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Michigan Firefighters Recall 'Mayday' And Earlier Training
JOE LaFURGEY
WOOD TV
Reprinted with Permission
KENTWOOD, Mich. (WOOD) - If there's one thing no firefighter wants to hear come over the radio , it's MAYDAY.
Related
So when a floor opened up, plunging two Kentwood firefighters to the basement of the home where they were trying to extinguish an early morning blaze, crews went into action, and their training paid off.
The fire in the 4000 block of Arlet SE was a textbook blaze.
"When we got here, there was alot of smoke emanating from the house," said Kentwood Deputy Fire Chief Brent Looman.
At that point, firefighters had two priorities: make sure no one was inside and put the fire out.
But visibility inside the house was "extremely limited" and, he said, when they walked a bit farther, "the floor caved in."
Lt. Clarence Patterson and firefighter Kyle Koetsier dropped several feet to the lower level of the home. After a quick recovery from the initial shock, both started looking for a way out.
"We do a lot of training with that. We actually had a class as little as two weeks ago talking about this exact scenario," Looman told 24 Hour News 8.
Being cool under pressure is the key. First, they radioed and yelled for other firefighters, letting them know where they fell in and where they landed - the kind of information that makes finding them easier and reduces the danger to firefighters sent in for the rescue.
These firefighters were fortunate.
Through the smoke, they were able to make out spindles and the stairs leading to the ground floor. They made their way up and out on their own. One suffered a sprained ankle, the other was unhurt.
The home was vacant. The owner was remodeling before moving in. The near tragedy showing just how valuable training can be.
"That's one of our worst case scenarios, that someone's going to fall through that floor, and of course, the flip side is maybe we can't get in there and get them as quickly as we were able to make this happen tonight."
Investigators are still trying to figure out what caused the fire. It appears to be accidental.
WOOD TV
Reprinted with Permission
KENTWOOD, Mich. (WOOD) - If there's one thing no firefighter wants to hear come over the radio , it's MAYDAY.
Related
- Michigan Firefighters Fall Through Floor
- Mayday? Name It!
- Managing The Incident When Things Go Wrong
So when a floor opened up, plunging two Kentwood firefighters to the basement of the home where they were trying to extinguish an early morning blaze, crews went into action, and their training paid off.
The fire in the 4000 block of Arlet SE was a textbook blaze.
"When we got here, there was alot of smoke emanating from the house," said Kentwood Deputy Fire Chief Brent Looman.
At that point, firefighters had two priorities: make sure no one was inside and put the fire out.
But visibility inside the house was "extremely limited" and, he said, when they walked a bit farther, "the floor caved in."
Lt. Clarence Patterson and firefighter Kyle Koetsier dropped several feet to the lower level of the home. After a quick recovery from the initial shock, both started looking for a way out.
"We do a lot of training with that. We actually had a class as little as two weeks ago talking about this exact scenario," Looman told 24 Hour News 8.
Being cool under pressure is the key. First, they radioed and yelled for other firefighters, letting them know where they fell in and where they landed - the kind of information that makes finding them easier and reduces the danger to firefighters sent in for the rescue.
These firefighters were fortunate.
Through the smoke, they were able to make out spindles and the stairs leading to the ground floor. They made their way up and out on their own. One suffered a sprained ankle, the other was unhurt.
The home was vacant. The owner was remodeling before moving in. The near tragedy showing just how valuable training can be.
"That's one of our worst case scenarios, that someone's going to fall through that floor, and of course, the flip side is maybe we can't get in there and get them as quickly as we were able to make this happen tonight."
Investigators are still trying to figure out what caused the fire. It appears to be accidental.
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