Fire response inquiry cites 'human error'
By Dave Lewandowski
16 Jun 2010
Upon review of the fire on board the No. 78 Team Stargate Worlds/HVM Racing car driven by Simona De Silvestro during the June 5 race at Texas Motor Speedway, the Indy Racing League discovered a procedural error in the packing of a fire hose on one of its trucks that caused it to malfunction as well as a breakdown in Safety Team protocol in its response to the incident.
De Silvestro's car made right-side contact with the SAFER Barrier on Lap 99 and was on fire -- being fed by the content of the oil pump -- as it slid to a stop. She was removed from the stopped car within 21 seconds by Safety Team members and taken to the infield care center, where she was treated for minor burns to her right hand.
De Silvestro was cleared June 7 to resume racing activity without restrictions and will compete this weekend at Iowa Speedway. Two Safety Team members also suffered minor burns while extricating the driver.
“First and foremost, the Safety Team puts the highest priority on driver safety,” said Mike Yates, track safety coordinator for the Indy Racing League. “Prior to every race, the Safety Team tests all hoses to ensure they’re working. At Texas, there was an error in the re-packing of the hose after the test, which caused it to malfunction."
An alteration in how the hose is mounted to the front of the truck to prevent any kinking will be in place for the Iowa Corn Indy 250 presented by Pioneer race weekend.
“Additionally, upon arriving at the scene of the incident our protocol calls for Safety Team members to take pressurized canisters with water and Cold Fire to the car to extinguish the fire as a first response, instead of primarily relying on the hose," Yates said. "Through the years we have learned that the canisters are a more efficient and effective way to quickly suppress on-track fires. This will be addressed with all Safety Team members.”
Upon impact, the oil cooler of the No. 78 car was ripped off and with the engine still running the oil pump spewed its contents (about 4 U.S. gallons) on the right side of the chassis, combining with oxygen to fuel the fire. It was only the third time in Indy Racing League history that Safety Team members initially responded with a fire hose instead of an extinguisher because of the magnitude of the fire.
"It's been a long time since we've seen a fire of that magnitude and when the Safety Team pulls out it has to make split-second decisions,” said Brian Barnhart, president of competition and racing operations for the Indy Racing League. "Pulling up on the scene there was a sense of urgency and they chose at that time to go with the big hose instead of the (canister) first.
"The only reason our track safety team is having attention called to them is because they didn't perform to their usual outstanding standards. No one feels worse about it than they do. They have a lot of pride in what they do and they have full league support."
The Safety Team consists of about two dozen trained personnel with a minimum of 14 attending each event -- 2 trauma physicians, 3 paramedics and 9 firefighters/EMTs. It holds frequent training sessions for members and meets daily with track safety personnel during event weekends. Team members have an average of 20 years of experience in their respective areas.
The Safety Team is divided into three response units. When an on-track incident occurs, the first team to arrive on the scene is responsible for the driver and his/her extrication from the car, if necessary. The second team begins track cleanup at the area of impact. The third team makes a complete lap around the track to check for fluids and debris that may have been dropped during the incident.
“What happened at Texas was a result of human error and we will work diligently to prevent this in the future," Barnhart said. "The safety of our teams, drivers and officials on the racetrack is our number one priority.”
