BY STEVEN MILLS
Your engine company is dispatched to a report of an injured construction worker in a trench. As the engine approaches the scene, you notice a backhoe working to remove earth from an excavation site and workers at the trench edge waving you to their location. As you approach the site on foot, you notice two ladders leading down into the trench. A construction worker is standing on each ladder; they are trying without success to pull their coworker from the mud. The victim is shouting that a coupling on a water line failed and seriously injured his leg and that he cannot free himself. He appears to be in a sitting position within a trench that appears to be about 10 feet deep. The water level has risen to the victim's waist. There is no support for the exposed trench walls. The swarm of construction workers and spectators is openly debating various rescue methods. The commotion is drawing curious passersby; the crowd is growing, and emotion is building. You encircle the trench opening.
As the officer of this engine company, your initial actions will dictate the outcome of this rescue not only for the trapped victim but also for all on the scene, including you and your crew.
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