They declined to be interviewed on camera about the recent report, but issued the following statement:
“Following the Township fire that occurred on October 21 of last year, the Hampton Division of Fire and Rescue received a citation from the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry (VADOLI) on April 21. After attending an informal conference with the agency, the Division received an amended citation that reflects changes made by VADOLI and represents the final determination of infractions. The City contested information contained within the VADOLI report by providing supporting facts, information, and data. Subsequently, the citation and its contents were reduced and the penalties were paid in full. The amended citation package is attached. Because of the thorough investigation conducted by, and the recommendations received from, the Division’s Health and Safety Branch, Professional Peer Review Panel, and the City of Hampton’s Risk Management Department, all cited concerns were abated prior to receiving the citation and before any required deadline.
It is the goal of the Hampton Fire Division to meet or exceed the best practices, standards, and expectations of similar public safety agencies across the country. The Division is internationally accredited by CFAI and holds the highest ISO rating of “1” and was recently re-evaluated, and subsequently re-accredited, to ensure compliance with industry standards. The Division welcomes these evaluations because it provides valuable guidance and continuous quality improvement opportunities.”
The following statement was issued on behalf of the Hampton City Manager:
“The City of Hampton cooperated fully with the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry’s investigation (VADOLI) into the events of the Township Fire. While we largely did not dispute VADOLI’s findings, staff did engage in an informal conference with the regional director to negotiate the appropriate remedies related to those findings. I believe the result of that informal conference was fair to the City and all involved. Hampton is committed to the safety of our firefighters, as well as all of the members of our City team and to the public. Our talented and dedicated staff is of paramount importance to me as City Manager, as well as the City Council members.”
