The Rescue Company | BY JOSEF KUEHNAST
THE 580,000 CITIZENS of Portland, Oregon, are protected by Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R), an all-hazards fire, emergency, and medical service fire department. On May 15, 2023, at 1140 hours, PF&R companies were dispatched to a technical rescue response that was highly unusual.
Portland Fire Dispatch received a 911 call reporting an injured worker who fell into a 32-foot-deep hole at a construction site in the northeast part of the city. Responding companies included PF&R’s on-duty technical rescue team (TRT), consisting of Engine 1, Truck 1, Squad 1, Squad 12, Trench 1, and USAR 1, in addition to first-due Engine 19, Truck 2, and two chief officers.
The hole in question was a cylindrical excavation approximately 30 feet deep and tapering slightly to 7 feet in diameter at the bottom. The excavation was lined with vertically stacked sections of concrete pipe (4 feet long and 4 feet in diameter). The installation was designed to collect runoff water and return it to the aquifer.
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At the time of the incident, the concrete tubes were staged near the hole’s edge, awaiting installation. There was a large excavator positioned on steel plates directly against the edge of the hole. A personnel work platform with a guardrail was located at one side of the hole’s edge.
The weather was 70 degrees, wind calm, and there hadn’t been rain for more than a week leading up to the incident. The soil in the hole was compacted clay under a 12-inch layer of gravel topped with 3 inches of asphalt road surface.
The events that led to the victim falling into the excavation, and the place from where exactly he fell, are unknown. Undermined and broken asphalt at the edge of the hole gave some indication as to where or how it might have happened, but it’s difficult to say for sure. As a result of the fall, the victim sustained life-threatening injuries including multiple broken vertebrae (including a C5 spinal injury), a lacerated liver, lacerated kidneys, and partial aortic dissection.
Fire Company Actions
At 1142 hours, Engine 19 arrived first and their size-up reported a conscious but seriously injured worker standing at the bottom of a very deep, unprotected excavation site in the center of a two-lane residential street. Engine 19 parked a block away with the expectation that technical rescue apparatus would require priority access to the incident. Performing this tactic allowed technical rescue personnel and equipment unimpeded access to the scene. Engine 19 members walked up with a low angle rope rescue bag and ALS medical equipment.
Squad 12, the first technical rescue apparatus on scene, arrived a minute after Engine 19 and parked near the excavation site. Squad12 is equipped with an 80-foot knuckle boom crane, and members began setting up the crane for use as a high directional anchor for a rope rescue while the lieutenant approached the hole for a technical rescue size-up.
Six minutes later, the rest of the TRT arrived and brought rope rescue equipment to the scene. There was no evidence of an obvious or imminent slough-in of the excavation walls (photo 1).
Following a rapid size-up by technical rescue members, it was obvious the victim was seriously injured, requiring the rescue effort to move at a rapid pace. Members immediately got to work setting up equipment for a high angle rope rescue. Air monitoring was initiated by lowering a hose connected to a pump that feeds air to a 4-gas monitor. Air monitoring revealed no atmospheric hazards.
1. The rigging for the rescue was set up off the excavator and on site after a careful examination of its boom, hook, shackle, and pad eye for use as a high directional point. (Photos courtesy of PF&R.)
Another TRT member rigged a life safety rope to designate a hot zone and function as a travel restraint anchor for anyone operating within 6 feet of the edge. A major factor affecting the rescue plan was that shoring the hole for entry was not an option. Despite having an entire apparatus dedicated to trench shoring, this excavation was far beyond our capability to shore for entry. The private company responsible for excavating the hole didn’t have shoring equipment, as the project was designed to be completed without any workers entering the excavation.
Plan A
The immediate priority was to lower a diaper harness to the victim on the main line rope and guide him through putting it on. The tri-link that normally collects the three legs of the diaper harness was exchanged for a carabiner (making it easier for the victim to manipulate), and the harness was lowered on the main line rope.
Plan B
Lower a Stokes basket to the bottom of the excavation and direct the victim to lie down inside it.
Plan C
If the victim became unconscious or couldn’t respond to direction, the plan was to lower a rescuer into the hole on a separate rope system, package the victim, and retrieve the rescuer and victim as quickly as possible.
Members also considered using the excavator to lower one or two of the concrete pipes vertically into the hole, creating a caisson around the victim, but given the small size of the pipes, the lack of overhead lifting equipment, and how much time it would take, the idea was not implemented.
Fortunately, the victim was able to successfully don the harness. We needed to use binoculars to verify that the harness was rigged correctly due to the victim’s depth and darkness within the hole. We lowered a safety line to the injured worker, and he connected it to the harness for a second point of attachment. Victim removal was completed 26 minutes after the first engine company arrived and 19 minutes after the entire TRT arrived (photo 2).
2. The cylindrical excavation. PF&R members encountered the injured worker standing at the bottom of the hole.
Training Points
- Immediately establish a hot zone and keep all members 6 feet back from the edge, unless they have travel restraint or fall arrest PPE (in accordance with Oregon OSHA guidelines: OAR 437 Div 3 Sub M).
- Assign uninvolved TRT members to develop and organize equipment for multiple backup plans that may be required as the incident progresses.
- Conduct a thorough examination of the excavation lip for loose debris. There was a large chunk of asphalt sitting near the edge, which could have killed or further injured the victim if it fell onto him. A TRT member recognized the hazard and moved the piece away from the edge by hand. Also, prioritize actions that will increase protection for the victim. For example, we should have lowered a hard hat to the victim to protect him during the rescue.
- Consider routing both the main and safety lines through the high directional system. This approach will minimize dynamic forces during a belay event and elevate the safety line above the edge, reducing the risk of dislodging loose debris onto the victim. While it’s not our typical procedure to use the same high directional for both lines, the excavator boom’s hook was deemed “bombproof,” reducing the need to run the safety line directly over the edge.
- On every technical rescue, PF&R’s TRT assigns one member to be the “victim’s paramedic.” This ALS member’s sole responsibility is to monitor the victim’s condition over time and pause the rescue effort to get another set of vitals or provide medical interventions, such as pain medication. Time flies by during a rescue, and having one member detached from that effort who can advocate for the victim is indispensable. An Engine 19 member filled this role during the incident. Although this member couldn’t physically contact the victim, he monitored the victim closely and provided valuable insight as to how his condition had worsened since Engine 19’s arrival.
- Assess the mental state of heavy equipment operators very carefully. These individuals will likely be emotionally distressed due to the chaotic scene and their coworker’s injury. While they may want to assist, their ability to operate machinery reliably may be compromised. This is a case of trusting your immediate “gut feeling” about someone you don’t know; because of this, it’s extremely rare for nonfire department personnel to be involved in technical rescue operations. In this case, the excavator operator’s demeanor was very calm and professional.
- Before initiating the rescue, ensure that every team member understands the plan. The member directing the rope operation should conduct a short, concise briefing lasting no more than 30 seconds. This briefing serves to outline the plan, focus the team, minimize external distractions, and address any potential uncertainties. These briefings have proven to be invaluable to our technical rescue operations.
- Besides having highly trained and skilled technical rescue personnel, the key factor leading to the swift and successful resolution of this incident was the victim’s ability to don the harness. Recognizing that this need took precedent, considerable time was invested in guiding the victim through the process. Had the victim been unable to don the harness due to his injuries or a language barrier, the complexity of the incident would have increased significantly. Additional factors, such as an unconscious or unresponsive victim, excavation characteristics more conducive to traditional trench shoring (parallel walls or shallower depth), partial cave-in, unstable soil, water, unsecured utilities, or hazardous atmospheres, would have further complicated the challenges.
- Following the incident, we consulted with the Portland Water Bureau, a city agency that regularly creates and shores excavations for entry using traditional shoring protection. Senior members at that agency report there is nothing in their equipment inventory that could shore an excavation of that shape or depth. In addition, a request for city equipment through normal channels, even if it was available, would take a minimum of two hours to fulfill, not including the time to install the trench protection once it arrived on scene. Given the severity of his trauma, the victim would likely not have survived the time it would have taken to install shoring protection.
- These dry well excavations are unique in the way they are created. The first 10 feet of depth is created in a traditional way-using an excavator with a digging bucket. The remainder of the excavation is created by using a clamshell-style attachment that creates an almost perfect, round-shaped hole to the desired depth. This is important because soil becomes significantly more disturbed when dug with a bucket by lifting the soil out of the ground as compared to using the clamshell digging attachment, which compacts the soil down and against the sides of the excavation. In addition, the circular profile of the hole is an inherently more stable shape than a rectangular trench. Under no circumstances should these circular excavations be considered safe to enter without shoring, but this information should be part of the risk assessment when forming a rescue plan if a life hangs in the balance.
Moving Forward
The significance of this incident was not the complexity of its technical response but how it emphasizes the importance of being prepared for incidents that require us to operate at the edge of, or even beyond, our operational guidelines. TRTs, if faced with a similar emergency, must be prepared to make judgment calls knowing that no practical shoring option exists and an unconscious or unresponsive victim has no chance for rescue apart from our efforts.
This does not imply that this incident warrants the “go” signal for lowering a rescuer into the unshored excavation but emphasizes the importance of our ability to evaluate risk vs. benefit based on the unique characteristics of each emergency scene. This process of risk assessment begins at the firehouse, long prior to the receipt of an alarm, and is reinforced through frequent, challenging, and realistic training.
This training forges trust and builds relationships up and down the chain of command so rescuers may have the support of nontechnical command staff when operating at the razor’s edge. Just like the fireground, challenging and realistic training prepares us mentally and tactically for these emergencies, allowing us to be “default aggressive” and confident that we are prepared to accurately assess the risk and safely make the rescue.
JOSEF KUEHNAST is a 15-year veteran of Portland (OR) Fire & Rescue and has also been a member of the TRT for 12 years.
