Team to investigate how medic died

By Kipp Hanley

Published: November 19, 2008

Area fire officials formed an investigative team to study the circumstances surrounding the line-of-duty death of emergency medical technician Cecilia Turnbough of the Dale City Volunteer Fire Department.

On Monday, Prince William County Fire and Rescue Chief Kevin J. McGee and Dale City Volunteer Fire Department Chief Chris Hool appointed the team to investigate Turnbough’s sudden death during a Nov. 9 exercise at the Prince William County Public Safety Training Academy. 

The team is expected to offer up a set of recommendations to the Prince William County Fire and Rescue Association to enhance firefighter safety and survivability. According to Prince William County Fire Marshal Hadden Culp, the investigation will take at least two months.

The team includes staff from Dale City, the Prince William County Department of Fire and Rescue, Occoquan-Woodbridge-Lorton (OWL) Volunteer Fire Department and the Washington, D.C., Loudoun and Frederick County, Md., fire departments.

Culp said Loudoun and Frederick were invited because each has a similar fire department model. Plus, having another perspective from a separate organization is a positive thing, he said.

“The more diverse the group is, the stronger it is,” Culp said.

Fire officials speculate that Turnbough lost consciousness inside “the maze,” a training simulator that uses no smoke or fire, but requires students to use oxygen masks and full breathing gear to simulate being inside an burning building.

When an instructor realized Turnbough never made it out of the simulator, someone went inside and pulled her out around 2:30 p.m.
Turnbough was taken to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead a little more than an hour later.

In 30-plus years of his experience with the fire department, Culp said he was unaware of any deaths during training.

In April 2007, Prince William County career firefighter Kyle Wilson died while fighting a structure fire.

Investigations by the county into Wilson’s death led to several recommendations concerning the staffing of fires and resolving communication and technology problems. The Virginia Occupational Safety and Health and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health also conducted independent investigations into Wilson’s death.

Culp said VOSH was on the scene the day of Turnbough’s death, while NIOSH spokesperson Fred Blosser said he’s unaware of any new investigation his organization might be starting.

Staff writer Kipp Hanley can be reached at 703-878-8062.