Westerville firefighters on their way to practice rescuing someone from a manhole were diverted to the real thing Sept. 30 when a pedestrian fell about 10 feet into an open manhole on East College Avenue.
A Westerville Division of Fire representative confirmed that the responding crew had been headed to that training when the call came in. Firefighters arrived less than four minutes after the call and found the man sitting upright at the bottom, alert and talking with rescuers, according to the division’s report.
Two workers were inspecting the open manhole on the south side of College Avenue when the man fell, according to the report. The workers told firefighters he had been walking along the sidewalk when he fell into the opening, which had three traffic cones around it. The records released do not identify the workers’ company.
Before sending anyone down, firefighters tested the air for dangerous gases and checked whether there was enough oxygen to breathe. A contractor already had an air monitor in the hole, and crews checked conditions with their own meter, one more sensitive to a variety of gases.
Crews set up a tripod above the opening, and a firefighter climbed down a ladder to reach the man. At one point, the man stood and tried to climb the ladder himself, according to the report, but firefighters told him to remain seated until they could secure him for the trip out.
A second firefighter entered the manhole to help prepare him for removal. Crews fitted the man with a full-body harness connected to a rope-and-pulley system suspended from the tripod, then slowly raised him toward the opening while a rescuer below helped guide him.
The rescue took about 15 minutes from the time firefighters arrived until the man was out of the manhole. He was then taken to Riverside Methodist Hospital. The fire report was redacted in parts, including his name and details of his injuries and medical treatment.
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