A veteran fire captain testified Wednesday that he was trapped in debris that fell from a ceiling during a February 2011 fire at a luxury home in the Hollywood Hills, where another longtime firefighter suffered fatal injuries.
Called to testify during a hearing to determine if an architect who designed and oversaw the construction of the home should stand trial for involuntary manslaughter, Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Edward Watters told Superior Court Judge Michael Tynan that he “heard a loud bang” and suddenly found himself lying on his back with a “lot of weight on my chest.”
Gerhard Albert Becker—a 48-year-old German national who owned, designed and built the home —is charged in connection with the death of firefighter Glenn Allen, 61.
Allen, a 36-year veteran of the LAFD, died two days after being struck by a portion of the ceiling during the Feb. 16, 2011, blaze.
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More from the Hollywood Patch; HERE
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Previous Posts from
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CommandSafety.com HERE
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Other Previous Postings HERE , HERE, HERE and HERE
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Gypsum Board Ceiling Systems and Firefigher Safety
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Did Firefighter Glenn Allen Die Because of a Reality Show? HERE
Also on The Company Officer…
- “You don’t need a last name for Herbie. Everybody knew Herbie”; Chicago Fire Capt. Herbie Johnson – November 4, 2012
- 2012 Les Lukert Conference, Nebraska Society of Fire Service Instructors – December 31, 2011
- Analysis of Firetruck Crashes and Associated Firefighter Injuries in the United States – December 3, 2012
- Fire Dynamics Simulation of 2011 Baltimore County LODD- 30 Dowling Circle – March 25, 2012



















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