Technical Rescue

July 24, 2007

At approximately 13:30, crews from Company 5 were sent to the 200 block of McMasters Drive for a reported male stuck in a tree with injuries. C-13 (Capt. Sonafelt) in the area arrived and advised of a male with a head injury still in a harness approximately 20 feet in the air. A-58 and T-5 arrived and accessed the patient via ground ladders. Shortly after arrival, command added Rescues 4 and 6 for assistance. Once the rescues arrived, crews deployed additional ground ladders and rigged a rope system to extricate the patient. Once in place, crews used a long board and stokes basket to lower the patient to the waiting medic unit where he was transported to a trauma center.

July 30, 2007

Around 10 in the morning, Companies 6 and 5 were alerted for a reported vehicle into a structure at Carquest Auto Parts on Old William Penn Hwy in our first due. A-69 and C-30 (Chief Hyzy) arrived about the same time and found that it was not a vehicle accident but 2 males that were trapped under several shelving units containing brake parts which had fallen upon them. As R-6 and E-51 were arriving on scene, C-30 determined additional personnel were going to be needed and requested R-4, E-12, and additional ALS units to the scene. Crews quickly extricated one male who was loaded into an awaiting medic unit and was transported to a local trauma center. While the 1st victim was removed, crews from all companies continued to extricate the 2nd victim using come-a-longs and air bags to gain access. Due to the extended extrication, the decision was made to have a medical helicopter respond for rapid transport to a trauma center. A crew from E-52 responded to Gateway Middle School where they prepared the landing zone for Life Flight. Once the material was lifted with air bags, the patient was extricated and loaded into M-69 and transported to the LZ where the patient was transferred to an awaiting Life Flight crew. The scene was turned over to Monroeville Police for investigation and crews cleared a little less than 2 hours.