On Thursday, March 25, 2004, the Grand Junction, Colorado Fire Department responded to a report of a person trapped in a trench.
Initial GJFD units responding requested that GJFD's Rescue 11 and Trench Rescue trailer respond to the incident also. Initial units on scene reported a patient trapped in a trench up to his chest due to a collapse of the trench the patient was working in.
Units quickly made contact with the patient and assessed his condition, providing oxygen, fluids, and continually reassuring the patient.
Once the Trench Rescue trailer arrived on scene the crews quickly began the process of building a "box" or shoring system within the trench to provide stability to the trench during the rescue. Once the box was built crews entered the trench and began to dig the dirt away from the patient and assess for further injuries.
The patient was extricated from the trench, loaded onto a GJFD Ambulance and taken to an area hospital. No further information is available on the patients condition.
Total time from dispatch to extrication of the patient was 1 hour and 37 minutes. This was the first actual trench rescue performed since the Trench Rescue trailer was aquired and training was provided specifically for trench collapse rescue.
A total of 7 GJFD units responded with 15 personnel to the incident.The patient was initially helping a friend install a sewer system when the incident occurred.
