Second Shaft Dug to Rescue Toddler 22 Feet Down 10-Inch Dry Well Hole
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After a rescue operation lasting over 6 1/2 hours, a 15-month-old child was safely removed from a dry well 22 feet deep. Approximately 25 personnel from the Monterey, Calif., Fire Department, other municipal departments and the private sector were involved.
Captain Garland Blanton first found the situation when Monterey’s Engine 234 responded to the backyard scene in neighboring Del Rey Oaks shortly after 11:30 a.m. last Nov. 15. The City of Del Rey Oaks contracts for fire protection services from Monterey.
The child could be seen at the bottom of a 10-inch-diameter shaft, covered with sand almost up to his shoulders. The well was in the process of being drilled and the auger was still imbedded in the sandy sides of the narrow shaft. Blanton notified the communications center of the situation and requested an additional engine company and a battalion chief.
Air supplied to child
When Battalion Chief Jim Kavanagh arrived, he was advised of the problem and assumed control of the scene. Plywood was placed around the top edge of the shaft to disperse weight, while a constant vigil was maintained over the child. His soft crying could be heard from the bottom of the narrow shaft. Air was supplied to the child through a 25-foot garden hose from cylinders of the fire department’s breathing apparatus.
The situation was delicate and posed special problems for our department because we did not have the special resources needed to handle this type of emergency. Kavanagh called for the assistance of the Public Works Department, and Director Leo McIntyre responded with his personnel and equipment. McIntyre and Kavanagh reviewed the conditions together and determined that they did not have city equipment available to effect a rescue. They called on the private sector for additional equipment and assistance.
Several construction companies responded with manpower and various types of specialized equipment, including a backhoe capable of digging to a 20-foot depth. Other companies brought casing material and fiberglass pipe, even a well-drilling rig from the Carmel Valley capable of digging a 36inch shaft.
Once all available equipment was assembled, a decision was reached on how to proceed, based on the advice of individuals who were experts in the area of earth removal. The project began.
The biggest concern was the sandy well shaft. It had no casing to keep the sides from falling in on the child, and none could be provided. It was decided that the best available approach was to dig an adjacent shaft with the backhoe. Once the adjacent shaft was completed, shoring and shielding would be used to protect the rescuers. At the bottom, an 8-foot lateral tunnel would then be dug to reach the child.
Adjacent shaft dug
A shaft approximately 20 feet deep, 9 feet wide and 12 feet long was dug 8 feet from the edge of the well shaft. During the time of the digging, personnel communicated with the child, reassuring him and establishing his level of consciousness.
Upon completion of the shaft, two sections of steel shoring were lowered. The shoring bottom edge had half circles cut into it to allow rescuers to dig laterally. Fire Fighter Ray LaFontaine, along with two construction workers, descended into the shaft and began the dig across to the child. Two sections of 24-inch-diameter fiberglass pipe were cut and used as shielding. One section of pipe was 5 feet long and had a bell shape on one end. This section of pipe went into the tunnel first. A second section, about 4 feet long, was inserted into the bell section so that the shielding could be continually slipped into the tunnel.
Lighting and air supply were provided in the shaft for the rescuers. Digging laterally was slow, an inch at a time, and the 8-foot distance took 2 ⅛ hours. An area larger than the 24-inch shielding had to be dug with a short-handle tool. Rescuers were lying on their stomachs and the dirt had to be pulled from around them and sent up the shaft in a bucket. When the lateral tunnel was enlarged enough, the fiberglass shielding was slid further down the tunnel. The tunnel had to he dug at a descending angle to allow for the different depths of the two shafts.
The last foot of the tunnel was completed without the use of shielding to avoid creating pressure along the sandy walls of the well shaft.
Breaking through
Just before breaking through, the area was silenced so the metal shaft of the auger could be tapped with a knife blade to establish bearings for the rescuers. The tense moments mounted as the rescuers neared the child. The last few inches of earth were delicately removed. After breaking through, a rescuer called the child’s name and reached out with a helping hand. The child turned his head to look.
The lateral tunnel was right on target. The crowd that had gathered and the child’s parents cheered and applauded when the rescuers stated they had the child.
The child was examined on the scene by the family physician and found to be in good condition. However, he was taken to the hospital for X rays.
This rescue was made possible through the efforts of the fire department, working in conjunction with the private sector of the community. The expertise that exists in the private sector is enormous and available upon request. We, in our department, have learned through this incident how to tap into this valuable resource.
We are in the process of developing a resource catalog of equipment and expertise available in the private sector. This catalog will save us valuable time in the future. I suggest other departments develop resource catalogs for their own areas, if they have not already done so.
