This from Larry Shapiro:
The Buffalo Grove FD was called to 6 Villa Verde Drive this morning (6/3/16) for an elderly resident with a hip injury. The patient was located on the top floor of a three-story apartment complex with a non-functioning elevator. Using a stair stretcher was not an option so they used the tower ladder to bring the her to the ground in a stokes basket.
more photos are at shapirophotography.net
#1 by Bill Post on June 7, 2016 - 2:36 PM
One thing that I noticed is that Buffalo Grove replaces it’s apparatus pretty quickly by most Chicago area standards. If they will be getting a new engine and a new quint, the engine that will be made into a reserve is only six years old and most would consider that to be pretty new. The engine currently at station 26 is a 2010 Ferrara that was delivered with Tower Ladder 25. The previous engine at 26’s house was a 2007 KME and was only three years old when it was relegated to reserve status. So Buffalo Grove will have two relatively new reserve engines. Even the engine that Buffalo Grove is getting rid of (a 1997 E/One), is only 19 years old and for a reserve engine is really not that old. To be able to relegate engines to reserve status when they are less then 10 to 15 years old means that Buffalo Grove must be getting a very good deal or else they must have a very good capital improvement budget. When it come to purchasing new apparatus they seem to be doing very well.
#2 by Bill Post on June 7, 2016 - 9:31 AM
Thanks for the information Rob. Will the new aerial be a quint and how long will the ladder be? Does Buffalo Grove have any future plans to build a 4th station on the east side of town as Buffalo Grove I believe had run with an ambulance 28 several years ago.
#3 by Rob on June 7, 2016 - 9:06 AM
BG approved to purchase an engine and ladder from EONE. This will replace Tower 25R 1996 eone hurricane 95′ tower and the spare engine 1997 eone cyclone. Both pieces should be here in the fall. The new engine will go to Sta 26 and the ladder will go to Sta 27, Q27 2003 KME Excel 75′ will be the reserve truck.
#4 by Austin on June 5, 2016 - 2:37 PM
I actually broke my hip several years ago, so I can attest to the pain. A lot of bumping and moving will trigger the pain more. While it does seem like overkill, I think it was a smart move in this case. The person was elderly and could easily have other things happen bumping around going down 3 stories. I was in my late 20’s when I broke mine, so I can only imagine how much discomfort she would have been in at her age. Just remember every situation is unique. What may seem like a waste to someone, was a benefit to someone else.
#5 by Sebastian on June 4, 2016 - 6:23 PM
Atta boy kevin.. You make an awesome armchair qb
#6 by Drew Smith on June 4, 2016 - 5:55 PM
I dont know all the facts but there are risks with either the stairs or the tower. The stairs may not have been large enough to manuever a backboard, scoop stretcher, etc. There is also the potential for injury to a company member carrying any load on the stairs. There are similar risks using the tower. I support the IC and these members for their actions. Knowing BG’s operation the tower was already present on the EMS call (it’s in thier still district) and whether they carry the person down the stairs or use the tower the rig isnt going anywhere until the patient is at the ambulance.
#7 by Kevin on June 4, 2016 - 8:02 AM
The stairs were not an option? What if she was in the basement would you have had the USAR team out to cut a hole and tripod her up through it? There have been thousands of broken/dislocated hips above or below grade that were moved without a tower ladder. LBB, slat, scoop stretchers and pelvic stabilization devices in conjunction with fentanyl given non invasively are all normal method of transferring patients with broken/dislocated hips. This is ridiculous overkill that wasted resources and created an abnormal amount of risk for all involved.
#8 by Brian on June 4, 2016 - 12:00 AM
With a hip injury, stairs were not an option due to potentially causing further injury and pain
#9 by Rj on June 3, 2016 - 10:53 PM
Did the power outage render the stairs oos too?!
#10 by Bill Post on June 3, 2016 - 7:44 PM
This was an interesting operation and it shows how indispensable an elevating platform can be, whether it’s a tower ladder or a Snorkel. It’s hard to believe that in this day and age there are several major fire departments that don’t have or in some cases have never even owned a tower ladder. Surprising as it may seem there are several big city fire departments on the West Coast that currently don’t use or own any elevating platforms. The departments that specifically I have in mind are Los Angeles City and county, San Francisco, and Seattle. All of those departments are making good use of tillered aerials which offer advantages in narrow, congested, and hilly streets, however I would think that some of the departments would at least have a few platforms on hand for times when the platform would offer an advantage over a straight ladder.