Report: Firefighters' deaths preventable

Bridgeport, Conn. (Greenwich Time) - Bridgeport fire officials' failure on nearly ever level led to the deaths of two firefighters battling a West Side blaze last July.

Among the findings of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health released Wednesday: the deputy fire chief and his assistant at the scene of the Elmwood Street fire were having a discussion about whether they heard a mayday call from the two fallen firefighters instead of taking immediate action to rescue them.

The report also stated firefighters failed to immediately treat one of the firefighters who managed to make it to relative safety before collapsing.

Officials also did not properly managed firefighters' air supplies -- both firefighter's air cylinders were empty when they were found, the report stated.

The department's incident safety officer, who is required to be on scene for assistance in a fire also did not arrive more than 20 minutes after the initial dispatch.

Lt. Steven Velasquez and Firefighter Michel Baik were on the third-floor of the wood-frame home at 41 Elmwood Ave. checking for hot spots and making sure there were no people in the smoldering blaze. Then trouble hit. The two sent mayday signals back to dispatch. Within minutes, the fire department's rapid intervention team found the pair on the floor, unconscious, and gave them CPR. The two men could not be revived.

Read more at The Greenwich Time .