Nassau Fire Service Academy instructor burned during training exercise
Nassau County Chief Fire Marshal Mike Uttaro and Nassau University Medical Center physicians in East Meadow update the condition of an instructor who was seriously burned at the Nassau Fire Service Academy in Old Bethpage Thursday. Credit: Howard Schnapp
An instructor at the Nassau Fire Service Academy in Old Bethpage was seriously burned Thursday morning during a training exercise.
The unidentified firefighter was described as a senior instructor who suffered first-, second- and third-degree burns while attempting to set a 20- to 30-foot model ship on fire as part of a training exercise, Nassau County Chief Fire Marshal Mike Uttaro said.
The burns were caused after combustible liquids used to set the fire ignited, Uttaro said.
A Plainview Volunteer Fire ambulance was on scene and the instructor was taken to Nassau University Medical Center about 10:30 a.m., Uttaro said.
He was seen in the emergency room and moved to the hospital’s burn unit, where he was being treated for wounds on his arms, legs and torso, said NUMC Chief Medical Officer Grace Ting. None of the wounds was considered life-threatening.
The most severe wounds were to his hands and thighs, Ting said. The instructor was awake and alert while talking to medical staff and investigators.
The burn is being investigated by the Nassau County Fire Marshal’s Office and the police arson and bomb squad. The instructor's family asked that he not be identified, officials said.
“Any burn is very serious, and he’s very lucky he’s with us and had no inhalation or facial injuries,” Ting said.
The instructor was preparing for a shipboard fire training exercise. The structures are generally ignited using wooden pallets and flammable liquids, Uttaro said.
“They have a prop that looks like a ship, that they basically go over fire evolutions on board a ship,” Uttaro said. “As they were setting up to get ready for the live fire portion of that training, there was combustible liquids that were ignited, causing a flash fire.”
The fire was quickly extinguished by firefighters on site at the training academy. Fire investigators questioned witnesses, which included a class of about 10 firefighters, officials said.
The case is expected to be investigated later by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Uttaro said safety procedures were in place, which got the firefighter immediate care. He said severe burns, particularly involving instructors, were rare.
Nassau County owns the academy, and it is operated by the Nassau County Educational Extension Board, where the instructor is employed.
“There's always an inherent danger and there are lots of safety protocols put in place,” Uttaro said. “When incidents occur, the thing that we do in the fire service world is we evaluate that incident, and we put extra protocols in place to make sure it doesn't happen again.”
An instructor at the Nassau Fire Service Academy in Old Bethpage was seriously burned Thursday morning during a training exercise.
The unidentified firefighter was described as a senior instructor who suffered first-, second- and third-degree burns while attempting to set a 20- to 30-foot model ship on fire as part of a training exercise, Nassau County Chief Fire Marshal Mike Uttaro said.
The burns were caused after combustible liquids used to set the fire ignited, Uttaro said.
A Plainview Volunteer Fire ambulance was on scene and the instructor was taken to Nassau University Medical Center about 10:30 a.m., Uttaro said.
He was seen in the emergency room and moved to the hospital’s burn unit, where he was being treated for wounds on his arms, legs and torso, said NUMC Chief Medical Officer Grace Ting. None of the wounds was considered life-threatening.
The most severe wounds were to his hands and thighs, Ting said. The instructor was awake and alert while talking to medical staff and investigators.
The burn is being investigated by the Nassau County Fire Marshal’s Office and the police arson and bomb squad. The instructor's family asked that he not be identified, officials said.
“Any burn is very serious, and he’s very lucky he’s with us and had no inhalation or facial injuries,” Ting said.
The instructor was preparing for a shipboard fire training exercise. The structures are generally ignited using wooden pallets and flammable liquids, Uttaro said.
“They have a prop that looks like a ship, that they basically go over fire evolutions on board a ship,” Uttaro said. “As they were setting up to get ready for the live fire portion of that training, there was combustible liquids that were ignited, causing a flash fire.”
The fire was quickly extinguished by firefighters on site at the training academy. Fire investigators questioned witnesses, which included a class of about 10 firefighters, officials said.
The case is expected to be investigated later by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Uttaro said safety procedures were in place, which got the firefighter immediate care. He said severe burns, particularly involving instructors, were rare.
Nassau County owns the academy, and it is operated by the Nassau County Educational Extension Board, where the instructor is employed.
“There's always an inherent danger and there are lots of safety protocols put in place,” Uttaro said. “When incidents occur, the thing that we do in the fire service world is we evaluate that incident, and we put extra protocols in place to make sure it doesn't happen again.”
John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.
