OCEANSIDE — A pilot and passenger suffered moderate injuries when their Cessna 172 slammed into a utility pole near Oceanside Municipal Airport and crashed to the ground Saturday, authorities said.

The impact struck a nearby sewage valve, spewing an estimated 25,000 gallons of raw sewage onto the wreckage as emergency crews worked to rescue the occupants.

Public works crews with pump trucks were able to contain most of the sewage that spilled, Poorman said. Ten firefighters and four police officers who were exposed to the hazard had to be decontaminated at the scene.

I think this would classify as above and beyond. Think MVA with a sheared hydrant. Only instead of water you have raw sewage. I edited out from the full story to just highlight the points of interest here.

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"please respond to the airport for a plane crash" - I'd better go.
"be advised, there is a broken sewage valve spraying raw sewage at the scene" - on second thought.....
WOW, thats a new one for sure.
First arriving unit: "Oh, Sh*t!"
Dispatcher: "Unit on scene, please repeat."
First arriving unit: "You heard it right!"
Ok Joe like it thats a good one, but jokes asside could be somethen serious cuts srappes on victems, and or rescuers, man I dont think I will ever see that less its a septic tank truck thats in an accident. Damn hell of an artical makes ya think good one.
Talk about your shitty scenes! (sorry, couldn't resist)
is there any story on what the fd did? Extrication? Equipment used?
This from another local newspaper

It took multiple teams of emergency responders roughly 45 minutes to extract the pilot from the plane as a shower of sewage rained down on them, Oceanside fire Battalion Chief Pete Lawrence said. Altogether, 25,000 gallons of raw sewage spilled from the broken valve, part of a nearby sewage station, officials said.

Some of the sewage spewed 30 feet into the air after the valve was first struck, Poorman said. Oceanside public works crews pumped much of the effluent back into the sewage system shortly after the spill, he added.

Also from another source:
Ten firefighters, four police officers and one public works employee were decontaminated at the scene, Oceanside police Sgt. Kelan Poorman said.

They stripped to their shorts and were hosed down, and their uniforms and protective gear were disposed of by county health officials, Poorman said.

From what I saw on local news, FD did have to do extrication. A plane crash will usually get you a full 1st alarm assignment of 3-1-1 or 4-2-1. Probably a heavy rescue was also special called.There also was a haz-mat team from the USMC base and most likely the county as well.

Sorry I can't be more specific.
Yeah I know, I couldn't help it.

You're right, any open wounds on the part of the victims would be a very significant problem. They would have to be decontaminated thoroughly before transport or as a minimum, before entering the ER. Quite time consuming and not good for patients with a high probability of internal injuries.

For the responders, I guess suiting up in full PPE with SCBA would be the first approach. The Haz Mat team would be another good call but these generally take a lot longer to deploy and may not arrive in time to do the patients any good.

I wonder if it was possible to park a truck or something over the ruptured pipe to at least divert the flow of sewage? Or maybe a water curtain from a deluge set could have been used to do a gross decon of the area after the leak was shut off.

It would really stink (no pun intended) if all of the PPE had to be discarded. I would have thought decon would be a possibility, though I also know bleach is not good for turnout gear. I also wouldn't be enthused if I were the one tasked with decon.
Could you imagine if the prop was still spinning what would have happened to the sewage. talking about the sh#@ hitting the fan.
Interesting and thanks for sharing this. Man I never would of thought of something like this and Ive been on my share of plane crashes. Probly one time I would be glad to be a officer and not a firefighter. Stay Safe
If they were stripped down to there underwear ("shorts") and "their uniforms and protective gear were disposed of by county health officials" then what did they wear back to the station (ya i know, probably decon suits)
Now, think about starting back towards the station and getting another call, those FF are staying the in rig (windows up)

i am sorry its kinda of a funny image (a FF in his underwear grabbing a hose to fight a fire!)
lol

Marc
And remember always have an exta uniform and Structure coat at the station/home

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