Several firefighters were treated for heat exhaustion working on extricating a man who was trapped after a tractor rolled trapping him in Hamilton Township on Tuesday, July 7, 2020.
Hamilton Township firefighters responded to a tractor that rolled at an address on Dale Road near County Road 45 at approximately 9:38 a.m.
When fire crews arrived, Fire Chief Kelly Serson said a large Case tractor on its side in the ditch up a very steep incline.
“The driver was pinned underneath the main part of the tractor with his legs.”
A number of pieces of extrication was used along with construction equipment that happened to be on scene.
Firefighters first worked on stabilizing the vehicle before starting extrication.
“The way the tractor was in the ditch, it appeared to have done one complete rollover backwards, then flopped down on its side where the driver was pinned.”
Serson said the way it was in the ditch made it extremely hard for accessing the patient.
There was also a “significant” fuel leak.
“Fire is always a concern. So we took measures to protect the driver from any potential fire.”
With the searing heat, combined with the very steep incline of the road it was very hard on the firefighters with a number of them being treated for heat exhaustion.
“I could not believe the effect the heat had on us today. Just transporting our tools approximately 150 feet up the hill was incredibly draining. The heat really played a toll on the emergency.”
“We had to use a number of our staff resources just to get through the call because having to work so diligently and the exertion to get the guy out was quite involved.”
Throughout the course of the extrication, Serson adds, “there was really good cooperation between the paramedics and the firefighters.”
There were two sets of paramedics on scene along with a supervisor working on extrication and patient care.
It appears the injuries were mainly to the victims lower extremities.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
