Today Members of #Local935 and #SBCoFD were presented with a LIFE SAVING AWARD. Many of our members respond to difficult situations which may have lasting effects. Difficult calls require quick decisions often times these decisions can have long term consequences. We are very proud of these members who responded to an unprecedented incident and ultimately came together and saved lives. For background information on the call please see the incident diary below. Incident Diary: Highway 138 Extrication What follows is an incident report detailing a dramatic traffic collision that occurred in the Cajon Pass in late June. The account is described in first person from Captain Jager’s perspective as operations section chief on the incident. The call is one that highlights #Local935 #Firefighters with County Fire’s ability to work together across jurisdictional lines and tactical disciplines, as units from both Division 1 and 2 responded, and with #EMS, extrication and #HazMat mitigation skills all in play. The incident even required the response of a hospital surgical team for the purpose of executing a field amputation. In all, responders showed superior professionalism in providing the best possible care for the patients involved—Editor’s note On June 24 at approximately 2345 hours, #SBCoFD was dispatched to a traffic collision with extrication at I-15 and State Highway 138. Initial units dispatched were ME2, ME40, MA305, BP40, and BC141. Comm Center dispatchers advised incoming units of multiple people trapped with a fuel leak and that vehicles were possibly crashed into the Shell Gas station. BC141 added R304, HM73, and MA304 to the assignment. Minutes later BP40 gave the initial size-up describing a large dump truck resting on a passenger vehicle with major damage. Soon after, ME40 arrived on scene and added that the vehicles were in the parking lot of the gas station and not into the actual building. Battalion Chief Rich Campos assumed “138 IC” on his arrival and reported extended extrication with a patient count of four “immediates” and one “delayed.” He also requested additional ambulances on the assignment. Our crew arrived aboard Rescue 304 about 12 minutes after dispatch. We positioned on Highway 138 to support lighting operations before being named Rescue Group. The IC requested a face-to-face for further instructions. Stepping out of the unit, I was presented with the following scene. Off the roadway, we had a large diesel dump truck fully loaded with wet cement (estimated at 80,000 pounds) resting completely on top of a Chrysler PT Cruiser. The truck was also partially impinged on a concrete reinforced steel barricade erected on the perimeter of the gas station. This canted the truck on an approximate 20-degree angle to the driver’s side. On the driver’s side, ME2, ME40 and BP40 had begun extrication. The dump truck appeared to be extremely unstable. Once at the ICP, BC Campos and I concurred that I would assume Operations, and I received a rundown of units on scene and their assignments. With all units advised of this decision, I left the ICP and was able to complete a survey of the whole scene. The complexity of the extrication and the efforts it was going to take to stabilize the vehicles became frighteningly clear. Because of its elevated position, I chose R304 as the best spot to oversee the incident. I divided Rescue Group into two divisions, with Capt. John Flesher’s ME2 crew working the passenger’s side, and Capt. Dave Burkart’s ME40 crew on the driver’s side. HM73 with Capt. Kyle Hauducoeur was assigned Hazmat Group, with the objective of controlling the fuel leak. BP40 was reassigned to the driver side to assist ME40. Ten minutes after the commencement of extrication, the first victim was rescued and transport-ed by MA304 to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) in Colton. Hazmat successfully mitigated the fuel leak, and Captain Hauducoeur’s team was transitioned to safety officer to fill the request placed by the IC. The remainder of HM73’s crew was re tasked to Captain Flesher’s rescue group on the passenger’s side. Concurrently, we were addressing the top priority of stabilizing the dump truck to provide safety for the victims and rescuers. Initially, this was accomplished utilizing a chain secured to a front loader that was near the scene. Realizing that this arrangement needed to be significantly rein-forced, Engineer Bryan Chriss was assigned Heavy Operator Group with the objective of stabi-lizing the vehicle by any means necessary. It should be noted that due to the slope behind the truck, removal of the wet concrete was not feasible, as it would have run back under the truck. Utilizing heavy equipment and timber from the Cajon Pass rehabilitation project, Chriss and Hauducoeur coordinated the use of two front end loaders, heavy wreckers, and heavy timber to effect the safest condition possible. Realizing the extraordinary complexity of this operation, the decision was made to request a Hospital Emergency Response Team (HERT) through Comm Center. ARMC’s team was sub-sequently brought to the scene by MA304. Additionally, family members of the victims began arriving, and Captain Burkhart was named Chaplain Group to provide support to the families on scene; Engineer Chris Williams assumed driver’s side rescue group supervisor. As time passed, Operations was advised that Captain Flesher’s team had extricated the second victim. By now, Medical Group had been established, and two air ambulances had been requested with ME10 added to the assignment as Air Ops. Patient two was transported to the landing zone by MA14 and ultimately transported by H165 to ARMC. Once that patient was rescued, we realized that we had a total of five occupants in the vehicle. The new patient count was three immediates, one delayed, and two deceased. The last patient to be rescued was the most complicated, and would ultimately take the longest. The rescue crew that was attempting the extrication advised that the dump truck needed to be lifted and moved to achieve victim access. Heavy Operator Group was notified of the need and coordinated the move using two heavy wreckers and two large front-end loaders. As previously mentioned, the construction crews on scene had acquired heavy timber from the bridge con-struction project in the Cajon Pass. One wrecker was moved to the front of the truck and one to the side. These two accomplished the majority of the lifting. The wrecker on the passenger side required a loader to anchor it to the ground as its rear wheels lost contact during the initial attempt. The second loader was placed on the driver’s side to assist with moving, as well as a safety for the crews that were performing the rescue on this side of the vehicle. Once all vehi-cles were in place, a traditional lift/crib operation was effected. With the truck on a 20 degree tilt, and a full load of wet concrete, each inch of lift resulted in a significant load shift. Through patience and strong communication, the 40 ton diesel truck was ultimately lifted over four feet. After hours of extrication, Rescue Group and attending paramedics approached me and stated that they had exhausted all extrication techniques. The third victim was still trapped in the wreckage. The HERT team was briefed, and with all techniques exhausted, a collaborative de-cision was made to have the surgeons evaluate the victim for bilateral leg amputations. While the trauma staff prepped its equipment, Captain Flesher made one more scene assessment and asked me to consider one last ditch effort he and one additional rescuer would commit to crawl-ing under the dump truck to make one more attempt at rescuing the victim. With the surgical team on standby, Flesher and Firefighter Carlos Estrella placed themselves at extraordinary risk for an additional 45 minutes laboring under the 40-ton truck. Ultimately they effected the rescue of the third trapped victim. The patient was transported to ARMC via MA304 with the HERT team augmenting the ALS capabilities of the crew. The one delayed patient was the driver of the dump truck who, after the extrication and transport of all parties from the PT Cruiser, requested transport for evaluation of an isolated ex-tremity injury. The final obstacle was removing the truck from the passenger vehicle so that the deceased vic-tims could be extricated. Once again, Heavy Operator Group was utilized to coordinate efforts with the tow company. The dump truck was wholly lifted and stabilized three to four feet around the passenger vehicle. The coroner arrived on scene and advised that the remainder of the ex-trication could be completed. The two deceased victims were extricated and ultimately removed from the scene by the San Bernardino County Coroner. Following the incident, an in depth critical incident stress debriefing was conducted for all members that were involved in this truly unique and complex effort.
Posted on: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 06:55:55 +0000
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