Boston Fire Department Releases Internal Report on Fatal Apparatus Accident

BOSTON - A board of inquiry says a number of factors, including lack of an adequate preventative maintenance program, contributed to a deadly fire truck crash in Boston.

Lt. Kevin Kelly was killed in January 2009 when the ladder truck he was riding on lost its brakes on a steep hill and slammed into a building.

In a 127-page report released on Monday, the board cited 15 "causative factors," including inadequate funding for preventative maintenance, insufficient manpower in the fire department's maintenance division, and the installation of improper parts by outside vendors working on fire equipment.

The investigation was one of several into the accident.

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino says the department has already implemented recommendations from previous reports, including the hiring of certified civilian mechanics.

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Permalink Reply by Brian Mackie on March 9, 2010 at 3:04pm

Too bad it took the death to bring those changes. My guess, and I admit I don't know for sure, is that the fire dept. had requested or made their concerns about not having certified mechanics known prior to the accident. Isn't that how the scenario usually goes? Better late than never, but still... at what cost?