Report calls for Fresno FD ‘culture change’ after garage fire that critically burned Capt. Pete Dern

The report into the “Cortland Incident” was released yesterday (Tuesday) by the Fresno Fire Department. The incident was the March 29, 2015 garage fire at 1310 E. Cortland that critically burned Captain Pete Dern who fell through the roof of the structure. The incident was captured on the video below.

Read Cortland incident Report into fire that critically injured Capt. Pete Dern

Fresno Fire Department Chief Kerri Donis talked about the report and the call for a “culture change” with Joe Moore of KVPR Radio. Here’ s an excerpt of that interview:

At nearly 300 pages long, the independent review says the department’s internal culture has for too long accepted unnecessary risks at the expense of safety. The findings include the need for better training on modern firefighting practices, the lack of organized command at many fires, and too many firefighters who don’t always wear the recommended safety gear. 

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Donis: “These are some of the practices and things that have been occurring in this organization for years and years and years. This isn’t something that has just occurred in the last year or since Captain Dern’s incident. We essentially have kind of kicked the can down the road in this department and in other departments and have not really poured a lot of commitment to making cultural change and to change our firefighting practices.”