At about 1 p.m. on Dec. 15, Truck 14 and Ambulance 148 from the Berwyn Heights Fire/EMS Station were dispatched to a report of an injured worker on the roof of an apartment building.
A worker contracted to remove leaves from building gutters sustained a leg injury when his foot fell through the roof of the building.
Upon arrival at 9125 Springhill Lane, Springhill Lake Apartment Complex in Greenbelt, firefighters encountered an adult male with injuries to his lower leg lying on the roof of a three-story garden style apartment building.
The rescue of the patient would have been routine using a stokes basket and ground ladders, however, fellow contract workers advised firefighters what had occurred.
Fearing the roof area where the patient was located may be in a weakened or rotting condition, firefighters correctly opted to request additional assistance.
If the roof area were structurally compromised it would be extremely dangerous to effect a standard patient rescue. The Fire/EMS Department's High-Angle Team was summoned to the scene to assist in the rescue.
Tower 7, Riverdale Fire/EMS Station, utilizing the Tower’s Bucket, raised the members of the High-Angle Team up to the roof level where firefighters had laid ground ladders along the roof to disperse their weight while operating.
Weight distribution allowed the team of firefighters to operate safely without fear of collapse. The patient was treated for leg injuries and packaged into a stokes basket, lowered to the ground to awaiting paramedics.
The rescue of the patient was completed safely and efficiently within an hour. There were no other injuries.
The adult male was transported to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries to his leg.
Firefighters and Paramedics from Branchville Fire/EMS Station 11, Greenbelt Fire/EMS Station 35 and Paramedic 12, College Park, also assisted at the scene.
