Vacuum Trucks Key to Successful Trench Rescue

摘要

On Jul 11, 2008 the Hamilton County Technical Rescue Team was dispatched to assist the Anderson Fire Department (AFD) in Madison County to rescue a man trapped in a trench. The Fishers Fire Department, the Carmel Fire Department, and the Westfield Fire Department also responded. Two vacuum trucks was also requested to facilitate the use of the rescue vacuum system carried on the HCTRT trench unit for faster removal of soil. AFD members were instructed to secure utilities, place ladders in the trench, procure ground pads to begin making the lip of the trench safe, conduct air monitoring, and lower oxygen to the victim. Anderson's Department of Public Works' (DPW) compressor was also special-called to the scene. The Hamilton County Communications Center acquired current and future weather conditions in Anderson, since rainfall was moving in from the west. As HCTRT units traveled outside of Hamilton County, a talk-around channel was used to communicate among the apparatus because of the communications limitations of the 800-megahertz (mHz) system. Here, White recalls the successful trench rescue.