NFPA Journal - January/February 2013 - (Page 15)

I was just lying there and could see bodies, and flames dropping from the ceiling. I could see Donna’s sneakers and tried to pull her towards me, but she was unconscious. She wasn’t responding at all. I didn’t think I had anything left, so I just laid there. For how long? ambulance, where they cut off my clothes and gave me an oxygen mask. That’s the last thing I remember until I woke up 12 days later. When did you learn that Donna had died? A 5SURVIVOR I’d say about a minute. There was dead silence—no more alarms or lights exploding. Then I heard the crackling of wood burning. I started crawling again and felt along a wall, where I found a hole where someone had kicked out a piece of plywood. I dove through the hole and found myself in the middle of the vestibule. To my right were flames and to my left were flashing lights. I crawled out, dove into the parking lot, and leaned against a tour bus. Firefighters came over and tackled me—my shirt and hair were smoldering. Where did they take you? I woke up twice [during my time in the hospital]. The last time was the day of my fiancée’s funeral. I started panicking because she wasn’t in the room with me. I kept looking for a phone. Nobody would answer my questions. It was probably two or three hours later that my parents walked into the room. There were nurses, doctors, social workers, probably about 12 people in there. As soon as they walked in, they didn’t have to say a word. I knew. When did you start championing for sprinklers? Clockwise from lower left: Rob Feeney at the site of The Station nightclub with a memorial to his fiancée, Donna Mitchell; with Mitchell before the fire; and in front of TV cameras in Chattanooga, Tennessee, following his testimony supporting an ordinance requiring that nightclubs in the city be sprinklered. They started to drag me across the street to the triage site. I was more concerned about Donna. In my head, she had followed me, and I figured she must be near the hole in the wall. I started walking back to the building, but the firefighters wouldn’t let me. As they were dragging me to triage, I could see the building. As soon as we hit the edge of the parking lot, I saw the roof collapse—I’d only been out of the building for a minute and a half. I got into an May or June after the fire. I was in real rough shape. At the time, Massachusetts had put together a coalition to address the fire, and I wound up speaking at one of the meetings at the request of my cousin, a deputy fire chief. The Station investigation was ongoing, so there really wasn’t much I could say, but I pressed the issue of sprinklers. That was my first time. Soon after, I got connected with the Phoenix Society, and I haven’t stopped since. Do you think your advocacy work was able to help further your recovery? Despite staying active with Phoenix, post- Photographs: Jon Chomitz; courtesy of Rob Feeney; courtesy of The Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2013 NFPA JOURNAL 15

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - January/February 2013

NFPA Journal - January/february 2013
Contents
First Word
In a Flash
Perspectives
Firewatch
Research
Heads Up
Structural Ops
In Compliance
Buzzwords
Outreach
Electrical Safety
Wildfire Watch
Rebuilding a Hospital
Prepping for the Worst
Chicago View: A Preview of the 2013 NFPA Conference & Expo
Long Time Coming
Section Spotlight
What’s Hot
Looking Back

NFPA Journal - January/February 2013