CFD Rescues Injured DPW Worker From Drainage Ditch

Submitted by Central Fire Department
    A Central City DPW worker was injured Thursday afternoon when he fell into a drainage ditch behind a residence in the 10200 block of La Jolla Ct.  Central firefighters and EMS were dispatched at 1:48 pm and when firefighters arrived, were led by DPW workers into a heavily wooded area.  Firefighters located the injured worker at the bottom of a drainage ditch, suffering from injuries that required medical attention.  The injured worker had fallen approximately 20 feet, therefore, in addition to treating the worker, firefighters had to completely immobilize the worker on a backboard and then place him into a Stokes Basket.  Once the worker was immobilized, firefighters had to use rescue ropes and design a low angle rescue system to remove the worker up the steep ditch bank.
     While firefighters were in the process of removing the worker from the ditch, other Central DPW workers used a chain saw to cut a path through the wooded area which enabled EMS to move a stretcher close to the rescue site.  EMS treated the worker and then transported him to a local hospital for non-life threatening injuries.