University City Firefighters Rescue Baby
Using Bullard T3MAX
What began as a training session for the
University City Fire Department, located in
University City, Missouri, quickly became “hands on”
when the department received a report of a house
fire on Hazelwood Avenue around 10:30 a.m., with a
possibility of an infant trapped in the basement of
the house.
University City Fire Department
|
University City Firefighters were the first to
arrive on scene with Chief Olshwanger, Captain
Kristopher Guittar and Private Bill Gruendler on
board. Upon arrival, firefighters learned there was
indeed an infant trapped in the basement of the
house. Captain Guittar immediately grabbed the
Bullard T3MAX Thermal Imager off the truck and
clipped it on. Guittar and Gruendler then entered
through the front of the house. “There was zero
visibility when we entered. Smoke was everywhere. I
immediately started using the imager,” said Captain
Guittar. Guittar and Gruendler proceeded through the
house until they reached the door, with Guitar in
front using the TI. The two then crawled down the
stairs to the basement. “I heard something and made
a right with the imager. Then I saw the outline of
the infant in the carrier seat.” |
The 3 month-old infant was taken out of the
house, resuscitated and taken to the nearest
hospital. “The whole thing happened so quickly, but
when you’re in there, it seems like it’s a lot
longer,” said Captain Guittar. The firefighters
rescued the infant in less than two minutes. “The
imager was a huge help in finding the baby,” said
Captain Guittar.
The University City Firefighters were honored for
their heroic efforts on October 15th, at University
City Hall. This is the second Save-A-Life
recognition University City Firefighters have
received.
Lessons Learned
Yet again, we see the value of getting a thermal
imager into an incident quickly. By having the TI on
the first-in company, UCFD firefighters were able to
deploy it immediately. Not only did this help them
navigate into the basement faster, but it allowed
them to see if there was a fire threat near the
stairs. Of course, it also allowed them to
immediately see the child on the TI. The key here is
mounting the TI in the cab, where people can reach
it immediately, on the first-in company. Great job,
UCFD!
If you would like to tell us about an incident in
which a Bullard Thermal Imager has made a difference
in your work, send an e-mail to
ashley_smith@bullard.com or visit our website to
submit your story online. Selected stories will
be featured in an upcoming issue of this newsletter.
