Baltimore City Fire Department, Independent Investigation ...

Interviewer: just limp.
Interviewee: (Larkins) - …to dead limp.
Interviewer: And her face was still down underneath the smoke?
Interviewee: (Larkins) – She was still face down.
Interviewee: (Thibeault) – To be honest with you, I was so busy reaching around people, I
never knew who it was. I never even noticed the head ‘cause all I saw was a
hole and a bod, and I just tried to get in and grab as much as I could.
‘Cause, there, there was no progress. I didn’t know if it was a man, woman;
I didn’t know who it was. At first, when I first saw it, if it hadn’t been, I
thought it was the other girl yellin’. For the very first second when I got
down there, I thought it was a mannequin. I thought it was staged. And then
I was like no, this is, just for a second; I couldn’t see, I couldn’t tell. And
then the yellin’ and then I realized what was happenin’ when I approached.
Interviewer: How many burns you been on before this one?
Interviewee: A couple.
Interviewer: A couple burns? Time: 16:35
(Tape stops – screen blank – Continues again at 16:38)
Interviewee: (Larkins) on the front of the nose, face mask, panoramic nova, chin first,
bottom, bottom, bottom, middle, middle, top, check for a seal, insert second
stage regulator, check for the seal, hood, chin, top, helmet, ear flaps, chin
strap, double check, collar.
Interviewer: That’s the way you were taught?
Interviewee: (Thibeault) – We were always told that to get a proper inaudible word, you
wanna start low with the straps. I always check it.
Interviewer: That’s the right order. Very good. You were taught right. It’s just
confusing to see how a mask could be off without the hood being off. You
know what I’m sayin’?
Interviewee: (Thibeault) - I don’t…
Interviewer: We get reports the hood’s on, the mask should be on first.
Interviewee: (Thibeault) - …I mean, when we were venting, I have no idea how things
happened or how they played out or what exactly…I just know that there
was one of my classmates in the window. We just tried everything.
(Dispatcher speaking in background – very loud)
Interviewee: (Larkins) – Like I said, when we got to the roof, everything was up, ‘cause I
mean, this was pushed up…
(Interviewers and Interviewees talking over each other; dispatcher still speaking in
background, and one of the interviewers standing in front of the camera –
inaudible).
Interviewee: (Larkins) …She was totally encapsulated, like I’m sayin’ to her button up
from the bottom of the coat. Her face inaudible word button…
(Fan running in background)
Interviewee: (Larkins) - …and she was up like that.
Interviewer: You guys been debriefed, talked to anybody, you guys alright?
Interviewee: (Thibeault) – Shaking of head “Yes.” Just tryin’ to stay calm.
Interviewee: (Larkins) – ‘Yea, I was real upset for a while. It’s shocking.
Interviewer: Yes it is.