Inadequate preparation and the misreading of conditions by Oak Grove Fire Department commanders allowed a March house fire -- in which an 86-year-old man died -- to go unchecked for up to 10 minutes and build out of control, according to an investigator's report released Friday.

The report's theme -- a "delay to action" -- echoes many of the concerns expressed by angry Oak Grove firefighters, who said indecision and delay by superiors during the March 5 fire may have cost the life of James Verdi Blackford.

The report, by former Edina Fire Chief Ted Paulfranz, never blames Blackford's death on the Oak Grove Fire Department. But it does say that the department's commanders "allowed the fire to build and destroy any chance for early control" and that "aggressive ventilation and speedy attack" by the department "should have resulted in prompt fire control."

The March fire has set off a running controversy within the northern Anoka County city's fire department. Chief Tony Hennemann left the department Tuesday, accelerating a retirement that had been scheduled for January. And discussion concerning the department at City Council meetings, often with firefighters in attendance, has been charged.

Firefighters alleged that highly qualified candidates for command positions were often bypassed by Hennemann because he didn't feel comfortable with them personally. Hennemann's reply to the Star Tribune in April was that a candidate's "personality has to fit the position."

The investigator's report seems to substantiate some of the firefighters' concerns.

"Delay and indecision was the result of inadequate procedures and preparation, incomplete training and inexperience," the report states.

Unanswered questions

It cites the department's lack of an Incident Command System, in which one officer takes command during an emergency. It questioned the lack of authoritative command and control of officers. It also questioned why a ladder was not brought to the second floor, where Blackford was when the fire erupted.

The report said Blackford was found unresponsive. It says: "Ramsey firefighters checked [Blackford] for vital signs at the time" of discovering the man, kneeling, with his face to the floor in his bedroom, "and found no signs of life."

But during an April phone interview with the Star Tribune, Ramsey firefighter Chris Weiss said he thought Blackford was alive when he was discovered.

"I made the determination he wasn't gone," said Weiss, who carried Blackford down the stairs and then was told to wait for an ambulance board. Weiss said he did not check for vital signs because "it was too risky [hot] to take [my] gloves off to feel for a pulse."

Weiss, who was one of 18 firefighters from various departments interviewed by Paulfranz, could not be reached for comment Friday.

The next chief

Oak Grove firefighters and other city officials have been asked not to comment on the March 5 incident or the report until the City Council has had a chance to discuss the matter, City Administrator Chantell Knauss said Friday.

The council must also address the search for Hennemann's successor. Curt Hallerman, who was in command the night of the March 5 fire, has been named "unofficial acting chief," Knauss said.

"We have a terrific opportunity for a new leader to put into place a set of operational standards that will best serve the fire department and to meet the current and future needs of the city," Mayor Jim Iund said in a statement Friday.

Among those eager to read the report is Jim Blackford of Forest Lake, the victim's son.

"I've been waiting for this thing to get done," he said. "It's gone on and on.

"I have the utmost respect for firefighters, and I hope it's not a bad report. The sad part is nothing changes anything."

Paul Levy • 612-673-4419