This story was the impetus for my doctoral work. It was told to me by my brother-in-law, Steve Strawderman, retired Battalion Chief of Prince William County, Virginia, Department of Fire and Rescue (PWCDFR). It is the story of a line of duty death that happened on his watch. On April 16, 2007, Technician 1 Kyle R. Wilson, a firefighter in service with the PWCDFR, lost his life in the line of duty. Steve was one of the battalion chiefs assigned to that fire. A few months prior to this incident, Steve viewed the training video of the classes conducted by the Worcester Fire Department.
At 6 a.m. on April 16, 2007, a call came into PWCDFR. It was a three-alarm house fire. By the time Steve arrived at the scene, firefighters were already engaged. An assumption had been made that there were people still in the house. As it turned out, everyone had managed to get out. The incident commander, not knowing this, sent in Kyle and his partner to evacuate the building. The...