KANSAS CITY, Mo. — An off-duty battalion chief with the Kansas City, Missouri, Fire Department living houses away from a two-story house fire Monday night was the first on scene to direct emergency efforts as fire crews arrived.
Stephen Seals, an administrative safety chief, says he saw a call for a fire at a nearby residence come across Pulse Point, a mobile app that shows users alerts for emergency calls.
"I merely jumped into my buggy, responded to the incident," Seals said.
He says he arrived on scene simultaneously with one fire truck. Seals said he went on "establish command" and guided the scene until other officials arrived.
"Then, I basically gave them information and passed the command to them," he said.
All occupants were able to safely get out of the house on their own, according to a spokesperson with KCFD.
"Even though I'm off duty, I am always on duty. This is something that's in our blood, and so I felt compelled to come around here," Seals said.
KCFD responded to a two-story house fire in the 9600 block of Pearl Avenue at around 7:30 p.m. and encountered a heavy fire on the first and second floors. Three handlines were used during offensive operations, per a spokesperson with KCFD.
All searches came back clear.
KCFD is working to determine the cause of the fire.
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