BURIED ALIVE:CEMETERY RESCUE

BY FRANK C. MONTAGNE

At 0835 hours on a clear June morning, North Hudson (NJ) Regional Fire & Rescue received an alarm for 5800 Tonnelle Avenue, the Machpelah Cemetery. The alarm stated a worker was trapped in a grave. A rescue task force consisting of Ladder 1, Squad 1, Ladder 3, Engine 10, Battalion 3, Deputy 1, and a safety officer was dispatched. (Ladder 1 is in the process of being trained and equipped as a technical rescue company.)

I was first to arrive on the scene and was frantically waved in by the police. What I saw next was astonishing! A grave worker was buried and trapped by several tons of dirt and granite tombstones in a hole seven feet deep and roughly 10 feet across in all directions.

I established command and provided the initial size-up and radio report to dispatch. Immediately, additional resources were called: EMS, Engine 6, and mutual-aid companies from the Jersey City Fire Department.

CONDITIONS ON ARRIVAL

Heavy rains had blanketed the area the night before, contributing to the collapse of the saturated soil. Two workers using a backhoe were excavating an existing gravesite for an additional family burial. One worker went into the hole after the backhoe completed its digging to square off the sides; no shoring was in place. While he was digging, the walls of the hole collapsed onto him. Tons of dirt and several granite headstones, base stones, and footing stones pinned the victim to the grave floor. He was conscious but groaning in agony. We realized at that time that there was a language barrier, so a translator was provided to comfort the victim and determine the extent of his injuries.

Strut layout at the scene. (Photos 1-4 by Ron Jeffers; photo 5 by Rich Barreres.)

The victim was substantially covered; only a portion of his head and arm was visible. One 300-pound headstone pinned the victim’s head to the grave floor near his temple, and a 700-pound footing stone was lying across his back. Several additional stones were interspersed with large amounts of soil surrounding each stone, blocking the visual sizes of many of the stones.

The situation created a challenge for rescuers. The movement of any one stone could cause injury or death to rescuers and victim. We had to slow down operations and calculate our every move.
Click here to view PDF of cemetary diagram.

OPERATIONS

As companies arrived, tactical objectives were given on positioning and assignments. Our main concern was scene safety. Other concerns included establishing safety zones around the incident, secondary collapse of side walls, fissures (tension cracks in an exposed surface), spoil pile collapse, and rescuer and victim safety.

One problem we did not anticipate was the overhead noise from the news helicopters. This interfered with our communications.

Rescuers removed the victim almost two hours and eight stones later and

Initial assignments consisted of stabilizing the ground around the hole and the walls of the grave. For stability, 4-foot 2 8-foot sheets of 5/8-inch plywood were laid around the perimeter of the hole. Command requested additional wood from a local lumberyard. During the early stages of the operation, since lumber was limited, the cemetery supervisor provided 2 2 10s so we could begin shoring operations. The cemetery supervisor, who stayed at the operations post, was a great resource.

prepared him for airlifting to the hospital.

We established a cut group to cut lumber to proper sizes and build rescue panels to stabilize the walls. The rescue panels were two 4 2 8 sheets of plywood screwed together with a 2 2 10 bolted down the middle. We used struts of assorted sizes to secure the rescue panels.

While engine com-panies were shoring the site, other crew members began setting up hauling systems consisting of 3:1 and 4:1 mech-anical advantages. Several vehicles were used as anchor points.

An overview of operations topside.

After topside and wall shoring was established, our next action was getting rescuers into the hole to begin assessing and freeing the victim. The first stone we had to move was the one pinning the victim’s head to the grave floor. Firefighter paramedics and EMS were standing by for support. The victim was conscious throughout the in-cident, but the extent of his injuries was uncertain. Once the victim’s arm became visible, we were able to establish an IV. We could not place a neck collar on the victim until we removed most of the stones.

We needed to maintain a constant airway by moving soil away from the victim’s mouth. Our other considerations for the victim were shock, crush syndrome, and internal injuries.

Using the 4:1 prerigged hauling system and a 3:1 system, we removed the first stone successfully with no further injuries to the victim. The reason for using both hauling sys-tems was the critical nature of the first lift. The stone was lying on his temple, and we needed to remove it precisely, without deviation. Tension was high during this critical part of the incident.

Rescue panels such as the ones constructed for this incident in use during a recent training exercise.

The next stone we removed was the cinder footing stone lying over his back, which weighed approximately 600 to 700 pounds and was very fragile. Because of the weight and position of the stone, we decided to use the backhoe that was in place to lift it out of the hole with safety lines attached. This was the only time we used the backhoe because of safety concerns. We considered using an aerial, but access to the site was limited. We had to secure all the stones using 3:1 hauling systems before we moved the others because of their precarious positions. During the operations, we set up a total of four hauling systems and used them at different locations.

We removed the stones piece by piece. Finally, we reached the last stone. It was another footing stone weighing 600 to 700 pounds, but this stone was lying on the victim and partially on a coffin in the grave, and there was no way to secure it. Crews started digging and prying the stone so we could position our rescue sling for a better grab. At that point, the cemetery supervisor advised me to be careful and not to puncture the coffin. He warned that the coffin could contain water and fill the hole, possibly drowning the pinned victim.

We lifted the last stone off the victim using a grip hoist and 3:1 system anchored off the backhoe. Crews now had clear access to the victim, and they began digging around his legs to free him. Once he was clear, we lowered a backboard and neck collar into the hole. The victim was packaged and lifted out of the hole. He was transported to a trauma center by helicopter, where he was diagnosed with a broken collarbone and several broken ribs. He was expected to make a full recovery.

It took close to two hours to remove the victim and the eight stones.

LESSONS LEARNED

• Call specialized resources immediately for equipment and support.
• Secure the scene, remove spectators and workers, establish safety zones around the incident, and use cones and fire line tape to secure the area.
• Implement your command system. More than one safety officer may be needed.
• Develop a liaison with police to control traffic, crowds, and the media.
• Clear the spoil pile from the lip of the hole to prevent further collapse.
• Use command vests to designate clear lines of authority, especially with mutual-aid companies.
• Control overhead air space; helicopter noise can interfere with communications. Contact the FAA for assistance.
• Develop a close liaison with cemetery supervisors; they can provide valuable information—for example, concerning weights, shapes, and sizes of the gravestones; available equipment on-scene; backhoes; and lumber.
• Preplan with your local lumberyards: establish a contact person and obtain 24-hour emergency phone numbers.
• If your department does not have heavy technical rescue capability, develop mutual-aid agreements with surrounding departments for these resources.
• Train with mutual-aid companies on hazards within your communities.
• Portable radios with shoulder straps can interfere with operations. Hands-free communication is desirable; headsets for command can reduce air traffic noise.
• In communities that are culturally diverse (most of them today), you must have access to translators.
• Reduce all vibrations: traffic, apparatus, backhoe, bus, truck, and rail.
• Rotate crews frequently: Safety officers and EMS must monitor personnel and rotate crews every 15 to 20 minutes. Have rescue backup crews ready in staging.
• Place apparatus well away from the site.
• Spectators will try to get close to the site (this includes police, EMS, and firefighters). You must maintain strict control of safety zones.
• Use rescue helmets for better maneuverability.
• Small hand tools are necessary for confined areas¿i.e., army shovels, small picks, and so on.
• Use five-gallon buckets to remove soil from the site.
• Have portable water pumps ready to alleviate potential water problems at the site.

FRANK C. MONTAGNE is a 20-year veteran of the fire service and a deputy chief and Platoon 3 commander for North Hudson (NJ) Regional Fire & Rescue. He is a Level 2 fire instructor and the department’s technical rescue service coordinator.