June 5, 2008 - Shreveport Firefighters Assist in Vivian Rescue

The Shreveport Fire Department responded to a request for mutual aid in Vivian

The Shreveport Fire Department responded to a request for mutual aid in Vivian late this afternoon after two contract painters became unconscious inside a water tower where they were working. Apparently the workers were overcome by the paint fumes and collapsed inside the tower. Caddo Fire District (CFD) 8 arrived on the scene and called for Shreveport units after recognized the seriousness of the incident and with knowledge that SFD possessed the equipment and specialized training necessary to (1) extricate the victims and (2) get them 160 feet safely to the ground once removed.

A Special Operations team of nine SFD members from Truck 1, Rescue 9, and a District Chief were dispatched to the scene 27 miles from the city. Upon arrival SFD assisted CFD 8 who already had two firefighters in the tank supplying the victims with fresh air from firefighter air packs. A high-angle and confined space rescue was set up by SFD members with four SFD firefighters scaling the tower with their equipment in-tow. Fortunately the two victims, Fredrick Griffin, 39 of Bolivar, Tennessee, and Paul Childress, 47 of Florence, Mississippi were revived with the oxygen and fresh air and were able to self-extricate themselves from the water tank with assistance from firefighters. Later it was determined that allowing them to climb down from the outside ladder under their own power was the safest method of getting them off the tall structure but only after firefighters reassessed their awareness level and secured them with backup safety harnesses and a life-line to prevent any mishaps.

The event was a success as the two men were treated and evaluated once on the ground by North Caddo Hospital paramedics. They refused transportation to the hospital. The incident demonstrated the importance and effectiveness of the fire mutual aid agreements in Caddo Parish. In all Caddo Fire District 8 from Vivian, Caddo Fire District 7 from Oil City, the Shreveport Fire Department, and Life Air Rescue, all responded in one accord to assist and lend their expertise, man-power, and specialized training and equipment to a very dangerous and complex emergency. This was a text book example of how mutual aid agreements are designed to function. Had it not been for the actions of those involved the consequences would have most likely been fatal. ###