VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — At Atlantic Avenue and 27th Street, along the Virginia Beach Oceanfront, the rubble is a reminder of what happened one week ago.
News
75+ firefighters put out 3-alarm fire along Atlantic Avenue in Virginia Beach
Tuesday marked one week since a massive fire ripped through three businesses and left a firefighter with a minor injury.
“It’s upsetting,” said Virginia Beach native Grant Clark. “It’s stuff we don’t see every day down here.”
Virginia Beach Fire Battalion Chief Norman Williams said crews don’t often deal with a 3-Alarm fire like what happened along the Oceanfront on July 11.
Virginia Beach
What's the plan for property at 27th & Atlantic Ave. after major fire?
“Probably four or five times in a 25-year career that you’ll see something that large,” Williams said.
Last Tuesday, he helped crews from afar, even checking on the firefighter that was injured.
The incident is an example of conditions and potential health risks fire crews face while on calls.
Last year, News 3’s team of investigators revealed how firefighters are at a higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer.
According to the Firefighter Cancer Support Network (FCSN), their data shows firefighters have a 9 percent higher risk of being diagnosed, and 14 percent higher risk of dying from cancer when compared with the general U.S. population.
Investigations
Firefighters at higher risk of cancer diagnosis
Chief Williams told News 3 while responding to fires like last Tuesday’s, the risk firefighters face when it comes to cancer can pop up in the back of their minds.
“That’s one of the things that you think about, ‘OK, this could be one of those calls where a high percentage are exposed to carcinogens in the air and on our skin,” Williams said.
But Williams said crews have plans in place at scenes and stations to protect their health.
One of the first strategies is what’s called a ‘Gross Decon.’
“They’ll have a hose, and they’ll hose themselves off,” Williams said. “They’ll take that gear off, put it in bags, and put it inside the trucks so the dirty gear doesn’t touch anything inside of the truck.”
But what happens when crews come back to a station?
One room that’s one of the first stops for firefighters at stations when coming back from calls is what’s called the ‘Decon Room.’
In that room, dirty gear is taken to be cleaned using an industrial washer and dryer.
Also, firefighters will take a shower using what’s called ‘Charcoal Shampoo and Body Wash,’ which is used to help remove any smells of smoke and residue that might be on skin.
“A bigger issue is absorption through the skin,” Williams said. “That’s why we want to get that gear and everything off as quickly as possible. Get a shower as quickly as possible. Put clean clothes and clean gear back on to keep from having the carcinogens and soot and everything else from the combustion on your skin.”
Williams said there's also Hero Wipes crews can use on scene to sanitize themselves.
Also, other crews at the station will run calls while firefighters clean up and rest before returning to the front lines.
Chief Williams also told News 3 firefighters do yearly physicals and crews have rehab areas at active scenes where vital signs can be checked.
Another strategy VBFD firefighters have in place are crews doing ‘pre-plans’ at buildings throughout the city, where they walk through a building to see what’s inside and how it’s laid out.
“For the most part, these guys can tell you, ‘Oh, the building is full of t-shirts. The stock room is here. This room is here,” Williams said. “We know there are t-shirts in the building, but we don’t know all of the materials and chemicals and everything else that they put in those things. So, that’s where the danger lies when those things catch on fire.”
Meanwhile, fire officials are still trying to figure out what sparked the fire and where this all started.
