Firefighters in Vermont had to execute an intricate rescue operation after a 40-year-old man became trapped in a tube slide at an elementary school playground, per a statement from the Vernon Fire Department.
Firefighters were summoned to Northeast Elementary School in Rutland City, VT., on the afternoon of Saturday, Aug. 16, following reports that an adult male had become trapped in one of the tube slides while playing with his kids. The victim’s identity has not been made public. “First units arrived on scene and found the patient wedged feet and head first down the slide and stuck in the middle portion,” the statement explained. Because of the man’s positioning within the slide, it was determined that “additional apparatus and manpower” would be required to free him.
Photos of the rescue effort show numerous firefighters attending to the scene, with a thin ventilation tube extending into the slide and an aerial ladder above the slide. The images show workers removing a section of the slide to access the victim.
Vernon Fire Department
Vernon Fire Department
Vernon Fire Department
After the arrival of additional fire units, one group of rescue workers “deploy[ed] tools for the extrication.” At the same time, another erected an “aerial ladder” to “stabilize the section of slide” that firefighters had to remove to free the victim. All the while, rescue workers “provided oxygen” to the victim, who was experiencing “extreme discomfort” and “hot temperatures” during the predicament. “Ventilation” systems were also set up “to help cool the space” in which the victim was stuck.
The man was reportedly “freed within 30 minutes and was evaluated on scene by EMS.” He declined “treatment and transport to a local emergency room.” As of Tuesday, additional information regarding the victim’s status was not available. “While this is a unique call for service for the fire department, the professionalism shown on scene was exemplary,” the statement concluded.
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