The San Bernardino County Fire Department’s technical rescue companies played a key role in rescuing a worker who had fallen down a 40-foot pit in a Hesperia, California, backyard on Monday, March 3, the department said in a Facebook post.
The pit appears to be an abandoned well, the department said.
SBCoFD crews arrived to find that a gas company worker, walking just feet away from other members of his crew, fell when soil and rock covering the pit gave way beneath him. The worker fell nearly 40 feet and sustained injuries but remained awake and alert.
Rescuers offered the worker reassurance while quickly securing the ground to ensure no further ground collapse. For a brief period the adjacent BNSF railroad tracks were shut down, and Hesperia Road, between Sultana and Yucca streets, was closed. These efforts minimized ground vibration and disturbance.
Determining the space wouldn’t allow for a fully-outfitted rescuer to descend to the patient, a SBCoFD technical rescue company from Hesperia rigged a rope rescue system and lowered a harness to the worker, who was then able to work himself into position for rescue. Crews advanced the rope, hauling the worker to safety. The patient was taken to Hesperia Airport and transferred to a waiting air ambulance for transport to a trauma center.
The worker remained awake and alert throughout the operation, which was completed in under two hours. For falls of this distance, a trauma center is the appropriate destination, irrespective of a patient’s apparent condition.
Additional staffing approved last year for Hesperia Station 305, which houses the technical rescue crew, ensured adequate personnel with rescue expertise. This was crucial in getting the proper rescue system set up in a safe and timely manner. Rescue companies from Lake Arrowhead and Fontana also responded, joining SBCoFD paramedic engine and ambulance crews from Hesperia. All told, 23 fire personnel responded to the call.
“Having a fully staffed rescue company here in the high desert is a real benefit to our operations and to the communities we serve,” said County Fire Battalion Chief Jeff Allen. “When we have the proper staffing we are able to respond to and properly handle nearly any emergency with local resources.”
There were no firefighter injuries reported. San Bernardino County Sheriff maintained scene and traffic control, and Mercy Air provided patient transport to the trauma facility.
