Firefighters Rescue Pair Trapped in NoHo Trench

On Wednesday, May 23, 2007 at 3:07 PM, 11 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 4 LAFD Rescue Ambulances, 1 Heavy Rescue, 2 Urban Search and Rescue Units, 1 Rehab Unit, 1 Hazardous Materials Squad, 2 EMS Battalion Captains, 3 Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams, the LAFD Tractor Company, Medical Director and 1 Division Chief Officer Command Team, a total of 89 Los Angeles Fire Department personnel under the direction of Assistant Chief Greg West, responded to a Trench Rescue at 11000 Oxnard Street in North Hollywood.

Firefighters arrived quickly at the southwest corner of Oxnard Street and Vineland Avenue to find and assist Los Angeles Police Officers in their successful rope rescue of the first of two men trapped at a barren 100' x 250' commercial construction site.

The men had apparently been working in conjunction with a backhoe to create a 6' wide x 20' long x 15' deep excavation in soft and sandy soil to accommodate structural steel support.

It was not immediately evident how, when or why the trapped pair had entered the trench, or why the soil gave way.

Police Officers preceded Firefighters when they were erroneously summoned to investigate a disturbance involving "men with shovels" at the construction site, only to discover a half-dozen or more adult males franticly working to save their co-workers.

The 22 year-old worker first pulled free with the worksite rope had been only lightly trapped - and though clearly shaken, had no obvious injuries. He was transported by LAFD ambulance in good condition to the Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank.

As specialized LAFD resources amassed from across the City, Neighborhood Firefighters established voice and soon thereafter physical contact with a 40 year-old male, who was initially trapped to his shoulders.

The man was conscious but agitated, trapped more than a dozen feet below ground level in a nearly upright position, as Firefighters quickly went to work.

The nearby major street was closed to all vehicle traffic and additional LAFD crews staged at a distance as a perimeter was secured to minimize vibration and soil movement.

With trench edge protection and speed shoring of dimensional lumber and plywood quickly applied, Firefighters began initial confined space operations, working at first with the men's co-workers to remove soil with shovels from the western perimeter, and then in a strategic fashion, used hand tools to remove the first of hundreds of pounds of loose, sandy soil from near the victim's upper body.

A rescue harness and firefighter helmet were placed on the man, and an oxygen mask applied, as confined-space trained Firefighter/Paramedics established an intravenous line. A full complement of LAFD Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) personnel were soon on scene to allow for scheduled rotation of staff and equipment.

Firefighters skillfully used a high-velocity pneumatic hand held 'Air Knife' tool attached to a soil vacuum to move small volumes of dirt away in a surgical fashion, and later hastened those efforts with a mobile vacuum truck supplied by the City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works.

The man was freed, and gently hoisted to ground level by an LAFD aerial ladder a little more than 90 minutes after his ordeal began.

In fair condition with no obvious injuries, he was transported by LAFD ambulance to the Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills.

No other injuries were reported.

Questions regarding the presence, need or injured men's use of safety equipment and approved worksite procedures remain within the purview of Cal-OSHA officials.

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Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department