At approximately 1715 hours on Sunday, April 25, 2004 units were dispatched to the 5900 block of Seat Pleasant Drive (Company 8’s first due) for an accident involving a backhoe with someone pinned. Engine 51, Engine 381, Rescue Squad 8, Medic 46, Ambulances 229 and 289, and Volunteer Battalion Chief 1 (Chief 8-McGill) responded.
Battalion Chief 1 arrived and reported there was one mal victim in a trench buried to just above the waist.
The trench was approximately 10 -12 feet deep.
The backhoe was not overturned and was not pinning the victim.
Volunteer Battalion Chief McGill requested the Technical Rescue Team to come to the scene. This call brought Rescue Squads 2, 22, and 27; Support Unit 27, Light Unit 19, Breathing Air/Light Unit 45, the Technical Rescue & Confined Space (TRACS) Team and numerous support and command staff to the scene.
As the incident progressed, Engine 51 returned to quarters and the crew returned to the scene with Truck 5. Engine 46 and Truck 26 (transferred to Station 8) were brought to the scene.
Crews were rotated into the trench throughout the incident, hand digging to avoid further injury. Sump pumps, provided by Stations 17, 20, and 25, were utilized to de-water the trench as the operations continued. Units from Anne Arundel County Station 5 (Waugh Chapel) responded to the scene with an air blower with a heater. This was used to pump warm air into the trench to keep the victim warm and to prevent hypothermia from setting in.
Incident Command Structure:
Incident Commander – Volunteer Operations Commander (McClelland)
Operations – Volunteer Battalion Chief 1 (McGill)
Liasion – Battalion Chief 6 (Osterhouse)
Technical Rescue Group – Collapse Team Leader (Robinette)
EMS Group – EMS 1 (Brown)
Safety Group – Safety 2 (Gansert)
Accountability – Chief 38B (Ali)
Rehab Group – Safety 3 (Breen)
Numerous other command officers, safety officers and support staff were utilized in various supporting roles.