As we drove back to quarters toward the end of a long day tour, the mobile data computer terminal’s audio signal suddenly went off and the run ticket came up on the screen. I read the address to the chauffeur, and we both were startled at the type of run: The “ticket” stated the call was for a male who fell out of a third-floor window.
The block we were responding to was primarily three-story brownstones that in the rear were four stories because of their construction features (a full walk-out basement in the rear adds a floor); then we realized that the address we were responding to was a habitual false alarm building. We were also aware that the building had a number of small children living in it, and we feared one of them may have fallen out of a window because of a missing or failed child safety bar.
As we arrived on scene, no one greeted us or waved us in at the reported address, so we were skeptical about it being a real emergency. Since some of these buildings were single-room occupancies, private or multiple dwellings with or without fences or brick walls separating the yards, we split up and attempted entry at a few of them. We also asked the chauffeur to contact the dispatcher for any additional information, for verification of the address, and to have the caller meet us. Luckily, someone was home next door to the address, and we regrouped and entered through this address.
Making our way through the apartment, we exited the back door onto a small rear porch. Looking in the rear yards toward the right, we saw nothing; but, as we turned to the left and looked around some decorative planters sitting atop a five-foot-high block wall, we spotted our victim on the setback of the adjoining building. Quickly, we radioed the members of the location and our best access point as we moved a heavy planter and scaled over the wall.
As we did this, another member had gained access into the building where we were now operating. We reached the victim; our size-up revealed that he was in critical condition, bleeding from one arm, convulsing, and showing signs of severe neck and back injuries. We placed a spinal stabilization collar on him, and arriving paramedics performed a more thorough victim assessment.
The crew worked on him, calling for a backboard and stokes basket, and we discussed how we were going to remove him from the setback. We walked into the apartment and could see that some furniture had to be moved to clear a path; the tenant began to move it. Since the front windows were right in line with the rear exit, we contemplated using the tower ladder bucket; but after conferring with the members, we decided that using the interior stairs would be the quickest and fastest means of removal.
We tried to determine which window he fell from because he didn’t seem to line up with the building where we were operating. Additionally, all the windows and child safety bars were intact. Scanning the surrounding buildings, a member noticed a shattered window on the fifth floor of an adjoining tenement. We realized we were operating directly below dangling shards of glass, creating another hazardous condition that we needed to monitor.
Since there seemed to be a question about what might have unfolded, two firefighters were dispatched to the fifth floor of the tenement with a few police officers leading the way. Our main concerns were whether there was another victim or person in distress in the apartment and if a hazardous condition existed. The fire department members were reminded to let the police make the initial contact and secure the area prior to their entry. Once they got upstairs, no one answered the door, and the police asked them to force it open. Inside, they found a female who was under the influence of some type of substance and acting strangely. Checking the room where the jump occurred revealed a normal bedroom; a search concluded there were no additional victims. The hanging shards of glass were left in place so as not to interfere with operations below or disturb the crime scene.
When paramedics packaged the victim, his breathing became more labored; they used a bag valve mask to assist him. As we began to remove him from the apartment, we took him feet first so his head was elevated as we went down the stairs. When we got to the stairwell, we ran into a little difficulty on the narrow “bend” where the landing met the stairs: There wasn’t enough room to swing the stokes around to continue our descent. We decided to lift the stokes basket over the railing and hand it to members on the stairs below. We were fortunate that this building was renovated and the stairs were now a little wider with new steel balusters and railings. So many times in these older buildings we encounter shaky railings, missing balusters, and leaning or broken narrow wood stairs. Units must use caution when operating on these types of stairs. Performing this tactic made the removal proceed with ease. Firefighters were in position to guide the members who had to walk backward while carrying the stokes down the interior stairs and steep exterior stairs. As the victim was loaded into the ambulance, one of the medics turned to us and said, “It looks like another case of spring fever caused by synthetic drugs that are hitting the streets!”
MICHAEL N. CIAMPO is a 30-year veteran of the fire service and a lieutenant in the Fire Department of New York. Previously, he served with the District of Columbia Fire Department. He has a bachelor’s degree in fire science from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. He is the lead instructor for the FDIC Truck Essentials H.O.T. program. He wrote the Ladder chapter and co-authored the Ventilation chapter for Fire Engineering’s Handbook for Firefighter I and II (Fire Engineering, 2009) and is featured in “Training Minutes” truck company videos on www.FireEngineering.com.
For related video go to http://bcove.me/d4h504uy
Training the Troops
The Letter ‘I’
It’s Just a Vacant
Fire Engineering Archives
