LFR talks about the risks of doing trench rescues

On Wednesday night, two construction workers became trapped in a trench collapse in the Air Park area.

It took an hour–and–a–half for Lincoln firefighters to rescue them, but Lincoln Fire and Rescue said they have very specific procedures for how they conduct such rescues.

“In those first zero to 10 minutes of the scene it may not look like there’s a lot of rescue effort going on, but what LFR is doing is creating a safe scene and putting a plan together,” Capt. Shawn Mahler said.

They have to be so careful, they park their trucks at least 100 feet away so their vibrations don’t cause further collapse.

Then they move bystanders back and put in trench supporting materials, like wood and air–pressurized equipment to support the ground.

Keep in mind, one cubic yard of soil can weigh more than a car.

“Most people would think you could just step up out of there, but it’s just the amount of weight and pressure from the collapse that you are literally caught until the very last scoop of dirt is removed,” Mahler said.

And they don’t want rescue crews to get trapped in that too.

The dangers don’t stop there.  There’s also threats from utility lines.

“Whether it’s a gas line or sewer gas that may be in the trench, we want to make sure the air quality is good so that we don’t have an oxygen–deficient atmosphere down in the trench,” Mahler said.

He said once they’ve determined the trench is safe, they go in and remove the dirt.

The good news on Wednesday night is both workers were pulled out and are doing okay.

Again, LFR said if soil has collapsed once, it can certainly do it again.  They said if a trench has collapsed on your coworker or friend, do not go in after them.  Just keep track of them and call 911.