Webinar – Preventing Fatalities and Serious Injuries from Fires and Explosions in Silos
On May 15, 2026, two volunteer firefighters died following an explosion of an oxygen-limiting silo that occurred at a lumber mill. The incident was investigated by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program (FFFIPP) so that the fire service can learn from this incident and prevent future tragedies. In the first part of this presentation, senior investigator Wesley R. Attwood will share the incident details, contributing factors that led to the fatalities, and prevention actions to help fire departments prevent future incidents involving silo fire response. In the second part of the presentation, Eric Rickenbach and Travis Martin of RescueTechs, LLC will provide a discussion of initial strategy and tactics fire departments can use for silo fire response.
Presenters: Wesley Attwood, Travis Martin, and Eric Rickenbach
