This is why you TRAIN, TRAIN and TRAIN, keeping focused, using skills and knowledge and imploying situational awareness. Routine calls, quickly turn into something entirely different than what we expect...sometimes the difference is life or death.

Montgomery County, MD: Rockville (MD) Firefighter Seriously Injured In Early Morning House Fire - October 2, 2008 - At 0127 hours Engine 31 was dispatched to a transformer fire in the 200 block of Frederick Ave. Engine 31 arrived on the scene with heavy smoke showing from a 1 1/2 story single family Cape Cod style house. The house fire assignment was filled for box 03-07 bringing Engine 231, Engine 331, Truck 3, Aerial Tower 23, Rescue Squad 3, Ambulance 38, and other Montgomery County Fire & Rescue units. Upon further investigation Company 3 units found a working basement fire with fire extending up the stairwell to the first floor. Engine 31 stretched an handline to the first floor and held the fire at the basement steps. Truck 3 began laddering the building and ventilation, while Rescue Squad 3 conducted a primary search.

Engine 231 stretched their handline to the rear of the home, down the exterior stairs, into the basement, and began knocking the fire in the basement. While performing the primary search operations on the first floor, the floor in Quadrant "D" gave way, sending Firefighter III Joel Rogozinski through the floor and partially into the basement.

Firefighter Rogozinski was able to catch himself before falling fully into the basement, however was unable to pull himself up out of the hole in the floor.

When Rogozinski had arrived on the scene, he conducted a circle check and noticed a basement window on side "D". When Rogozinski remembered this window, he chose to drop into the basement, then located the window and was able to rescue himself with assistance from firefighters outside. In the meantime, a mayday had been called by other firefighters on the first floor who witnessed the floor collapse and a firefighter fall through the hole.

Actions by crews on the scene mitigated the basement fire prior to the floor collapse, which allowed Rogozinski the opportunity to escape. The area he fell in and the window he climbed out of was heavily involved in fire just a few moments prior to the floor collapse.

During the event, Rogozinski suffered significant burns to his arms and legs. He was transported by Medic 239 to MedSTAR Trauma Center in Washington, DC. Firefighter Rogozinski has now been admitted to the Washington Hospital Burn Center ICU.

"How would YOU react in a similar situation?" Remember, this was only a small Cape Code stype house, with a "routine" fire.......

This was pulled from: http://www.rvfd.org/news&events/news&events.htm